9781422275139

A simulation of how LiDAR works.

Driverless vehicles rely on the following technologies: • Cameras: These optical devices are used to view and pass along information on lane markings, traffic lights, pedestrians, other vehicles, road signs, and other objects in or near the road. • LiDAR: Short for Light Detection And Ranging, LiDAR is a type of active remote sensing technology that sends millions of beams of light energy (laser) every second to an area around the vehicle until it hits objects and bounces back to a sensor. It is used to build a 3-D map that tells the vehicle where humans and objects are located in relation to it. • RADAR: Stands for RAdio Detecting And Ranging. This technology sends out radio waves that are reflected back by objects in their path. RADAR is used to detect the presence of an object at a distance, detect the speed of an object, or map something.

12 COOL CAREERS IN SCIENCE: DRIVERLESS VEHICLE DEVELOPERS