Despite what optimistic vehicle manufacturer CEOs will tell you, we are a long way from the implementation of wholly integrated autonomous driving systems in our everyday lives. Between safety concerns and our own reservations about drastic change, the chance of sleeping while your car drives you to work in the morning during our lifetime is pretty slim.
However, this has yet to stop manufacturers from employing other systems in our vehicles that may bridge the gap, regardless of how large it may be. ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) have been around longer than you think and continue to grow in sophistication.
What exactly are Advanced Driver Assistance Systems? Think of them as anything your car does for you. Let's look at some of the older, long-established systems –
Anti-lock Braking System (Introduced in the 1960s or 70s, depending on who you believe).
Once upon a time, we were trained as drivers to pump the brake pedal rapidly when going into a skid to prevent the brakes from locking up and losing all traction. With ABS, a hydraulic pump does all the work for us.
Cruise Control
At first, this system used a cable to lock in speed. Now, advanced systems use radar to actively control changes in speed while maintaining a safe distance from the vehicle in front.
Back-up Camera
Yes. Back-up cameras are an old system. First introduced in a concept car in 1956, it later found its way into production cars in 2002. It is now a staple in almost every vehicle on the road today.
In the last 20 years, we've seen much more innovation in ADAS, with more intuitive and sometimes maligned systems. Unlike ABS, manufacturers have given consumers the ability to turn some of them off. These include –
Lane Departure
Using cameras to detect the painted lines on the road, Lane Departure can use the electric motor in the steering column to even steer the vehicle back into position and give both an audible and tactile warning.
Collision Avoidance
Using radar or lidar (laser pulsing technology), our vehicles can now sense when they are close to an object, sense impact, and even avoid it by applying brakes for the driver.
Park Assist
Incorporating radar, camera, and ultrasonic sensors, our vehicles can provide audible and visual warnings during parking maneuvers that let us know how close we are to a wall or object.
Various other ADAS systems provide all kinds of benefits to the driver, which are typically safety-related. Without going into great detail, here are some of the different systems found in today's vehicles –
Blind Spot Warning
Automatic Headlights, Wipers, Mirrors, etc.
Self-parking, parallel or other
Driver Drowsiness Detection
Traffic Sign Recognition
Understanding how these systems work is essential for a few reasons. The simplest is recognizing the warnings and what to expect when the vehicle employs any action. It can be quite disorienting and often alarming when a vehicle does something unexpected, especially if it is not understood even after the fact.
The function and design of ADAS is to keep drivers and passengers safer. There are more distractions on the road and in our lives than ever before, and our vehicles are now being armed with tools to better combat those distractions. Consequently, these systems must function correctly.
Many of the sensors utilized for ADAS must be installed on the vehicle's exterior, making them susceptible to everything the vehicle's paint would be subjected to. The importance of keeping these sensors clean cannot be stressed enough. Dirt, debris, and extreme weather conditions such as ice and snow can affect many ADAS devices. The critical thing to remember is to regularly wash the vehicle and use the appropriate cleaning agents for vehicle paint surfaces.
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