One of the things I most look forward to about the future is the idea of self-driving cars. Like, the kind of car you get into, tell it where to go, and then sit back and relax while it takes you there.
Up until a few days ago, my desire for an autonomous car was purely selfish. I don’t particularly enjoy the act of driving. I’d rather spend that time:
- reading
- working
- walking people in the park
- hanging out with my cats
- eating food with two hands
- doing other things with two hands
I would particularly enjoy those perks on my long road trips back to my hometown in Virginia.
However, a few days ago I watched a Google video about their self-driving car project, and it helped me realize that there are a few really awesome reasons why self-driving cars might be good for people with different kinds of needs and desires such as mine:
- old people who struggle to see or compute all the different things you need to parse while driving safely
- people with vision issues
- parents who would rather spend their time talking to their kids rather than focusing on the road
Perhaps those things were obvious to you, but they weren’t to me. This video really opened my eyes not just to the pleasure of a self-driving car, but also the importance of it. I really hope Google figures it out. Here’s the video:
For me, I see the primary benefit of self driving cars will be the dramatic reduction in car related accidents on the road.
Allen: That’s a great point. I think I’m a little worried about the transition (a mix of regular cards and self-driven cars on the road), but after that it should make a huge difference.
I’m excited to see cars transform into living rooms, work areas, and even bathrooms. That 30 minute commute to work isn’t nearly so bad if you’re getting ready for work on the commute to and squeezing in a quick game of between 2 cities on the way home. I really believe a hundred years from now cars will look nothing like they do now
Forrest: Many times on my long drive to Virginia have I wished for a bathroom in the car. That would be amazing.