Introduction
In the twenty-first century, technological progress is concentrated in the field of semi-automatic and automatic innovations. It can be seen everywhere in both the private and military sectors. This is why it is essential to know the latest advances in this scientific area. This paper aims to review academic and news articles to analyze the latest innovations in the autonomous and automatic industry and networking.
Lane Keeping Assist System
One of the most significant autonomous and automatic systems networking breakthroughs of the past five years is the development of the Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS). The LKAS allows the driver to center the vehicle on the road lane semi-automatically. According to Tanaka, Nakajima, Urabe, and Tanaka (2016), “this system consists of our products such as an electric power steering (EPS), a camera, and an electronic control unit (ECU)” (p. 1). Hyundai and Kia, Subaru, Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Mitsubishi have already implemented the semi-automatic systems in their vehicle software (MotorTrend, 2020). This invention complements the general catalog of automatic vehicle control programs and enhances the semi-automatic capability of vehicles.
Self-parking Car Technology
Another significant advancement in the semi-automatic network industry is the semi-automatic self-parking system. This system corrects the parking process performed by a driver. The front and rear bumper sensors are responsible for scanning possible obstacles. Proximity and ultrasonic sensors use electromagnetic and echolocation detection to measure nearby objects. According to Turpen (2016), “Once distances are determined, calculations are made by the parking system’s computer to set the best course of action for parking” (para. 8). Perpendicular and angled semi-automatic parking, which had become possible, is significant progress towards developing the first fully automatic parking system.
AESA Radar System Big Innovation
This year, the South Korean military has unveiled its new advanced active electronically scanned array. This system’s advantage is the ability to detect several targets simultaneously using beams of radio waves (Airforce Technology, 2020). During this process, the antenna itself does not move. The South Korean military began developing the AESA radar system back in 2016 (Airforce Technology, 2020). This innovation may offer a unique new perspective on the development of radar systems.
SB-1 Defiant Helicopter
The military industry is the center of technological innovation and invention. Recently, the US military showed a new model of SB-1 Defiant Helicopter. This prototype should replace the Black Hawks and Apaches in the future (Mizokami, 2020). The unique design allows the SB-1 Defiant Helicopter to develop a record speed compared with other models and perform safely complicated air maneuvers. According to Mizokami (2020), it is “capable of rotating its wing and propellers straight up for vertical takeoffs and landings and turning them to face forward in flight” (para. 5). In a few years, the SB-1 Defiant Helicopter will be the US military’s new primary design model.
Conclusion
The author of this paper examines the latest breakthroughs in the autonomous and automatic scientific field. The innovations of the last five years have been reviewed. They are lane keeping assist system, self-parking car technology, AESA radar system, and SB-1 Defiant Helicopter. It is worth mentioning that the analysis of all articles shows a general trend that by 2025 people can move to fully automatic systems. However, several technical limitations are still insurmountable for humanity. Although innovative ideas and young minds can solve this perennial problem.
References
Airforce Technology. (2020). South Korea develops prototype of advanced radar system. Airforce Technology. Web.
Mizokami, K. (2020). New SB-1 Defiant Helicopter hits 238 MPH speed milestone. Popular Mechanics.
MotorTrend. (2020). Lane departure warning vs. lane keeping assist and lane centering: What’s the difference? MotorTrend. Web.
Tanaka, T., Nakajima, S., Urabe, T., & Tanaka, H. (2016). Development of lane keeping assist system using lateral-position-error control at forward gaze point. SAE Technical Paper, 1-8. Web.
Turpen, A. (2016). How self-parking car technology works: The first step to autonomous vehicles. New Atlas. Web.