Hardware and software requirements for self-driving vehicles

Human drivers must sense the state of their vehicles and constantly evaluate the surrounding environment, keeping track of stationary and moving obstacles. The primary means of gathering this information is through vision.

Using eyesight, a competent driver monitors vehicle instrumentation, principally the speedometer, and scans the surrounding environment to perform lane keeping, maintain appropriate spacing from other vehicles, obey traffic signs and signals, and avoid any obstacles on or near the road surface.

Human drivers rely on other senses to a lesser degree, including the use of hearing to detect signals such as car horns and railway crossings. The sense of touch comes into play as well, for example when bump strips are installed on a highway surface to warn of an upcoming intersection. The sense of touch can also assist when an inattentive driver drifts off the roadway and onto the shoulder, which typically...