Gyeonggido supports venture companies as South Korea looks to lead in autonomous tech.
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| What are autonomous cars? |
What Are Autonomous Vehicles?
The term “autonomous vehicle” (and “self-driving car”)
refers to different levels of automation utilized in vehicles to assist or take
over the task of driving. The desire to automate driving is not new. The first
attempt at creating prototype driverless cars goes back to 1920. However, those
cars were not autonomous per se as
they had to be controlled from another car driving nearby.
In the 1950s, electrical impulses conveyed through devices
implanted in roads were put into use to enable cars to drive with remote input. However, it's only in recent times, with leaps in the
development of AI technologies and improvements in wireless transmission
technologies such as 5G, that we have been brought closer than ever before to
the possibility of creating fully autonomous vehicles.
There are 5 levels of autonomous vehicles:
Level One – Driver Assistance
At this level, some driving functions are assisted by the
vehicle, but main tasks such as accelerating, braking, and situational awareness
are overseen by the driver. Adaptive cruise control, for example, moderates
speed and distance according to vehicles nearby, but the driver remains in
control.
Level Two – Partial Automation
Partial automation allows the driver to disengage from some
of the tasks with the vehicle providing a greater level of assistance with such
things as steering or acceleration. At this level, the driver cannot fully
disengage and must actively supervise, being prepared to take control at any
given time. The driver is also is responsible for monitoring the surroundings.
Level Three – Conditional Automation
At this level, the vehicle starts monitoring the
environment, which is a defining factor towards achieving autonomous driving.
The driver can take their hands off the wheel, but they need to pay full
attention to handle safety-critical functions such as braking if necessary.
Level Four – High Automation
The vehicle assesses conditions and, if safe, the driver
can switch into autonomous mode.
Level Five – Complete Automation
At this level, vehicles do not require human attention
and generally lack related items such as a steering wheel or pedals. All
driving tasks, including critical ones, are performed by the vehicle.
The Future of Autonomous Vehicles
The estimated timeline for the commercialized use of
autonomous cars has been extended due to some setbacks in the final years of
the past decade. While Level Five autonomous vehicles might be arriving later
than expected, current progress in automating cars will in itself have a
positive impact on driving.
The autonomous vehicles of the future do more than move
humans around. One major area of impact is the full automation of the delivery
and shipping industry. In the United States, a milestone was passed this year
when a company received the first federal safety approval for an autonomous
vehicle designed to deliver groceries.
It's expected that low-speed autonomous vehicles designed
for short trips will be the first autonomous vehicles to be used widely.
Gyeonggi Autonomous Driving Center (GADC)
The Gyeonggi Autonomous Driving Center (GADC) was
established as a control tower for improving public mobility by supporting
innovation and testing in the field of autonomous driving. The center oversees
related operations for Pangyo Zero City, which is the heart of the autonomous
driving development in Korea.
Pangyo Zero City, located in Pangyo Techno Valleys 1 and
2, is a technology complex where many autonomous vehicles are being tested.
Nicknamed Korea's “Silicon Valley,” it was built to support the autonomous
driving industry.
Undertaken since 2018, ZERO Shuttle, Korea's first public
autonomous vehicle, is one of the main projects being pursued in Pangyo Zero
City. This passenger bus is a low-speed passenger vehicle that transports
people within its test area.
GADC Open Lab: Support for Venture Companies
GADC hopes to create spaces and opportunities for companies
that have been working to develop self-driving vehicles. There are
currently 8 companies that have joined hands and are working together in Pangyo
Zero City.
MORAI does research and development and has created a
simulator for virtual testing.
MOBILTECH provides spatial information and maps for
automatic driving.
BITSENSING provides radar
technologies to ensure autonomous driving safety, such as 4D imaging radar
sensor, traffic radar sensor etc.
SEOUL ROBOTICS creates real-time 3D perception software
for LIDAR sensors.
SOSLAB is a producer of smart optical sensors for
autonomous vehicles.
AIMMO provides a data annotation platform for training
data creation life cycles.
WAYTIES works on creating communication systems for
autonomous vehicles.
CONTECH D&M creates vehicle platforms and
manufactures automatic vehicles.
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| Hyundai is making aggressive investment in self-driving vehicles |
Hyundai autonomous vehicles in Gyeonggi-do
Hyundai has invested both funds and effort in propelling
autonomous vehicles technologies in Korea. Together with the Korean government,
they aim to create successful and reliable Level Four and Level Five autonomous
vehicles with the potential to be put to commercial use for the public. The
company has already signed agreements to start developing and testing Hyundai
autonomous cars that access data from Seoul City. Hyundai operates three
R&D centers in Gyeonggi-do where its researchers are paving the way for Korea's
autonomous driving future.
With regards to scanning technologies eg. LiDAR how do you ensure detection for humans?
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