Years ago, the driverless car made its first appearance in films and television, and many thought it was a distant reach for the future of the automotive industry. However, as former Uber general manager Eyal Gutentag knows, driverless cars are the newest trend in ride-sharing services. Uber is currently an advocate for this new technology and operates driverless cars in several of its markets.
Current Trends in the Automotive Industry
Motorists were skeptical when the initial roll-out of cruise control came to dashboards across the industry decades ago, but with Lexus, Mercedes, and BMW currently in development on autonomous vehicles, taking to the open road is really about to change drastically. Tesla has already implemented a driverless autopilot system in the United Kingdom, but it has yet to make the jump across the pond and invade the US automotive industry. The thought of a computer operated vehicle sounds like something from a science fiction novel, but with cars already having remote parking assistance, it seems this advancement is just over the horizon.
Criticism of the Opportunities
To be realistic, it will be awhile before fully automated vehicles are left to the highways and road systems. The transportation system of the US is vital to citizen safety and connectivity, but it is also plays a large part in the economic health of the nation. Jeopardizing the exchange of goods and services without full consideration of the ethical, financial, and technological implications has been a major concern for investors everywhere. Google is testing an autonomous car equipped with multiple cameras and sensors to act as a human brain and respond to road conditions accordingly. However, electronic and pixelated images have their own struggles with consistency, leaving another gap in the question of safety.
The future of technology is going to impact many areas of living, and the pastime of a Sunday afternoon drive through the countryside might soon be a thing of yesteryear. Everyone may soon have the luxury of being chauffeured around, although it will be by a robot and not a private and personable driver.
