Autonomy milestones in other sectors could build trust in AVs

How it works: AV development and production could be rooted in successful deployment in constrained environments and then scaled up from there.

• For example, AVs are already used in limited defense applications, in mines, and in factories.
• Next they could be scaled up for closed circuits in retirement community and long haul trucking circuits.
• Eventually they could be highway-ready, and finally, there could be self-driving passenger vehicles suitable for all roads.

What's happening: Some of the first milestones of autonomy have already been achieved, like geo-fenced, low-speed autonomous driving, automatic emergency braking, and repetitive tasks in mining.

• In the heavy equipment industries, such as mining and construction, it's common to use AVs for repetitive tasks like moving material from one destination to another.
• Autonomous drones used to monitor construction projects, handle land surveys, and watch over resource management have crossover applications in business services such as delivery, agriculture, and security.
• May mobility is currently looking at use cases and testing in controlled environments, like a shuttle service in Rhode Island.

Flashback: Public expectations for passenger-ready, fully autonomous vehicles don't have a strong historical analogy.

• While smartphones come with fewer safety concerns, they followed a common pattern. The first smartphones did enough advanced tasks well enough to gain popularity. Then, as updates to software and hardware improved performance, gradually became "the hub of everything [people] do online."

The bottom line: The best way to ensure that autonomous vehicle technology is passenger-ready before it goes into production may be to continue improving incrementally.

Bibhrajit Halder is the CEO of SafeAI, an AV technology startup focused on industrial AVs. He is also a member of GLG, a platform connecting businesses with industry experts.