Intelligent Vehicle Applications Worldwide

Intelligent vehicles are an application in which the words "intelligent autonomous systems" represent not only an important research topic but also a strategic solution to the mobility problems that may arise in the coming years. Vehicles that can move autonomously and navigate in everyday traffic, on highways, and in urban and unstructured scenarios will become a reality in the next few decades. Besides the obvious advantages of increasing road safety and improving the quality and efficiency of moving people and goods around, the integration of intelligent features and autonomous functionalities in vehicles will lead to major economic benefits, including reduced fuel consumption, efficient exploitation of the road network and reduced personnel. Furthermore, it is not only the automotive field (public transportation, trucks and automobiles) that is interested in these new technologies, but also other sectors, each with its own target (industrial vehicles, military systems, mission-critical systems and unmanned rescue robots). In this article, the author surveys the major intelligent vehicle projects and activities worldwide, covering not only automotive applications but also special vehicles.