tech musings: the self-driving car

In  a  video  posted  to  Youtube  last  night,  Google  has  revealed  it's  latest  

innova7on;  the  driverless  car.  

No  steering  wheel  and  no  pedals  -­‐-­‐  Google's  new  car  has  li>le  in  

common  with  your  four-­‐door  sedan.  

Google's  new  car  doesn't  drive  faster  than  25  miles  per  hour  and  comfortably  sits  two  passengers.  

The  vehicle  uses  sensors  and  cameras  to  eliminate  blind  spots  and  iden7fy  objects  as  far  as  200  yards  

away  -­‐-­‐  a  valuable  ability  on  crowded  streets  and  intersec7ons.  

It  must  truly  be  an  odd  experience  -­‐-­‐  being  a  passenger  in  a  driverless  car.  

But  is  it  silly  to  be  wary  of  this  new  breed  of  transporta7on?  

Are  the  doubts  people  have  about  this  technology  similar  to  the  doubts  of  those  who  thought  we  would  never  move  past  animal  powered  

vehicles?  

A  driverless  car  feels  like  the  future  s7ll  but  Google  is  beLng  that  will  

change  soon.  

Google  is  planning  on  making  100  prototypes  of  this  queer  new  car  

and  plans  to  have  them  be  available  to  the  public  in  2020.  

The  future  of  transporta7on?  

What's  unclear  is  how  exactly  the  car  will  work.  

Do  you  type  in  the  address  of  the  place  you  want  to  go?  

Do  you  select  a  des7na7on  off  a  list  of  approved  parking  loca7ons?  

Either  way,  the  prospect  of  a  self-­‐driving  car  has  a  lot  of  people  

excited.  

Though  Google's  car  tops  out  at  25  mph,  imagine  a  highway  where  self-­‐driven  all  the  cars  are  self-­‐driven,  communica7ng  with  each  other.  

Conceivably,  these  cars  could  travel  much  faster  then  whats  safe  for  the  

average  human.  

Computers'  reac7on  7mes  are  far  faster  and  can  communicate  

between  themselves  far  faster  than  humans  -­‐-­‐  so  the  vehicles  could  be  much  closer  together  as  they  travel  

down  the  highway.  

Though  Google's  technology  isn't  focused  on  these  aspects  of  travel,  I'm  sure  they  are  working  towards  

these  applica7ons.  

Another  benefit  of  a  self-­‐driving  car  is  accessibility.  

In  the  video,  a  blind  man  rides  around  around  in  the  car  and  

marvels  about  how  being  able  to  get  around  on  his  own  7me  would  vastly  

improve  his  life.  

This  is  an  aspect  of  the  driverless  car  that  hadn't  occurred  to  me  -­‐-­‐  the  

visually  impaired  could  now  navigate  with  much  more  freedom.  

An  end  to  the  dreaded  commute.  

Not  being  responsible  for  driving  the  car  also  allows  much  more  free  

7me.  

If  your  commute  7me  becomes  free  7me,  you  can  effec7vely  gain  an  

hour  of  the  day.  

Instead  of  being  a  distracted,  frustrated  driver,  you  could  leisurely  read  the  paper,  eat  your  breakfast,  apply  your  makeup  or  get  a  jump  on  

the  days  work.  

Self-­‐driving  cars  have  the  poten7al  to  dras7cally  change  the  way  

human's  travel.  

In  a  country  where  over  600,000  people  have  commutes  to  work  over  90  minutes,  reclaiming  that  7me  for  business,  pleasure,  or  family  is  a  

huge  benefit.