EVOLVING PRODUCT LIABILITY IN HIGHLY AUTOMATED AND CONNECTED VEHICLES

CD: Could you provide an overview of recent technological developments for automated and connected vehicles?

Law: The main advances have been in machine learning and related artificial intelligence, improvements in the processing power needed to handle the stored and real-time data, and the refinement of the sensing hardware, such as light detection and ranging (LIDAR), radar and cameras. LIDAR is a great example of hardware improvements and cost containment. Four years ago, LIDAR units were the size of large cantaloupes, with spinning, roof-mounted sensors, and cost more than $70,000 each. More recently, suppliers are offering hockey puck-sized solid state LIDAR units for around $500. These advancements are being incorporated by suppliers into advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) ‘suites’ and are bringing the systems into the range of affordability for many customers. Pricing is also expected to continue to drop.

CD: Although the concepts are complementary, what are the differences between automated and connected vehicles? What are the benefits and challenges associated with each?

Law: Automated vehicles in some ways have to do heavier lifting than connected vehicles. They cannot rely on feedback from any surrounding vehicles or infrastructure. They need to respond to a real-time environment that may have changed dramatically since the last mapping data was uploaded to the vehicle. A typical example is where lane lines have been shifted or blocked off for construction, where a stop sign has been replaced by a traffic light, or where a two-way street has been converted to a one-way street. Connected vehicles, when fully deployed, will greatly improve the flow of traffic. And not just on freeways, but in urban and rural settings. If 100 percent of the vehicles are talking to each other, there would be no need for stop signs and traffic lights, at least in areas where pedestrian traffic is restricted. And where lights are needed, connected traffic controls can adjust to the density of traffic and pedestrians to greatly reduce inefficient ‘down time’ that normally occurs with pre-set phasing. A very early example of such a connected vehicle is the fire truck that can override a light signal and turn it green as the truck responds to a call.

Jul-Sep 2020 issue

Shook, Hardy & Bacon