Autopilot death kicks geeks into safety mode
Concerns over the first fatality in a semi-automated car will hasten the adoption of more sensitive technology to help vehicles drive themselves safely, say analysts.Goldman Sachs forecasts the market for advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous vehicles will grow from about $3-billion last year to $96-billion in 2025 and $290-billion in 2035.More than half of that revenue will come from radar, cameras and lidar, a sensor that uses laser - all considered essential to building vehicles that can pilot themselves.The May 7 death of Joshua Brown in a Tesla Model S while the car's semi-automated Autopilot system was engaged highlighted the limitations of current automated driving systems.Tesla's Autopilot system uses cameras and radar, but not lidar. The company said its system would have had trouble distinguishing a white semi-trailer positioned across a road against a bright sky.Carmakers have been using multiple sensors in prototypes that are in testing but not yet ready for market. A variety of technologies with overlapping capabilities is seen as a way to increase safety under a wider range of circumstances, say analysts and industry executives. ..
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