The thought of an autonomous/self-driving car has sparked the interest of many individuals. Self-driving cars are interesting, and we can’t get enough of seeing them on the road with no one in the driver’s seat. However, there aren’t many self-driving vehicle technology on the market. As a result, the focus of this article is on emerging trends in autonomous vehicle technology.
History of The Automobile
About Autonomous Cars

Classification of Vehicle Automation
- Level 0: No automation – All tasks are performed by the driver.
- Level 1: Driver Assistance – Stand-alone vehicle components such as Electronic Stability Program (E.S.P) or Automatic Braking are present.
- Level 2: Partial Automation – combined automated features such as steering / acceleration, i.e., lane-keeping and adaptive cruise control are present. However, the driver must always be involved in the driving and he/she must monitor the environment.
- Level 3: Conditional Automation- The driver can fully cease control of some of the important function of the vehicle in certain conditions, but he / she must remain ready to take control of the vehicle at all times with advance notice.
- Level 4: High Automation –The vehicle can execute all the driving functions. The option to control the vehicle may or may not be there with the driver.
- Level 5: Full Automation – The vehicle is able to perform all functions related to driving, under all situations and conditions
Emerging Trends in Autonomous vehicles
Academic experts have been motivated by the revolutionary shifts in mobility that are gradually becoming a part of our reality. The rapid growth of the autonomous vehicle (AV) sector has pushed entrepreneurs all over the world to create the technology since it has numerous advantages. Self-driving cars are one of the ways Uber and Lyft are decreasing costs. However, saving money isn’t the only advantage of self-driving automobiles. Some of the key advantages of autonomous vehicles include reduced fuel usage, reduced CO2 emissions, and reduced traffic congestion.
Tech companies in Autonomous vehicle technology
Large companies around the world continue to file patents for autonomous vehicles (AVs). AVs can improve road safety while lowering the environmental footprint of vehicles. Among those recently issued, some interesting ones are Apple, Facebook, and Google. They are making big strides toward creating different visions of mobility. These companies want to focus on driver experience, and they have a wealth of resources to pour into making these visions a reality.
APPLE
Recently Apple was given two patents related to self-driving automobiles by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
- The first patent is for a novel external lighting system that uses text or visual displays to communicate various cautions to nearby vehicles.
- The second patent was awarded for an occupant safety system having inflatable restraints that can be deployed to protect occupants in vehicles with non-traditional seats (which may happen if there is no steering wheel or pedals to take up space).
The biggest tech contender in the mobility space is probably Google, which has been patenting intellectual property as fast as the leading car companies and once even considered building its own fleet. In 2016, Google parent Alphabet Inc. created Waymo, a company dedicated to commercializing Google’s self-driving car technology, and began a hunt for partners.

