Lux Research has named autonomous vehicles and as the number one emerging technology to watch in 2021.

According to the firm's Foresight 2021: Top Emerging Technologies to Watch report, "Improvements in safety and efficiency are happening at all levels of vehicle automation, benefiting both consumer vehicles and commercial applications. Further out,Level 4 and 5 autonomous vehicles will open new mobility and logistics possibilities by removing the need for a driver in a vehicle."

According to Lux Research, megatrends driving autonomous vehicles include:

■ AI, analytics, & data: Improved data from both maps and sensors, along with advances in AI to translate into actions, help make autonomy possible.

■ Workforce automation: Autonomy can help replace existing drivers or aid areas like trucking with labor shortages.

The report also highlights technology innovations that are key to autonomous vehicles:

■ Data fusion of multiple sensors: Sensor data fusion and environmental modeling are increasingly offered as software components from specialty AV companies and startups.

■ High-definition mapping: Real-time and high-resolution 3D maps for autonomous vehicles as well as for advanced driver assistance systems.