An autonomous car (driverless car) is a term for a vehicle that is capable of sensing its environment and navigating without human input.. To achieve this a number of sensors are used, patched into a sophisticated computer. Sensor devices include the use of Radar (RAdio Detection And Ranging); Lidar (Light Detection And Ranging); GPS (Global Positioning System ); Odometry (data from motion sensors to estimate change in position over time); and computer vision. There are different types of driverless cars, depending upon the degree of control given over the vehicle. This is based on the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) classification system.
While different companies are developing driverless car technology, most media attention has focused on Google. the Google Self-Driving Car, developed by Google X, uses software called Google Chauffeur. Several successful trials have been completed.
While the Google cars are effective, they err on the functional. To appeal to those with bigger wallets, Rolls-Royce have, in June 2016, unveiled their version of the autonomous vehicle.
Rolls-Royce’s first driverless vehicle is called Vision Next 100. The car has no steering wheel and a silk “throne”, from which passengers can obtain the best and most comfortable scenic view. It’s a big vehicle, measuring just over 19-feet long.
The car has two key features: it produces zero emissions and it promises, according to The Guardian, an interior made only of “the most precious and contemporary elegance”, including Macassar wood paneling, an ivory wool carpet, and a television. The car also comes with the “Voice of Eleanor,” a Siri-like, artificially-intelligent virtual assistant.
Impressed by the car, SlashGear (@slashgear), the personal technology blogger, tweeted: “This astonishing Rolls-Royce VISION NEXT 100 concept is sublimely crazy.”
However, not all social media commentators are impressed. Female blogger AndThat’sTheWayItIs (@ABWright824) messaged: “If this isn’t a butt-ugly car, I don’t know what is. Who cares if it’s a Rolls-Royce? Models never good looking.”
