Self-driving cars and smart highways: A reality check

Are self-driving vehicles really coming to your neighborhood? Steve Dellenback, who works with industry and military research programs on autonomous vehicles, doesn't think so. Sensor technology has a long way to go to compete with the best sensor network around—the human body and brain. The "last one percent" of the safety challenge won't be solved soon, he says. Instead, Dellenback expects automated vehicles to excel in specialized uses: off-road maneuvering in environments dangerous for people, providing mobility for people with disabilities, and on smart highways specially built to manage traffic. Dellenback sees a bright future for "connected" vehicles that continuously talk to each other to maximize efficiency and safety.

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