Communicating without drivers

Autonomous vehicles rely on data communications.

Driverless vehicles are not going to become a huge market for years, but there are solid market forces that will drive growth for autonomous and remotely driven equipment. That is prompting plenty of research into the technologies that make it possible for powerful vehicles to operate with no one in the driver's seat.

One factor behind market growth is the scarcity and high wages of skilled equipment operators. Even when vehicles are being driven remotely along programmed routes, operators who sit in an office instead of a driver's seat can manage more than one at a time.