高中英语 Unit 20 New Frontiers 背景知识拓展 北师大版选修7 .doc

unit 20 new frontiersdriverless cars move closer to realitydriverless cars are no longer the domain of science fiction. auto manufacturers such as audi ag and toyota motor co. are beginning to roll out advanced prototypes of vehicles that can drive themselves, adopting new technologies like self-parking, lane-departure correction and collision avoidance. the idea of driverless cars has been around for decades. whats changed is that the advanced computers and sensors needed to make this technology work are cheaper and more accessible. that type of technology is already what powers devices like google inc.s driverless prototype car, which began road tests in 2009. it uses various cameras, global positioning sensors and lasers to orient itself on the road, watch for obstacles and map its route. google engineers say the device is a better driver than its human passengers. “this technology is the starting path to the ultimate fully autonomous vehicle,” said derek kuhn, vice president of sales and marketing at research in motion ltd.s qnx software unit, which writes software for major auto manufacturers. he said changes are also happening under the hood, where various sensors placed in modules and separate computers throughout the car are beginning to be consolidated, allowing them to work together in quicker and more efficient ways. efforts are underway to have cars begin speaking to one another, alerting drivers in cars several lengths back of an obstacle in the road or even sensing that they are about to collide. there is also a push to rebuild traffic lights, parking spots and other mainstays of the modern road with smarter equivalents, which can plan and organize where various cars go. customers arent yet convinced. a poll conducted of 5,000 drivers last year by the alliance of automobile manufacturers, the washington lobby group for the industry, found 72% of people thought driverless cars were a bad idea. in that group, more than half conceded that the technology might work, but it was years from being safe. still, the group also found that people who had been exposed to safety features like forward-collision warning systems or blind-spot monitoring had a more favorable view, said gloria bergquist, a spokeswoman for the alliance. ms. bergquist said the main concern of the industry right now is establishing whether car makers or drivers are liable if there is a crash while one of these systems is in use. no federal regulations about autonomous technologies are under consideration at the moment, though the department of transportation is keen to test them as a means to save lives. michigan, arizona and oregon may take up legislation similar to that of florida, california and nevada this year to allow for the driverless cars to be tested on the roads. thilo koslowski, an analyst at gartner, said at some point, government officials and customers alike will realize that autonomous technologies make for better drivers. “there are some bumps in the road, no pun intended, to get us to that level,” he said. the winding road of consumer opinion and government regulation are part of why auto manufacturers have emphasized that autonomous technology is designed to act as a helpful copilot, rather than a driver substitute. but by 2016, mr. koslowski said, at least three companies will announce plans for vehicles that allow drivers to keep their hands off the wheels and feet away from the pedals at most speeds and weather conditions. “the autonomous vehicle and all these steps in between will lead to this,” mr. koslowski said. audi recently unveiled a new self-driving technology that it says can allow a car to seek out a parking space in a garage, find it and park all without a driver in the seat. ford motor co. has begun selling technology for its mass-market cars that can sense collisions before they happen and warn the driver. it also offers cars that can be parked merely with the driver controlling the gas and brake pedals while the car turns the steering wheel. and within the next five years, the company plans to offer traffic-jam assistance, in which the car can take complete control of driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic for up to roughly 20 miles per hour. many of the features being used in cars today use technologies like cameras and radars, said paul mascarenas, fords head of technology, effectively seeding the technology a driverless car would need. then, he said, “its about layering these technologies to make it all work, which is no small task.” but manufacturers warn its still not clear when driverless cars will be coming. toyotas recent unveiling of an autonomous vehicle is seen as a strong vote in support of such technology. the company emphasized, however, that its current focus is on creating safety systems that help drivers, rather than taking the steering wheel out of their hands, a sentiment many auto manufacturers have expressed as well. “we always feel that with autonomous driving, the driver should always be in control,” said jim pisz, head of toyotas business strategy in north america. “its a critical element to our philosophy: autonomous does not mean driverless.”无人驾驶汽车从科幻驶进现实无人驾驶汽车已不再仅仅是科幻小说里的事物。奥迪(audi ag)和丰田汽车公司(toyota motor co.)等汽车制造商都开始推出可以自动驾驶的高科技概念车，采用了自动停车、车道偏离校正以及避免碰撞等新技术。无人驾驶汽车这个概念已经存在了数十年。现在的变化在于，让这项技术奏效所需要的先进电脑和传感器价格更便宜、也更为普及。谷歌(google inc.)的无人驾驶概念车等设备采用的就是上述技术。谷歌无人驾驶汽车于2009年开始上路测试，它使用多个摄像头、全球定位传感器和激光探测装置确定上路时的方向、观察障碍物以及确定路线。谷歌的工程师们说，这个设备的驾驶技术比搭乘它的人类更高明。research in motion ltd. (rim)的软件子公司qnx负责销售和营销的副总裁库恩(derek kuhn)说：“这种技术是通向最终的全自动汽车的起步点。”qnx为主要汽车制造商编写软件。他说，汽车引擎盖下面也在发生变化，那里的众多安装在模块中的传感器和单独分布在汽车各处的电脑正开始整合，从而使得它们以更快、更高效的方式协同发挥作用。人们正在致力于让汽车彼此交流，在离路上的障碍一定距离时提醒驾驶员，甚至感应到要发生碰撞的情况。同时人们还致力于改造交通信号灯、停车位以及现代道路的其他要素，让它们更加智能，从而规划和组织不同汽车的去向。消费者对此尚未信服。华盛顿的汽车行业游说组织美国汽车制造商联合会(alliance of automobile manufacturers)去年对5 000名驾车者的调查发现，72%的人认为无人驾驶汽车是个糟糕的概念。这些人当中，一半以上的人承认这项技术可能成功，但还要很多年才能保证安全。不过据联合会发言人伯奎斯特(gloria bergquist)说，该组织还发现，曾经接触过前向车辆碰撞告警系统或盲区监测等安全功能的人对无人驾驶汽车的看法更为肯定。伯奎斯特说，目前汽车行业主要关心的问题是，在使用这些系统之一时如果出现碰撞，如何确定是汽车制造商的责任还是驾车者的责任。目前美国联邦政府部门未考虑就自动驾驶技术制定法规，不过美国运输部强烈希望将这类技术作为一种拯救生命的方法加以测试。密歇根、亚利桑那和俄勒冈州今年可能会制定与佛罗里达、加州和内华达州类似的法律，允许无人驾驶汽车在路上进行测试。gartner分析师科斯洛夫斯基(thilo koslowski)说，无论是政府官员还是顾客都总有一天会认识到自动驾驶技术有利于更好地驾车。他说：“路上的一些实际的磕磕碰碰会使我们到达那个水平。”消费者的观