Here’s How Artificial Intelligence Is Going To Transform The Driver/Car Relationship
Artificial intelligence is redefining how we interact with our cars. AI algorithms can analyze vast amounts of data in real-time to detect potential hazards, eliminate human error, and make driving safer on the road. Vehicles can now seamlessly adapt to changing road conditions, communicate with their environment, anticipate driver needs, and even recognize emotions.
And that's not even the tip of the iceberg. AI's ability to process vast amounts of data in real-time, make split-second decisions, and continuously learn and adapt can do much more than just making driving safer. Let us take a look at how AI is going to transform the driver/car relationship.
Self-Driving Car Systems
Artificial Intelligence is at the backbone of self-driving car systems. These systems use vast datasets, image recognition, machine learning, and neural networks to achieve various degrees of autonomy (as no car is fully autonomous yet).
Artificial Intelligence helps identify various elements of the driving environment, including traffic lights, pedestrians, and street signs, from camera images on self-driving cars. As the system accumulates more driving experience, it incorporates additional data into its deep learning algorithms, enabling it to make increasingly sophisticated driving decisions.
Augmented Reality Navigation
BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz are integrating artificial intelligence and augmented reality in their infotainment systems to enhance your driving experience. This system will employ vehicle-mounted cameras and sensors to project the road onto your dashboard, before incorporating game-like elements for navigation assistance.
By overlaying interactive arrows and objects onto the live footage of the real-world environment, the sytem will display road information such as turns, lane changes, house numbers (and more) in a much easier manner… and will be particularly useful for Uber drivers.
Gesture Controls
Many automakers – including BMW, Volkswagen and Honda – have started offering optional AI gesture control for seamless interaction with the vehicle's infotainment system. With simple hand movements, you can adjust volume, handle calls, and even tweak the rearview camera angle.
Taking things up a notch, Toyota's upcoming Arene operating system will combine voice and gesture recognition with predictive artificial intelligence to practically change how drivers and cars connect. Toyota says Arene OS will allow intuitive control of as many as 200 in-vehicle functions.
AI Virtual Assistants
Powered by Generative AI, car virtual assistants are revolutionizing how we interact with vehicles. From setting up navigation to playing music to sending messages, they can do pretty much everything with just your voice.
The more advanced systems open up a number of new possibilities for drivers, allowing them to shop, order food, find parking, or access any kind of service while they're on the road. This allows them to remain focused on the road, minimizing distractions from buttons, screens, or smartphones.
V2V Communication
Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication uses dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) to enable cars to exchange information for enhanced road safety. For instance, if a vehicle runs a red light, V2V enables nearby cars to exchange signals, alerting drivers to take appropriate action.
While still in testing and development stages, V2V technology is bound to flourish in the coming years, especially as automotive technology advances toward fully autonomous vehicles. Initially, these systems will provide driver warnings, but as they mature, they will control braking or steering to avoid obstacles… and will be integrated with AI for better road predictions.
Home-to-Car Integration
Samsung is working to integrate its SmartThings platform with connected vehicles to "enhance the customer experience in both the home and the car."
Users will be able to gain remote control over vehicle functions (like starting the engine, climate control, window operation, etc.) from the comfort of their homes. Likewise, they will be able to control their home appliances from within their vehicles. Users will also be able to set different routines that they can activate by trigger phrases like “good morning” or “arriving home”.
Traffic-Sign Recognition
This AI-enhanced feature comes to the rescue when you're uncertain about speed limits or miss road signs. Using the data generated from a front camera, it captures and analyzes various traffic signs to provide real-time information, like school zones, on your instrument panel or head-up display.
In some instances, adaptive cruise control adjusts its set speed based on newly recognized speed signs. Although it's mainly available in luxury cars, the Ford F-150 is one mainstream vehicle to offer this feature.
AI Car Diagnosis
Pioneered by General Motors and Toyota, Automated Diagnostic systems offer proactive maintenance by identifying potential issues before they escalate. These systems can detect a number of faults ranging from low oil levels to engine malfunctions and beyond, saving you unnecessary trips to the mechanic.
AI-enhanced car diagnosis takes this innovation further by leveraging artificial intelligence to provide real-time insights into your car's health, idenitifying potential issues and offering tailored solutions that align with your needs, budget, and situation.
Passenger Recognition System
Wouldn't it be cool if your car can recognize you as you step into it? Well, it won’t be too long before cars can actually do that. Mini’s concept car Vision has a system that can recognize individuals as they enter the vehicle.
This innovative feature promises a personalized driving experience for all users of a vehicle… and is envisioned to be integrated into ridesharing services, enabling cars to identify passengers, even amidst serving hundreds of different individuals everyday.
Traffic Light Recognition
Traffic light recognition enables vehicles to detect and interpret traffic signals. These systems use computer vision algorithms and image processing techniques to analyze images or video feeds from vehicle front cameras to identify the presence and state of traffic lights, including red, yellow, and green signals.
They then use artificial intelligence to decide whether to adjust speed, apply brakes to stop, or accelerate to continue driving. Traffic light recognition is currently being used in semi-autonomous vehicles.
Adaptive Cruise Control
AI-enhanced adaptive cruise control uses traffic data generated from cameras, lasers, or radars to analyze and predict the behavior of other vehicles on the road. It maintains your preset speed until slower vehicles are detected ahead in your lane, after which, it adjusts the speed to maintain a safe distance.
Distance settings can be customized based on road conditions and comfort. While the standard cruise control is limited in functionality, this one can work on any road with light to moderate traffic.
Driver Health Monitoring
Pioneered by Ford, driver health monitoring system integrates vital health-tracking features into cars. Ford uses conductive sensors on the steering wheel to monitor heart rate, seatbelt "piezoelectric" sensors to assess breathing rate, and infrared sensors to detect facial temperature and sudden body heat changes.
When integrated with other driving assistance systems, the health monitoring system can be potentially life-saving for drivers with medical conditions. For instance, in emergencies like seizures, the system can detect the incident, steer the car to safety, and even alert paramedics.
Automatic Lane Change
Automatic lane change system assesses the traffic situation and uses AI to determine whether it's safe to perform a lane change. This decision-making process involves evaluating factors such as the speed and distance of nearby vehicles, the availability of space in the target lane, and the vehicle's trajectory.
In Mercedes-Benz models, for instance, the system automatically initiates a lane change to overtake slower vehicles when you're traveling between 50-85mph, provided that there’s sufficient clearance. However, the driver is required to keep hands on the steering wheel to maintain responsibility.
Driver Emotion Recognition
AI companies like Affectiva have developed emotion tracking systems that can detect driver emotions through facial recognition and physiological sensors so as to provide personalized assistance on the road.
By understanding the driver's emotional state, the vehicle can adapt its responses accordingly, such as adjusting driving dynamics or providing calming interventions during moments of stress. While still in development, emotion recognition can revolutionize the way drivers interact with their vehicles.
'Living' Virtual Assistant
Taking the AI virtual assistance to next level, automakers are incorporating absurdly human-like features into their cars. Mercedes' new virtual assistant that will run on the upcoming MB.OS platform, for instance, will express a range of emotions, from excited to sensitive, besides having four personality traits: natural, predictive, personal, and empathetic.
Drivers no longer even need to initiate interactions by saying "Hey" and the car will engage automatically whenever needed. If the MB.OS system detects that the driver is stressed or unhappy—either from their tone or driving style—it may shorten the conversation or start a seat massage to help relax them.
Traffic Prediction
Currently in development, traffic prediction will use data analytics and machine learning algorithms to forecast traffic conditions ahead of time, helping drivers plan their routes and avoid congestion. These systems will also analyze historical traffic patterns, real-time traffic data, weather forecasts, and other relevant factors to predict future traffic conditions accurately.
Once fully developed, this system will give proactive notifications or route suggestions to drivers through the vehicle navigation systems, allowing them to make informed decisions about their travel routes and departure times.
Stop-and-Go ACC
Many Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) systems today use AI to tackle a wider range of traffic situations. By analyzing and predicting the road behavior of other vehicles, the Stop-and-Go ACC can bring the vehicle to a complete stop when needed and keep it that way.
Advanced systems make the vehicle automatically proceed when the leading vehicle starts moving again, while the less advanced ones may require drivers to tap the accelerator pedal or the cruise-control "resume" button.
Rear Passenger Warning
Also known as rear occupant alert, occupant sensing and by numerous other names, this technology employs interior radars and artificial intelligence to detect living objects in the rear rows.
Rear passenger warning was designed to prevent accidents involving children or pets being inadvertently left behind in cars, particularly in hot weather. This system helps mitigate the risk of such tragic events by providing alerts or reminders to drivers when they shut down the engine or open the driver door.
ChatGPT Voice Assistant
Automakers are integrating ChatGPT into their vehicles' voice assistant systems to enhance their capabilities beyond controlling navigation, infotainment, and air conditioning. The aim is to enrich user conversations, provide vehicle-specific information, and address queries.
For instance, you can ask the ingredients of the meal you're about to cook or the maintenance tasks that you want lined up for your car. The integration will enhance the user experience by offering more comprehensive assistance and information retrieval while on the road.
V2X Communication
Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication enables vehicles to communicate with each other, traffic signals, road signs, pedestrians, and other elements of the transportation ecosystem. V2X systems use wireless communication technologies such as Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC) or Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) to exchange information between vehicles and all other entities on the road.
By sharing data on vehicle speed and position, and predicting the behavior of other entities with the help of artificial intelligence, V2X enhances road safety, reduces traffic congestion, and enables the development of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles.
Automatic Parking System
Automatic Parking systems alleviate the anxiety of parallel parking for many drivers. Using data from sensors strategically placed around the vehicle, they ensure a stress-free parking experience by assisting drivers in various degrees, depending on brand.
Basic versions identify suitable parking spaces and guide drivers through shifting between "drive" and "reverse" while controlling steering to navigate into the spot. The advanced systems, on the other hand, manage braking and shifting altogether to automate the entire parking process.
AI Facial Recognition
AI facial recognition via in-car cameras have significantly expanded safety and convenience in modern cars. For instance, it can detect your eye blinking rate and yawning to signal potential fatigue, alerting drivers for drowsiness. It can also help in seamless vehicle unlocking and payment authorization through the infotainment system while you're on the road.
In many cars, users can personalize their driving experience, such as their preferred seat and lighting configurations, with facial recognition adjusting settings based on the driver.
Smart Summon
Taking automatic parking and retrieval a step further, the Smart Summon system allows users to move their vehicle to their location or a specified destination using their smartphone's GPS.
Available by the same name in Tesla's Model Y, the Smart Summon allows Model Y to autonomously get out of tight parking spots and navigate around obstacles using the Tesla app. This feature, however, operates when the phone is within 213 ft (65 meters) of the vehicle.
Automatic Emergency Braking
AI-enhanced Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) systems utilize advanced algorithms to assess collision likelihood before engaging automated braking. This proactive response significantly reduces collision impact, minimizing harm and damage.
Known by various names like Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Active Brake Assist, Smart Brake Support, and Collision Mitigation Braking in different cars, AEB systems are of two main types: those effective at low speeds such as in city traffic and full-speed braking systems which can operate at a wider range of vehicle speeds.
Forward Collision Warning
AI-powered forward collision warning systems can anticipate impending collisions by monitoring, tracking, and predicting the speed and trajectory of the vehicle in front. They can also detect pedestrians and obstacles on the road... and promptly alert drivers through visual or audio signals.
Some vehicles, such as the GMC Sierra, feature a vibrating Safety Alert Seat for forward collision warning. While these system do enhance road safety, keep in mind that they will just alert you… and will not automatically apply brakes for you.
Rear Cross-Traffic Alert
AI-enhanced Rear Cross-Traffic Alert addresses the challenge of obscured vision when backing out of parking spaces, especially between larger vehicles. The system uses data generated from rear sensors and cameras to analyze and predict the behavior of both the traffic and pedestrians approaching from the sides.
Upon detecting a threat, the system issues an audible alert, often accompanied by a visual warning indicating the direction of the oncoming traffic. This enhances driver awareness and helps prevent collisions when reversing out of parking spaces.
Lane-Keep Assist
Lane-Keep Assist system takes lane-departure warning a step further by actively steering or braking to keep you within your lane. The corrective action is also accompanied by audible alerts, warning lights, or steering wheel/seat vibrations.
The best thing is, the system doesn't assume full control despite its intervention… and drivers can override it by continuing to turn the steering wheel in their intended direction of turn. Activating turn signals can also disengage the system from blocking intended lane changes.
Lane-Departure Warning
AI-enhanced Lane-Departure Warning systems use AI algorithms to analyze data gathered from cameras and sensors to monitor road markers and alert drivers if they are about to go out of their lane.
These systems then use visual/ audible warnings or steering wheel vibrations to warn drivers to correct their steering. Some vehicles, like the Cadillac XT5, even use seat vibrations for alerts. Lane-Departure Warning systems don't activate if the turn signal is on in the direction of the lane change.
Driver-Drowsiness Monitoring
Driver-Drowsiness Monitoring systems use AI to analyze data collected from steering-wheel-mounted sensors for detecting drowsiness and signs of fatigue. Some vehicles – like the Subaru Forester – use cameras to monitor your eye and head movements.
If fatigue is detected, the vehicle gives out audible or visual alerts to make sure drivers remain attentive and focused during their journey. Some vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz E-Class also display messages prompting you to take a break and have a cup of coffee.
Traffic Jam Assist
Traffic jam assist combines adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist to provide semi-autonomous driving capabilities in slow-moving or stop-and-go traffic, enhancing driving comfort and safety in congested urban areas.
When activated, Traffic Jam Assist analyzes data from radar, cameras, and sensors, before analyzing it with AI to make predictions about the vehicle's surroundings. It then maintains a safe following distance from the vehicle ahead by automatically adjusting the speed, and keeps the vehicle centered within its lane through gentle steering inputs.
Door-Opening Warning System
Known by many names like Hyundai's Safe Exit Assist and Mercedes-Benz's Exit Warning Assist, this system is designed to address the "dooring" incidents in urban settings.
By analyzing data from sensors, cameras, and lasers, it predicts the behavior of vehicles approaching on the street side when you are parallel parked, providing crucial warnings to prevent accidents. Hyundai takes it a step further by preventing children in the rear seat from opening the door using the safety lock until no vehicles are approaching.
Intersection Assist
Intersection Assist analyzes data from sensors and cameras to detect and predict the behavior of vehicles approaching from all directions. When a collision risk is detected, the system may provide visual or audible alerts to prompt the driver to take evasive action, such as braking or steering.
Some Intersection Assist systems can even intervene by automatically applying the brakes or adjusting the steering to help avoid a collision. This system is widely available today, notably as a part of Ford Co-Pilot360.
Automated Vehicle Retrieval
Modern cars cannot just be parked automatically, they can be retrieved in the same manner as well. Known by many names depending on the brand, this automated parking retrieval system is a game changer.
The most notable example is Tesla's Parking Summon. Employed in the Model 3, this AI-driven technology allows drivers to effortlessly retrieve their vehicle while standing outside. The Model 3 can autonomously maneuver itself out of a parking space after detecting the key within a range of up to 39 ft (12 meters).
Lane-Centering Assist
Also known as Lane-Trace Assist and Active Steering Assist, AI-enhanced Lane-Centering Assist systems detect and analyze the position of the vehicle between the lane markers... and intervene to keep it in the center whenever needed for safe driving at highway curves.
Like the Lane-Keep Assist system, you can override it by continuing to steer in the intended direction. Many systems work only when your cruise control is active... and in case you leave the wheel, the system disengages after giving you a warning.
Pedestrian Detection Systems
AI-powered pedestrian detection systems in cars analyze data generated from sensors and cameras to predict real-time pedestrian behavior on the road. These systems enhance safety by helping identify pedestrians in different conditions, such as low visibility and occlusion.
If a pedestrian is detected in your way, they can provide alerts or even take autonomous actions, such as applying brakes, to prevent collisions. Pedestrian detection systems are rapidly evolving, even though they're being used to some extent in semi-autonomous vehicles.
AI Adaptive Suspension
Automakers are working to use artificial intelligence for enhancing adaptive suspension systems in vehicles. These systems will dynamically adjust suspension settings in real-time by continuously analyzing data from sensors and vehicle inputs.
As a result, the vehicle will be able to efficiently respond to varying road conditions and will provide the smoothest ride possible while maintaining optimal traction and stability… without any input from the driver. Besides a convenient ride, this system will also save a lot of energy as you venture off-road.
Driver Monitoring System
Known by various names, this system uses artificial intelligence to detect any difference in the usual driver behavior to issue alerts or make any necessary intervention, ensuring safety during critical moments.
Volvo's Driver Understanding System, for instance, uses a 2-camera setup to identify signs of driver distraction, drowsiness, or impairment, including intoxication. Upon detection, the system initiates protective measures such as adjusting speed, applying brakes, or even bringing the vehicle to a complete stop.
Holographics Display
Taking heads up display to the next level, Meta Materials have unveiled a new tech that uses holographics to show key information directly in the driver's eyesight. The system aims to enhance road safety by increasing drivers' focus on the road.
If incorporated in the vehicles, it will eliminate the need to glance down at instrument consoles, will reduce the time needed for the eyes to adjust to different brightness levels, and will significantly improve reaction times.
Pre-Collision Assist With AEB
Pre-Collision Assist uses cameras and sensors to scan the way ahead and monitor vehicles, obstacles, and other entities on the road. It then uses AI to analyze the data and detect potential collisions with vehicles or pedestrians, after which it alerts you to take timely action.
In case a threat is imminent and you don't take any corrective action, Automatic Emergency Braking intervenes by applying the brakes to avoid the collision.
Autonomous Driving
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) have established six levels of driving automation, with SAE Level 5 being fully autonomous. As of now, there's no commercial SAE Level 5 vehicle available on the market but it’s just a matter of time before we see one.
From Tesla's Autopilot to Waymo's self-driving taxis, there’s an ongoing race between automakers to develop fully autonomous vehicles that can drive themselves in all conditions and locations without any human intervention.
