Flying cars? Driverless cars? It’s the stuff of The Jetson’s. And unlike the world of the future they promised us in the go-go 60s, it looks like autonomous cars are around the corner.
I’ve talked to many friends and colleagues in the business, living in areas of the U.S. where companies like Uber, Google, Tesla, and scores of other companies are all busily trying to perfect their autonomous driving technology.
Billions are being invested, and cities and municipalities are lining up to ensure their participation in what’s proving to be an amazing race with no drivers.
The blog CB Insights reported last month that no fewer than 44 different companies are hard at work on the autonomous front. Some are brands you know well, but many others are working behind the scenes to create the technology that will power these vehicles of the not-so-distant future. It’s mind-boggling just how many technologists and engineers are going all out in this rapidly emerging space that could change the ways in which we’re transported.
And yet, most consumers still aren’t wild about the prospect of cars that will drive themselves. In our last two Techsurveys, we’ve asked how regular folks take to this futuristic technology. While many say they need more information in order to offer an opinion, many others are quite sure of their feelings. On the one hand, three in ten are leaning or are vehemently against the idea. On the other, less than one-fourth like or are enthusiastic about the concept.
You may not be surprised to learn that Millennials and men are the most gung-ho about self-driving cars. After all, they’re Uber’s biggest customers. And on the other end of the spectrum, Baby Boomers and women not so much.
Like them or not, autonomous cars are going to happen. There’s too much being invested in these complex science projects for them not to see the light of day. And so as researchers, our thoughts turn to what people will be doing in these self-driving vehicles when one no longer has to have their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel.
In fact, there may not be a wheel. Or pedals. Or a radio.
Read more of the original article at Jacob’s Media.
