NO HANDS, LOTS OF BRAINS

A hefty amount of computing power built with new hardware and software architectures will be needed when vehicles begin taking over more of the driving tasks.

Autonomous vehicles have garnered much attention in recent months, but many technical hurdles face developers tasked with giving drivers more freedom to do other tasks. Engineers need to develop hardware and software strategies that let electronic control units synthesize and analyze data from multiple sensors quickly, then control actuators that let vehicles avoid accidents.

Many of the sensors needed for increased levels of autonomy are already in use today. But combining all the inputs from adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, and other systems, then analyzing data in a foolproof manner, is a complex task.