Kokott, 1

Connor Kokott
Kelly Turnbeaugh
EN 1010-038
4/12/15
Annotated Bibliography: Autonomous Vehicles
As I sit in my mechanical engineering classes, working towards my
degree, I find myself coming to the realization that robots are creeping into human
life in more aspects than we ever thought possible. Self-projected or autonomous
vehicles are a technology that is at the brink of this world. Is this something that I
should be contributing to? More importantly, is this something that the world needs?
This semester in English 1010 I decided to explore all the possible perspectives of
this new age, in effort to inform others of what this decision entails. The
perspectives I am going to focus on are safety, the environment, and the culture
associated with this huge change in the society.
Forrest, Alex, Mustafa Konca, and Oleg Pavlov, Prof. Autonomous Cars and
Society (n.d.): n.

pag. Www.wpi.edu. Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 1

May 2007. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

Summary. Alex Forrest, Mustafa Konca, and Professor Oleg Pavlov talk about
various impacts that autonomous vehicles can have on society. They give a
background that informs the reader of some history and technology of autonomous
cars. They talk about socio-economic impacts and their benefits toward economic
saving. They also mention impacts associated with safety, traffic flow, fuel
economy, professional driving and culture throughout this report.
Evaluation. When these writers reveal their information regarding the specifics of
the technology, how it works, and the bigger impact questions, it shows me that
they have put a lot of time and effort into this subject. I like how it gives a clear
focus for each perspective and explains every question or outcome that I can think
about. However, it is very long and I will not be able to use most of the information
because I am choosing only three perspectives about autonomous vehicles. This
source is also very credible because it provides me with images and diagrams that
are effective in showing what they are trying to accomplish.

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Reflection. I will use this source to bring hardcore evidence about the benefit of
safety concerns. I will use the information they provide about each different
technological system to showcase the advantages of safety that can be
implemented in a vehicle; sensor applications being one of them. I can relate their
research on the impacts of traffic flow and fuel economy when talking about the
environment. Section 2.7 talks about culture changes such as vehicle maintenance;
this will be brought out when I talk about the effects on culture this technology can
have.
Hars, A: Autonomous cars: The next revolution looms. Inventivio Innovation Briefs
2010-01, Nuremberg, 2010, www.inventivio.com/innovationbriefs/2010-01.
Summary. Dr. Alexander Hars mentions some very persuasive benefits about
autonomous vehicles. He brings up detailed applications of this technology, and
explains the relative benefits with each one, as well as common hardships. He also
mentions multiple perspectives, and talks about the progress associated with these.
Lastly, he talks about current systems that are put in place today and tells us why
we need to bypass this process and jump into a fully autonomous system.
Evaluation. Dr. Hars work is quite relevant to the perspectives that are commonly
mentioned about this topic. The anticipated applications he mentions, really gives
the reader a good grasp on what this technology can produce, and this makes it
very persuasive. The conclusions he comes to are very relevant in todays world,
and that appeal to logos is what gives this source the credit it deserves. This source
is also very good at conveying multiple perspectives.
Reflection. I will definitely be using this work in my final draft. Some pieces that I
can implement are his thoughts about the safety, and the comments about the
liability trap that are brought up when a human uses an autonomous vehicle. I also
have many other perspectives I can choose to use from this source. The potential
for another positive perspective can be drawn from the idea of car sharing to better
the public transportation system, which also ties into my original perspective on the
environment.
"Self-Driving Cars and Insurance." III. Insurance Information Institute, Inc, Feb. 2015.
Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

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Summary. This article published by the Insurance Information Institute talks about
some recent developments of design and safety technologies. They also mention a
background with safety technology advancements and how insurance companies
have handled these changes. They then talk about the regulation, possible
underwriting, liability, and repair costs that can be associated with insurance on a
fully autonomous vehicle.
Evaluation. This article is very good at covering the what ifs in autonomous
vehicle technology, which is what insurance is all about. They also have very
detailed explanations as to what insurance could become when humans are no
longer to blame for accidents. The use many appeals to logos when talking about
scenarios where insurance is needed in order to figure out who is to blame.
Reaction. When thinking about using this information in my paper, I foresee it
coming in handy when talking about a change in culture. This will force the culture
to blame accidents on something other than themselves. It will point the finger
more towards companies and the culture will rely more heavily on these CEOs.
Stevens, Alan, Dr., and Paul Newman, Prof. Autonomous Vehicles: A Road Transport
Perspective. England: The Institution of Engineering and Technology, n.d. PDF.
Summary. Dr. Stevens and Professor Newman spoke about some projected
positive impacts that automated driving can have on transportation and the
environment. They highlight the different versions of automation that can be
present today within a car. They also conduct field research on two different case
studies that deal with two different automation systems in a car. Lastly, they discuss
some techno-legal issues associated with any future of automation. They are
leading towards this technology.
Evaluation. I found the information in this source quite relevant with todays
issues. This source gives detailed information about perspectives that are above the
ordinary thinking. The two case studies are well thought out and bring up
information that you will not understand unless you try it for yourself. This insight is
something that should be valued when making decisions about the future.
Reflection. I will see myself using a lot of the information found within this source.
The perspectives mentioned about improving transportation and the environment

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will be very beneficial when talking about positive impacts. I like how they talk
about different types of automated vehicles. Using this information I can clearly
identify what I am trying to discuss. I can also use the case studies to showcase
some examples of how this technology can be used, and how there are different
methods or autonomous use in vehicles.
Stokes, Andrew. "The Ethics of Driverless Cars." The Ethics of Driverless Cars. Phys
Org, 21 Aug. 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
Summary. Andrew stokes writes about Jason Millar, a PhD Candidate in the
Department of Philosophy, who speaks about some ethical problems that can occur
with an autonomous vehicle. He speaks of a thought experiment, and calls it the
tunnel problem. He uses this tunnel problem to convey an ethical flaw that is full of
problematic events.
Evaluation. This work done by Andrew Stokes proves to the reader that some time
has been put into thinking about this moral issue. It uses a strong appeal to the
readers ethos in order to put yourself in the tunnel situation. This gets you to
accept his ideology, while, this being a well-known situation in the first place. This
piece also appeals to the readers pathos. This is made clear by the strong emotions
brought towards your morals.
Reflection. I can see this idea of the tunnel problem becoming used when talking
about, either in the safety, or cultural perspectives of my paper. When talking about
safety I can instill this abstract thought experiment to say that this technology can
be unsafe. When talking about the cultural impact of this technology I can talk
about how this tunnel problem will rest directly on the morals of an individual and
can put a heavy burden on it, therefore causing a certain culture.
Wang, Hongling, Joseph K. Kearney, James Cremer, and Peter Willemsen. Steering
Behaviors for Autonomous Vehicles in Virtual Environments. Iowa, Utah: IEEE
Virtual Reality, 2005. PDF.
Summary. This piece of work talks about the steering behaviors of autonomous
vehicles. It goes though the math associated with multiple different systems. It also,
provides the basis for what engineers are programming these different systems on,
such as, driving behaviors of a human behind the wheel in todays world.

Kokott, 5
Evaluation. This research of driving patterns is well explained and well thought.
They really know and understand what this car will do before they get in for the
ride. This writing appeals to logos when talking about the math associated in driving
behaviors by using logic and reasoning for what the machine is doing. It also
appeals to the readers ethos by forcing them behind the wheel and letting them
choose if the vehicle is acting the way they feel it should. For these reasons, this
makes the reader believe that this is a well put source.
Reaction. I can see myself using this source when talking about the environment.
When talking about acceleration behaviors that can be used with technology the
first thing that comes to mind in efficiency. Also, a direct impact on the environment
is observed when deciding the traffic flow and paths these cars will be following.