AI Self-Driving Cars That Know When They've Been In A Car Crash
About this episode
Exploring how AI-driven self-driving cars detect and respond to crashes, this discussion highlights the challenges these vehicles face without human senses. Unlike humans, AI relies on sensors like cameras, radar, and airbags to identify collisions, but some incidents may go unnoticed. The episode also considers the role of passengers in alerting the AI, the potential use of internal and external microphones, and innovative ideas like drones inspecting vehicle damage. It raises important questions about safety protocols and the future development of crash detection in autonomous vehicles.
Dr. Eliot explains how AI self-driving cars can determine that they've been in a car crash. See his Forbes column for further info: https://www.forbes.com/sites/lanceeliot/
car crash
"car crashes for convenience sake let's agree that a car crash is widely defined, encompassing outright head-on collisions, minor fender benders, side swipes, rollovers, being rear-ended,"
A car crash is when a car hits something or another car, which can be a small bump or a big accident.
A car crash refers to any incident where a vehicle collides with another object, vehicle, or person, ranging from minor fender benders to severe collisions like rollovers or pile-ups.
Level 4 and Level 5 true self-driving cars
"Will an AI-based true self-driving car be able to discern that it has been in a car crash? And what does this foretell about the advent of self-driving cars? Let's unpack the matter and see. For Level 4 and Level 5 true self-driving cars, keep in mind there won't be a human driver involved in the"
Level 4 and Level 5 self-driving cars are cars that can drive themselves. Level 4 cars can do this in some places or situations, and Level 5 cars can drive anywhere without a person controlling them.
Level 4 and Level 5 refer to advanced stages of autonomous vehicle technology where Level 4 can operate without human intervention in certain conditions, and Level 5 represents full autonomy in all conditions without any human driver.
e-nose
"Nor smells of a car crash possible, though as a heads-up, some self-driving cars are adding e-nose features into their self-driving"
An e-nose is a device that can 'smell' things like smoke or chemicals. Some self-driving cars use it to notice if something bad, like a crash, has happened.
An e-nose is an electronic sensor system designed to detect and identify odors or chemical compounds. In self-driving cars, e-noses can be used to detect smells related to car crashes or other hazardous conditions.
AI
"vehicles. In theory, a self-driving car could get sideswiped by another car, for example, and the AI today might be oblivious to this kind of car collision. Upping the ante its conceivables, self-driving car might strike a small animal head-on and not have detected the collision."
AI means a computer program that can think and learn like a person. In cars, it helps the car understand what's around it and decide what to do.
AI, or artificial intelligence, refers to computer systems designed to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as recognizing objects, making decisions, and learning from data. In self-driving cars, AI processes sensor data to understand the environment and control the vehicle.
sensors
"Depending upon what sensors are used on the self-driving car and how the AI has been crafted, there can be blind spots related to being able to discern a car crash incident that involves a self-driving car."
Sensors are like the car's eyes and ears. They help the car see what's around it so it can drive safely.
Sensors in self-driving cars include devices like cameras, radar, and lidar that detect the vehicle's surroundings. They provide data to the AI system to help it understand obstacles, other vehicles, and road conditions.
blind spots
"Depending upon what sensors are used on the self-driving car and how the AI has been crafted, there can be blind spots related to being able to discern a car crash incident that involves a self-driving car."
Blind spots are places around the car that the driver or the car's sensors can't see. This can make it hard to know if something is there.
Blind spots are areas around a vehicle that the driver or the vehicle's sensors cannot see or detect easily. In self-driving cars, blind spots can cause the AI to miss important information like nearby obstacles or collisions.
airbags
"One obvious way for the AI to realize that car crash has occurred would be via the deployment of airbags. Since those capabilities are already built into most conventional cars..."
Airbags are like big cushions inside the car that pop out quickly if there's a crash to keep people safe. They stop you from hitting the steering wheel or dashboard really hard.
Airbags are safety devices in cars that inflate rapidly during a collision to protect occupants from injury. They are triggered by sensors that detect a crash and help reduce the impact force on passengers.
LiDAR
"Overall, the AI would be normally calculating the chances of a car crash, not only as visual data being collected, but by and large self-driving cars use additional sensors such as radar, LiDAR, ultrasonic thermal imaging..."
LiDAR is like a laser flashlight that helps the car make a 3D picture of everything around it so it knows where things are.
LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is a sensor technology that uses laser light to create detailed 3D maps of the environment. Self-driving cars use LiDAR to detect objects, measure distances, and navigate safely.
thermal imaging
"Overall, the AI would be normally calculating the chances of a car crash, not only as visual data being collected, but by and large self-driving cars use additional sensors such as radar, LiDAR, ultrasonic thermal imaging..."
Thermal imaging is like a special camera that can see heat, so the car can spot people or animals even when it's dark.
Thermal imaging uses infrared sensors to detect heat emitted by objects, allowing vehicles to see living beings or warm objects even in darkness or poor visibility. This technology enhances safety in self-driving cars.
radar
"Overall, the AI would be normally calculating the chances of a car crash, not only as visual data being collected, but by and large self-driving cars use additional sensors such as radar, LiDAR, ultrasonic thermal imaging..."
Radar is like a special kind of radio that helps the car see other cars or things around it by sending out signals and listening for them to bounce back.
Radar is a sensor technology that uses radio waves to detect objects and measure their distance and speed. In self-driving cars, radar helps identify other vehicles and obstacles even in poor visibility conditions.
natural language processing
"the odds are that self-driving cars will have microphones inside the vehicle used to aid in undertaking the natural language processing aspects."
Natural language processing means teaching computers to understand and talk like people do, so they can listen and respond to what we say.
Natural language processing (NLP) is a branch of artificial intelligence that enables computers to understand, interpret, and respond to human language in a meaningful way.
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