当汽车学会自己开：自动驾驶的前世今生

人类对自动驾驶的渴望，可以追溯到很久很久以前。在汽车尚未诞生的年代，我们就已经开始幻想一种能够自主移动的神奇机器。这种幻想并非空穴来风，而是根植于内心深处对自由的向往——想象一下，如果有一种工具能够载着我们想去哪里就去哪里，而不需要驾驭一匹桀骜不驯的马，或者费力地踩着自行车爬坡，那该有多好。

This human desire for self-driving machines traces back far earlier than we might imagine. Long before the automobile was invented, people were already dreaming of magical contraptions that could move on their own. This wasn't mere fantasy—it was rooted in a deep yearning for freedom. Imagine a device that could take us anywhere we wanted to go without the trouble of taming a wild horse or struggling uphill on a bicycle.

达芬奇的“幽灵”：自动行驶的远古梦想 {#the-ghost-of-da-vinci}

如果要追寻自动驾驶汽车的历史起点，我们不得不把时钟拨回到15世纪的意大利。列奥纳多·达·芬奇（Leonardo da Vinci，1452-1519）——那个以《蒙娜丽莎》和《最后的晚餐》闻名于世的艺术大师，同时也是一个痴迷于机械发明的天才。据历史学家考证，他在1495年左右设计了一份充满前瞻性的草图，这份草图描绘了一种令人惊叹的装置：三个轮子、一套精密的齿轮系统，以及一套可调节的钟形机械结构。

To trace the origins of autonomous vehicles, we must travel back to 15th-century Italy. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)—the master painter famous for the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper—was also a genius obsessed with mechanical inventions. Historical records show that around 1495, he designed a remarkably prescient sketch depicting an astonishing device: three wheels, an intricate gear system, and an adjustable bell-shaped mechanism.

这台装置被后世称为“达芬奇的自驱车”（Leonardo's Self-Propelled Car）。从草图来看，它的工作原理相当精妙：放置在车辆内部的弹簧机构被上紧后，会释放储存的势能，驱动齿轮系统使轮子转动，从而推动车辆前进。更令人惊叹的是，这台装置还配备了编程功能——通过一套凸轮（cam）系统，可以预先设定车轮的转动方式和转向模式。简单来说，它就像一个能够按照预设程序“跳舞”的机械装置，虽然不能像现代汽车那样在道路上自由驰骋，但已经具备了“自主运动”的核心概念。

This device has come to be known as "Leonardo's Self-Propelled Car." The sketch reveals an ingenious mechanism: when the spring inside was wound up, it would release stored potential energy, driving a gear system to turn the wheels and propel the vehicle forward. What makes it truly remarkable is its programmable capability—a cam system that could preset how the wheels would turn and when to steer. In essence, it was like a mechanical dancer executing predetermined movements, and while it couldn't navigate freely like a modern car, it already embodied the core concept of "autonomous movement."

1969年，西班牙工程师莱昂纳多·托雷斯-克维多（Leonardo Torres-Velázquez）根据达芬奇的草图成功复原了这台装置。1974年，它在巴塞罗那的一次展览上公开亮相，引发了巨大轰动。如今，这台复原的“自驱车”静静地陈列在巴塞罗那科学与技术博物馆中，向每一位访客诉说着五百多年前那位先知般的发明家对未来的畅想。达芬奇或许从未想过，他那份尘封在笔记本角落里的草图，会在几百年后成为人类追求自动驾驶梦想的精神起点。

In 1969, Spanish engineer Leonardo Torres-Velázquez successfully reconstructed this device based on da Vinci's sketch. In 1974, it was publicly displayed at an exhibition in Barcelona, creating a sensation. Today, this reconstructed "self-propelled car" sits quietly in Barcelona's Museum of Science and Technology, telling visitors about a visionary inventor's dreams of the future from over five centuries ago. Da Vinci could never have imagined that his sketch, tucked away in a corner of his notebook, would become the spiritual starting point for humanity's quest toward autonomous vehicles.

从梦想到实验：20世纪的艰难探索 {#from-dreams-to-experiments}

无线电控制的汽车梦 {#radio-controlled-car-dreams}

如果说达芬奇的自动车还只是一个“幽灵”般的概念，那么进入20世纪后，人类开始真正动手实验了。1921年8月，美国俄亥俄州的克利夫兰市（Cleveland）见证了一个历史性时刻——世界上第一辆真正能够“自主”行驶的车辆在这里诞生。

If da Vinci's automatic cart remained a ghostly concept, the 20th century saw humanity actually begin experimenting. In August 1921, Cleveland, Ohio, witnessed a historic moment—the world's first truly "autonomous" vehicle was born there.

这辆车的创造者是克利夫兰警察局的副警长弗朗西斯·P·索萨（Francis P. Southern）。他的发明基于一项如今看来有些“复古”的技术——无线电遥控（radio control）。通过一套发射器和接收器装置，操作者可以在远距离外控制车辆的转向和速度。这辆车在克利夫兰的街道上进行了测试，引起了市民们的极大好奇。虽然从严格意义上讲，它并不能算作真正的“自动驾驶”，因为它仍然需要人类在远处进行操控，但这个实验证明了通过技术手段实现车辆远程控制的可能性。

The creator was Deputy Sheriff Francis P. Southern of the Cleveland Police Department. His invention was based on what might seem "retro" by today's standards—radio control technology. Through a transmitter and receiver system, an operator could control the vehicle's steering and speed from a distance. The car was tested on Cleveland's streets, much to the public's curiosity. While it wasn't truly "autonomous driving" by strict definition since it still required human control from afar, this experiment demonstrated the possibility of remotely controlling vehicles through technology.

与此同时，在大西洋彼岸的欧洲，类似的实验也在进行。1925年，弗朗西斯·胡迪纳（Francis Houdina）——一位以著名魔术师哈利·胡迪尼（Harry Houdini）的名字命名的发明家，在纽约市的百老汇大道上展示了一辆更加“高级”的无线电控制汽车。这辆车名为“美国奇迹”（American Wonder），它能够实现前进、转向、刹车等基本功能，吸引了大量市民驻足观看。胡迪纳甚至写了一本名为《无人驾驶》（Chauffeurless）的书，详细介绍了他对未来无人驾驶交通的设想。

Across the Atlantic, similar experiments were underway in Europe. In 1925, inventor Francis Houdina—named after the famous magician Harry Houdini—demonstrated an even more "advanced" radio-controlled car on Broadway in New York City. Called the "American Wonder," it could move forward, steer, and brake, drawing large crowds. Houdina even wrote a book titled *Chauffeurless* detailing his vision for future driverless transportation.

然而，这些无线电控制汽车存在一个根本性的缺陷：它们本质上仍然是“被操控”的机器，而非真正“自主思考”的智能体。一旦无线电信号受到干扰，或者超出了控制范围，车辆就会陷入失控状态。这促使后来的研究者开始思考一个更深层的问题：能不能让汽车自己“看”清道路、自己做出判断，而不需要依赖外部的遥控信号？

However, these radio-controlled cars had a fundamental flaw: they were essentially "remote-controlled" machines, not truly "independent thinking" intelligent agents. Once radio signals were interfered with or exceeded the control range, the vehicle would become uncontrollable. This pushed later researchers to contemplate a deeper question: Could we make cars "see" the road and make decisions on their own, without depending on external遥控 signals?

军事需求催生的技术革命 {#military-needs-spur-revolution}

这个问题的答案，在很大程度上要归功于军事需求的推动。20世纪中叶，冷战的阴云笼罩全球，各国在军事技术上的投入达到了前所未有的高度。自动驾驶技术正是在这一背景下获得了快速发展。

The answer to this question came largely from military needs. In the mid-20th century, Cold War tensions blanketed the globe, and military technology investments reached unprecedented levels. Autonomous driving technology gained rapid development precisely within this context.

1953年，斯坦福研究所（Stanford Research Institute，SRI）的研究员威廉·P·英格维森（William P. Church）成功开发了一套电子控制系统，能够自动引导车辆沿着预先设定的路径行驶。这项技术很快引起了美国军方的关注。军方设想的应用场景极具前瞻性：在危险的战区执行运输任务时，可以使用无人驾驶车辆来运送物资和伤员，从而避免士兵暴露在敌方火力之下。

In 1953, researchers at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI), led by William P. Church, successfully developed an electronic control system that could automatically guide vehicles along predetermined paths. This technology quickly drew attention from the U.S. military, which envisioned a highly forward-looking application: using driverless vehicles to transport supplies and wounded soldiers in dangerous combat zones, thereby keeping soldiers out of enemy fire.

到了20世纪60年代，这一领域的研究已经相当活跃。1966年，斯坦福研究所的 Nils Nilsson 领导的研究团队开始开发一个名为“Shakey”的项目。虽然 Shakey 是一个机器人而非汽车，但它首次将人工智能（Artificial Intelligence，AI）、计算机视觉（computer vision）和自动导航（autonomous navigation）技术整合在一起，解决了“在动态环境中自主移动”这一核心问题。Shakey 的研究成果为后来的自动驾驶汽车奠定了重要的理论基础，被视为自动驾驶技术发展史上的一个重要里程碑。

By the 1960s, research in this field had become quite active. In 1966, a research team at SRI led by Nils Nilsson began developing a project called "Shakey." Though Shakey was a robot rather than a car, it was the first to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI), computer vision, and autonomous navigation technologies to solve the core problem of "autonomous movement in dynamic environments." Shakey's research results laid an important theoretical foundation for later autonomous vehicles and is regarded as a significant milestone in autonomous driving history.

1971年，英国道路研究实验室（British Road Research Laboratory）进行了一项令人瞩目的实验：在一条封闭的道路上，自动驾驶原型车以高达130公里/小时的速度稳定行驶。这在当时的技术条件下是一个了不起的成就，证明了高速自动驾驶的可行性。然而，研究人员也坦承，这套系统依赖于道路下方预先埋设的电缆来产生电磁信号，引导车辆行驶。换句话说，车辆虽然能“自己开”，但仍然需要依赖基础设施的辅助，严格来说属于“基础设施依赖型自动驾驶”，而非真正的“自主智能”。

In 1971, Britain's Road Research Laboratory conducted a remarkable experiment: an autonomous vehicle prototype drove stably at speeds up to 130 km/h on a closed road. This was an impressive achievement given the technology of the time, demonstrating the feasibility of high-speed autonomous driving. However, researchers acknowledged that the system relied on cables burie