i called it ... its on its way
http://news.yahoo.com/video/tech-15749651/test-driving-the-google-car-22403930
http://news.yahoo.com/video/tech-15749651/test-driving-the-google-car-22406387
http://news.yahoo.com/video/tech-15749651/test-driving-the-google-car-22403930
http://news.yahoo.com/video/tech-15749651/test-driving-the-google-car-22406387
and this goes right along with what i have been saying for YEARS
it is in the not to distant future that we will no longer be able to drive our cars, they will drive themselves
it will first be a convienience thing
then it will be a safety thing
then people will no longer have control of their vehicles, because we will be viewed as an "unsafe variable" or some such shit
it has been heading this way for a while now... but the technology is getting closer to allowing it to happen
cruise control systems can now tell when you are getting close to slower traffic and adjust your speed accordingly
perimiter sensors can tell when you are in danger of hitting anything when backing up or parallel parking
GPS can pinpoint your location within 10 feet or so
newer GPS systems (like the ones in the new hondas) have voice recognition and will give you driving directions to virtually any location
so basicly all they need to make available to the public is a system that will steer the car
then its just a matter of perfecting it and making it "safe"
it will be a sad day
it will be worked in slowly
first it will be an option on higher priced vehicles, then it will filter down to pretty much every other car (just like every other option does)
it will start out as a convienience feature that can be disabled at will (kinda like in iRobot)
as it is proven safer and safer, you will start seeing insurance going down for auto drive cars and going up for manual drive cars
then certain roads will become restricted to auto drive only (kinda like HOV lanes)
gradually more and more roads will become auto drive only, making it very inconvienient to not have an auto drive car
then it will become a game of accident statistics
as the ratio of auto drive car accidents : manual drive car accidents changes it will become rediculously expensive to drive a car yourself due to insurance, taxes, etc
slowly you will see manual drive cars phased out
and the saddest thing is that most people will welcome this, for multiple reasons:
some because they are just fucking lazy and dont like driving any way
some will love the convienience of being able to do other shit durring their comute, like read, watch TV, take a nap, eat, talk on the phone, etc without having to focus on driving
some because they will love the "added safety"
some for the reduction in gridlocked traffic, cars that are driving themselves in a network connected to the other cars around them (kinda like train cars) can drive faster and closer together, meaning more cars in the same space, and lowered travel times
some will love the fact that they can go to the bar and get SHIT FACED and they have a bult in designated driver
people opposed to this will be in the minority, and will be pretty much ignored
eventually it will be such a normal part of life that it will simply be accepted by default, because people wont know any different, the idea of driving your own car will seem as odd as people making their own clothes, or living without electricity
yayy!!! remove even more of the joys of learning the techniques of REAL driving by letting a computer do it for you
why learn to launch? just use launch control
why learn threshold breaking? just use ABS
why learn proper cornering technique? just use ASC
why learn to properly modulate the throttle? just get traction control
why learn to rev match? just let the computer do it
why pay attention and avoid running into the car in front of you? just get the car that automatically slams on the brakes for you
why learn to back up or parallel park? just get a car that does it for you
and in a few years... why bother driving? just let the car do it for you
i fucking hate that driving is becoming as bland and automated as the rest of our lives
i know... i think the thing that bothers me the most is that no one cares about the enthusiast... well not many companies do anyway...
for the most part they just keep automating more and more every chance they get... and people just keep eating it up
i already know how this is going to end up... ive said it before... someone will invent a car that has an auto drive mode... it will be Mercedes or Volvo that most likely comes out with it... it will be kind of like cruise control is now, in that if there is any contrary input from the driver the system will be immediately disengaged and the driver will be back in control... people will be a bit sketchy about it at first... but as time goes by it will prove itself as being safe, at least as safe as manually driving... it will spread across more brands and more and more cars on the road will have it... eventually there will be limited access lanes on the highways designed for auto drive only, kinda like the car pool lanes... those lanes will prove to have a lower instance of traffic accidents... more lanes will be designated to auto drive... fast forward several years... eventually people will be deemed to unpredictable and inconsistent, too risky, too dangerous, and it will become a ticketable offense to drive on the highway manually... then it will start to trickle down to regular roads... in the mean time the auto drive system is now the default setting for cars... and if the car senses that you are diving in a matter that may be dangerous, it will take back the control from you, you know to keep you and those around you safe... as more and more people become accustomed to simply riding in a car, instead of driving it, cars will no longer have the option of manually driving them... and then the roads will essentially be little more than conveyor belts that deliver us to our destination in the shortest, quickest, most direct route possible...
and thats the end of it... a car will simply be another appliance... joy riding will be a thing of the past... as will be the joy of driving... the automotive spirit will be dead