First Driverless Cars Will Be Ready by 2030

A driverless car is the dream of the scientists even since 1977, when first researches in this field have started. But, for the moment, only SF movies have accomplished the task, starting with Schwarzenegger's "Total recall" to "Minority report".

Current technology is not advanced enough to make the first driverless car, but now researchers can offer a date: year 2030.

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have announced a crucial step forward in this research: the first class of intelligent robot cars - able to understand and react to the world around them - will be tested this November.

The new cars would be able to circulate in a simulated urban environment. "In the past it was sufficient for a vehicle just to perceive the environment," said Sebastian Thrun, an associate professor of computer science and electrical engineering at Stanford University and member of the Stanford team participating in the DARPA competition, scheduled for November 3. "The new challenge will be to understand the environment. The robot must be able to recognize another car, to understand that it is moving and that it will interact with it as it gets closer."

Stanford's prototype "Junior" is a transformed 2006 Volkswagen Passat, with steering, throttle and brakes systems turned completely computer-controllable by engineers.

A complex laser system positioned on the car bumpers, radar and global positioning systems will transmit information to the on-board computer to locate the car's position. "Today we can drive about 100 miles (160 kilometers) before human assistance is necessary, by 2010 I expect this to go 1,000 miles (1,160 kilometers), by 2020 up to a million miles (1.6 million kilometers)," he said. "By 2030 you'll be able to see them on the highway, with a driving reliability that will exceed humans by orders of magnitude. […] We believe this technology will affect all of us. It is going to have enormous significance for people who can't drive because of disabilities or because they are ill or impaired."

The robot-driven vehicles will also be incorporated in war technologies. "I think they'll be on the battlefield by around 2015," he said. "It is going to make sense to use them in situations such as convoys, or in hostile environments where there is danger to personnel."