Self-Driving Cars Are Coming Soon to a Highway Near You.

I’m driving on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway on my way to my parents’ house when I finally decide to let go of the steering wheel.

As I release my grip, the car veers closer toward the adjacent lane. My palms begin to sweat and pupils dilate. Just as I’m about to careen into the SUV next to me, the car takes control and gently guides me back into the lane.

A few days later, I’m stuck in typical rush hour traffic on Manhattan’s West Side Highway, awash in a sea of lights, blaring horns, and creative insults slung from open windows. I tap a button on my car’s steering wheel and let go. I slide my feet away from the gas and brake pedals and slump back in my seat.

My car takes over. It keeps me centered in my lane, speeds up when it’s time to move and brakes when the car in front of me slows down. My car is driving itself. And it’s both awesome and slightly terrifying.

No, this isn’t some dispatch from the far-flung future; this happened last week. The car in question is Volvo’s 2016 XC90 with Pilot Assist, one of the most advanced vehicles you can buy.

Is the XC90 truly a self-driving vehicle? Not really. Sure it accelerates, brakes, and steers without any help from me, but its autonomous technology is limited to a top speed of 30 miles per hour, it can’t change lanes, and it’s only meant for use in highway traffic.

Despite those limitations, Volvo’s SUV is an impressive piece of technology, and proof that fully autonomous vehicles have come a whole lot closer to becoming a reality in a very short time.

So when can you expect to jump into your car each morning and catch some extra z’s as it drives you to the office? Perhaps sooner than you think.

The car of the future, today

OK, so you can’t head down to Crazy Larry’s Car Dealership and buy a self-driving car just yet. But if you haven’t purchased a new vehicle in the past few years, it might surprise you to learn that automakers are already equipping their cars with near-autonomous driving features that lay the groundwork for a fully hands-free automotive future.

Take the Volvo XC90, for example. The SUV’s Pilot Assist uses a series of cameras and radar to track the vehicle in front of you and follow lane markings. The car can then basically drive itself up to speeds of 30 mph. But it won’t work unless there’s a car in front of you for the vehicle to track.

Other automakers offer lane-keeping assist, which ensures you stay in your lane, as well as adaptive cruise control, which uses radar to detect when you get too close to the car in front of you and automatically slows the car down to keep you at a safe distance.



By Daniel Howley.
Culled from Yahoo News.