Developing Technology the Right Way

Ernest Worthman, AWT Executive Editor and IEEE Senior Member

April 25, 2018

The brand new American Centre for Mobility (ACM) has come out with a position that now suggests self-driving technology should be tested and validated before it is unleashed for deployment on the public infrastructure. This, according to an article in TU Automotive. From their website, “ACM believes that we should test and validate self-driving tech before we unleash it on public roads.”

Interesting…is this a kneejerk reaction or the reality check that we are taking liberties outside of established protocols and pushing the edge of the envelope a bit too far, or too fast?

There have been warnings about autonomous vehicle testing (AV for this discussion) on roadways for years. To that, AV companies have said “oh just trust us” as far back as 2013. Maybe it is time to revisit that “trust us” mentality.

In the aftermath of the two recent fatal accidents in the last few weeks involving AVs (Arizona and California), there are some serious questions being raised. In fact, some regulators are beginning to wonder if AVs need much more rigorous testing before being allowed on public roads. There are also concerns being voiced that this race to put AVs on the streets may not be in the best interest of the general driving public.

One of the big problems in this space is that the states have dollar signs in their eyes, and various organizations are drooling over as this technology evolves. It seems that it is going in the direction of: money first, safety second, of late. There are even insinuations that some states are in competition to lure AV players to their states by relaxing rules and regulations for AVs.

For example, California is going full speed ahead with its AV-friendly regulations. It has one of the cushiest welcome mats out there for AV testing. Even in the wake of the recent causatum, the state’s Public Utilities Commission introduced a new proposal to allow ride-hailing companies to pick up and transport passengers in driverless robo-taxies. Well, California is known for pushing the envelope, but I will stick with Uber or Lyft for now.

There is, of course, little doubt that AV must be tested in the real world, eventually. But the big question is when. The recent failings of the industry seem to indicate they may need more test bed, and less public test road.

This is where the ACM comes in. ACM, like Castel, the Google test city, allows companies to test self-driving and connected cars across a range of real-world environments and infrastructure, including a 2.5-mile highway loop, a 700-foot curved tunnel, two double overpasses, intersections and roundabouts.

Castle has been the test bed for Waymo, which has been testing its cars there for years. And, Waymo has the best statistics on record for AV performance. Now ACM allows everyone to get in on the action. In addition to testing and validating, ACM can also serve as an incubation lab for new mobility solutions.

One of its claims is that it is working with Microsoft to design a cloud-based data management and analytics platform (DMAP) solution to collect, store and analyze data from tests conducted at the center. The data collected and analyzed here should put a cornucopia of knowledge at the fingertips of companies developing AVs. This promises to greatly improve the performance of AVs before they hit the streets.

I believe the AV industry has pushed too far too fast. Edge-of-the-envelope pushers like Tesla tend to set bars too high and if cooler heads do not prevail, the technology can go off the rails. I think we are seeing some inklings of that here. Not that Tesla is all that, but the pressure seems to be mounting to push the envelope.

What it is time for is more ACMs and Castles. I think it is time to pull back on the real world, public tests and put some more time in on the test beds as we ramp up the technology. We are a long way from anything more than driver assist. Let us hope that cooler heads start to prevail and we use the edge-of-the-envelope test services to not only save lives, but make the technology trustworthy.

Ernest Worthman
Executive Editor/Applied Wireless Technology
His 20-plus years of editorial experience includes being the Editorial Director of Wireless Design and Development and Fiber Optic Technology, the Editor of RF Design, the Technical Editor of Communications Magazine, Cellular Business, Global Communications and a Contributing Technical Editor to Mobile Radio Technology, Satellite Communications, as well as computer-related periodicals such as Windows NT. His technical writing practice client list includes RF Industries, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Agilent Technologies, Advanced Linear Devices, Ceitec, SA, and others. Before becoming exclusive to publishing, he was a computer consultant and regularly taught courses and seminars in applications software, hardware technology, operating systems, and electronics. Ernest’s client list has included Lucent Technologies, Jones Intercable, Qwest, City and County of Denver, TCI, Sandia National Labs, Goldman Sachs, and other businesses. His credentials include a BS, Electronic Engineering Technology; A.A.S, Electronic Digital Technology. He has held a Colorado Post-Secondary/Adult teaching credential, member of IBM’s Software Developers Assistance Program and Independent Vendor League, a Microsoft Solutions Provider Partner, and a life member of the IEEE. He has been certified as an IBM Certified OS2 consultant and trainer; WordPerfect Corporation Developer/Consultant and Lotus Development Corporation Developer/Consultant. He was also a first-class FCC technician in the early days of radio. Ernest Worthman may be contacted at: [email protected]