Self-driving cars  also known as autonomous vehicles, use advanced sensors, cameras, and AI algorithms to navigate and operate without human intervention. They perceive their environment, interpret traffic conditions, and make real-time decisions to steer, accelerate, and brake. Utilizing technologies like LiDAR, radar, and computer vision, self-driving cars ensure safety by avoiding collisions, following traffic rules, and adapting to road complexities.

1. Sensing and Perception: Utilizing a combination of sensors like LiDAR, cameras, radar, and ultrasonic sensors to perceive the surrounding environment, including other vehicles, pedestrians, road signs, and obstacles.

2. Data Fusion: Integrating data from multiple sensors to create a comprehensive and accurate representation of the environment, enabling the car to make informed decisions.

3. Localization: Determining the car’s precise position on the road using GPS, inertial measurement units (IMUs), and map data.

4. Mapping: Utilizing detailed maps to provide the vehicle with essential information about lane markings, traffic signs, speed limits, and road geometry.

5. Path Planning: Computing optimal trajectories and paths based on the current state of the vehicle, surrounding objects, and traffic rules.

6. Decision-Making: Processing data from sensors, maps, and other sources to make real-time decisions such as changing lanes, stopping at intersections, and avoiding obstacles.

7. Control Systems: Actuating the vehicle’s controls—steering, acceleration, and braking—based on the decisions made by the AI system.

8. Testing and Validation: Rigorous testing in controlled environments and real-world scenarios to ensure the system’s reliability and safety.

9. Machine Learning and AI: Employing machine learning algorithms to improve over time by learning from various driving scenarios and user experiences.

10. Regulatory Compliance: Adhering to legal and regulatory requirements for autonomous vehicles in different regions.

11. Redundancy and Fail-Safes: Implementing redundancy in critical systems and developing fail-safe mechanisms to handle unexpected situations.