密歇根新闻广播 未来的轿车之间能互相交流 自动驾驶更安全

 

It's a persistent¹ message: Self-driving cars are coming. Yet, before the roads are filled with cars steered² entirely³ by computers, there's much work to be done — especially when it comes to safety.

A grim reminder⁴ of that happened this past May when a man driving a Tesla became the first to die while using autopilot mode. He was watching a DVD when his car plowed⁵ into a tractor-trailer that was crossing its path.

That accident sent a message to the engineers who are developing this technology: get it right and make it safe.

Huei Peng is one of those engineers. He's a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan, and he's director of the University of Michigan Mobility⁶ Transformation⁷ Center.

In a piece for theconversation.com, he points to a solution: connectivity.

He says with current technologies, driverless cars are limited by the sensors⁹ they use to track obstacles and other vehicles on the road.

"[Self-driving cars] are not smart enough because they cannot see or hear clearly," he told us. "The sensors that people have been inventing ... cameras, radars¹⁰, lidars, the range they can see is no more than say, about 300 feet. They all have vulnerabilities."

Those vulnerabilities could be minimized — or even eliminated — by a technology known as dedicated¹¹ short-range communications (DSRC), which is the focus of Peng's work.

He describes it as a form of "modified Wi-Fi," which allows vehicles to communicate directly between one another — no driver required. With DSRC, self-driving cars could keep track of the other vehicles around them, up to a range of about 1,000 feet.

That's a big upgrade on the current 300-foot range of current sensor⁸ technology. It could translate to a major improvement the safety of self-driving cars. Peng even thinks such technology might have been able to prevent the accident with the Tesla.

So how long until DSRC appears in new cars? It may be soon.

According to Peng, the U.S. Department of Transportation recently issued a notice of proposed rule-making that would incorporate DSRC into safety standards. The rule is currently being reviewed by the White House.

Listen to our full conversation with Heui Peng, director of the University of Michigan Mobility Transformation Center, above.

1 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

2 steered   

v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导

参考例句：

• He steered the boat into the harbour. 他把船开进港。
• The freighter steered out of Santiago Bay that evening. 那天晚上货轮驶出了圣地亚哥湾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

4 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

5 plowed   

v.耕( plow的过去式和过去分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过

参考例句：

• They plowed nearly 100,000 acres of virgin moorland. 他们犁了将近10万英亩未开垦的高沼地。 来自辞典例句
• He plowed the land and then sowed the seeds. 他先翻土，然后播种。 来自辞典例句

6 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。

7 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

8 sensor   

n.传感器，探测设备，感觉器（官）

参考例句：

• The temperature sensor is enclosed in a protective well.温度传感器密封在保护套管中。
• He plugged the sensor into a outlet.他把传感器插进电源插座。

9 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

10 radars   

n.雷达( radar的名词复数 )；雷达装置

参考例句：

• Servos for large radars and launchers are either electro-hydraulic or all-electric. 大型雷达和发射装置的伺服系统，不是电动-液压式的，就是全电动式的。 来自辞典例句
• Range-velocity simultaneous pull-off is one of effective measures for countering PD radars. 距离-速度同步拖引干扰是对抗PD雷达的有效方法。 来自互联网

11 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。