The idea of a self-driving car can be intimidating to people who question what their experience as a passenger would be like in an autonomous vehicle.
So what if the passenger could choose exactly how their vehicle would behave?
That's the idea behind new self-driving car technology coming out of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. The tech, which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to mimic driving behavior, just earned its second patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Inventor Mehrdad Nojoumian, a professor at the college's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, said enabling a car to learn and imitate the driving style of the vehicle owner or another driver can help passengers feel more comfortable with the prospect of traveling in an autonomous vehicle.
"What makes this invention so unique is the ability for a car or a set of vehicles to collaboratively learn the driving style of each individual ... and then replicating that driving behavior when it's in the autonomous driving mode," he said.
Passengers will be able to select their own driving style or that of another person, like their partner, in the autonomous mode. It also allows passengers to switch back and forth between self-driving and human-controlled driving.
Nojoumian's patent users sensors to learn the behaviors of drivers when a vehicle is in the semi-autonomous mode or human-driving modes. It applies real-time machine learning to keep gathering data on that driving style over time and communicate that information to other vehicles the person may drive. All of that data is used to create profiles of different driving styles that a passenger can select from when a car is in semi- or fully autonomous mode.
FAU reports the technology can be applied to a range of autonomous systems, including self-driving cars, military vehicles and public transportation systems.
Automakers may be bullish on self-driving vehicles, but research suggest consumers are still wary of the emerging technology. One February survey from AAA found that less than a quarter of respondents said manufacturers should focus on bringing self-driving cars to market. Instead, the vast majority – 80% – said car companies should double down on improving existing safety features, like automatic emergency braking, before moving on to the next frontier.
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