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By Alberto Jessurun / June 23, 2021 / Blog

How Video Surveillance Plays a Role in Self-Driving Cars

Self-driving cars and video surveillance have more in common than you might realize

For anyone who grew up with a love of science fiction books, television shows, and films, self-driving cars have long been a part of the cultural conversation. However, they have often been depicted as pure futuristic fiction — a part of a world where other far-out technologies like teleportation can exist.

Self-driving cars may not be the norm, but they are a part of our present-day reality, perhaps even more so than the average consumer might realize. In fact, self-driving cars have been around for a surprisingly long time. As the technology surrounding self-driving cars continues to evolve, debates have arisen about the usage of LIDAR (light detection and ranging) versus camera technology. This is where the subject of video surveillance enters the conversation.

In this article, we will seek to shed light on that question and dive into:

An abbreviated history of self-driving cars
How self-driving cars work
How video surveillance fits in
Video surveillance technologies from Unisol International

An abbreviated history of self-driving cars

Numerous media companies, automotive companies, and technology companies predicted that, by 2020, self-driving cars would be prevalent. One news outlet even predicted 10 million self-driving cars would be on the road at that time. However, as anyone who goes outside and looks at traffic on the street can attest to, self-driving cars are not in use by the everyday driver — though they are increasingly being tested and, in some cases, even used in limited situations.

Despite their futuristic appeal, self-driving cars have been in development for decades. For example, in 1984, Carnegie Mellon University Navigation Laboratory began building self-driving vehicles. Most recently, they built the Naval 11, a Jeep Wrangler with sensors built-in for short- and mid-range obstacle detection.

Some argue that the development of self-driving vehicles began as early as 1500, when Da Vinci himself created a self-propelled cart, or in 1945, when an early version of cruise control was created. Or perhaps it was in 1958, when a Stanford engineering student developed a self-driving lunar rover cart. It could have also been in 1977, when Tsukuba Mechanical created a camera-outfitted cart that could travel the streets of Japan at up to 20 miles per hour.

Whatever the official early version of a self-driving wheeled vehicle might be, the concept is not as new as it seems. In our present era, self-driving cars have been in development by companies like Tesla, which created Tesla Autopilot in 2015 to allow for hands-free highway driving. In 2009, Waymo LLC, a Google-founded company, began testing their own self-driving cars. From 2009 through 2018, Waymo has tested self-driving cars across six states and 25 cities, most recently implementing driverless cabs in Phoenix.

How self-driving cars work

How do self-driving cars work? And how do cameras fit in?

As previously mentioned, self-driving car creators tend to favor either LIDAR or camera technology to guide the vehicle. LIDAR uses laser waves to map an area. Cameras survey an area and analyze the imagery.

LIDAR has long been the predominant solution due to its ability to sense obstacles at long range, adapt to changes, and operate in low-light conditions or poor weather. Many proponents of self-driving cars praise LIDAR, but others, such as Tesla’s Elon Musk, have called it “a fool’s errand.” That’s because LIDAR is expensive and relies on infrared light rather than visible light, which means it cannot identify color, text, and other nuances. Cameras, on the other hand, are less expensive and can collect more nuanced data.

In 2020, Mobileye launched a self-driving car that uses just cameras, which was a major breakthrough for those who support this model.

It is possible that the best path forward might be a hybrid model that uses both LIDAR and cameras? This would cut costs, remove weather and lighting barriers, and tap into the power of data.

How video surveillance fits in

Now that self-driving cars are shifting towards using cameras or hybrid camera/LIDAR solutions, video surveillance could be a free benefit. In a self-driving car that uses cameras, the same footage could hypothetically be used for video surveillance as it drives around the outside of a business, home, or facility. Video surveillance in self-driving vehicles could even be deployed to find missing individuals, aid in police changes, or collect evidence footage after a crime.

Some worry that these cameras could be hacked — just as Ring cameras have been hacked for nefarious purposes — or that they represent the overreach of surveillance. Others argue that the pros — safer driving and a potentially safer world thanks to lower crime — might outweigh the cons.

Video surveillance from Unisol International

The future of self-driving cars and video surveillance continues to unfold each day with technology and automotive enthusiasts eagerly awaiting breakthroughs from Tesla, Waymo, Mobileye, and other key players.

While the widespread use of self-driving cars is still on the horizon, the widespread use of smarter, better video surveillance technology is already here. If you’re interested in implementing video surveillance technology to monitor and protect your business, Unisol International can help find the right solution for your needs.

To find out more contact Unisol International.

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How Video Surveillance Plays a Role in Self-Driving Cars

Self-driving cars and video surveillance have more in common than you might realize

An abbreviated history of self-driving cars

How self-driving cars work

How video surveillance fits in

Video surveillance from Unisol International

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