Even though autonomous driving technology has been developing pretty fast in recent years, there are still no guarantees as to when exactly self-driving cars will hit the market, as there are some hurdles that need to be overcome, including legal issues and var

Even though autonomous driving technology has been developing pretty fast in recent years, there are still no guarantees as to when exactly self-driving cars will hit the market, as there are some hurdles that need to be overcome, including legal issues and various technological challenges. Perhaps the greatest challenge is creating a car that will be able to move entirely on its own, without the slightest input from a human driver, and while many car makers had claimed that they would introduce a fully-autonomous vehicle in recent future, most of them are now backpedaling on their statements, saying that it’s best to focus on implementing more autonomous driving technologies into existing models, instead.

The technical challenges that completely self-driving cars are facing and they should be addressed will be one of the main topics for discussion at the upcoming IAVSD Workshop on Automated Driving and Autonomous Functions on Road Vehicles, that will be held at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg from 27th to 29th August 2014. The workshop will focus on how to create vehicles that are 100 percent independent and don’t require a driver to sit behind the wheel and pay attention to the road.

“A major impetus for self-driving vehicles is to improve mobility for people who, for whatever reason, cannot drive a car; such as the elderly or disabled. The main aim of the workshop is to put ideas into a real-world context, as it really isn’t that easy to create a vehicle that will truly make all of the necessary decisions to safely navigate and avoid accidents. A number of car companies are bringing out products that require the driver to keep their eyes on the road, in which case the benefits may be quite limited,” said professor Timothy Gordon, Head of the School of Engineering at the University of Lincoln, UK, who is one of the organizers of the workshop.

Considering that developing a fully-operational autonomous vehicle is an extremely daunting task and requires a lot of time and financial resources, and that there is still no regulatory framework for truly self-driving cars in place, it’s no surprise that Nissan, which had been giving the most optimistic predictions as to when self-driving cars will hit the road, is now being much more realistic about it and is switching its focus to semi-autonomous technologies. The Japanese car maker has been adamant that it will introduce a production version of a fully-autonomous car by 2020, but after realizing that it’s simply not possible, has decided to develop new technologies that will allow cars to be more independent, but will still require a driver who will be able to take control at any given moment. Nissan will introduce the traffic-jam pilot system in 2016, and the automatic parking system two years later. Through the implementation of these features, Nissan will allow its cars to drive on city streets without the help of a driver, but a driver who pays attention to the road at all times will still be required.

The fact that Nissan has withdrawn its prediction on when self-driving cars will hit the road, may be a proof that autonomous vehicles are far from being commercially available, and drivers will continue to be in control, at least for the foreseeable future.