Google’s not so secret plot to take over the world has given us yet another glimpse into the future. Feel free to join me as we enter the Jetson Age. Rumors of self-driving cars have been leaked through the grapevine for several years now, with whispers of cars adapting a new sort of cruise control feature. Driverless cars reminiscent of those Audi space machines that Will Smith takes into high-speed chases in iRobot have flooded the minds of science fiction enthusiasts, but is that really the direction our society and transportation system is heading towards?
Google has declared, “We hope these experiments unlock new possibilities for our users—even if it’s something as simple as picking up tacos…we like to think big, and we welcome those who share our ambition and excitement for doing cool things that matter.”
Hmmm…. Is this the new time management tool? Just plug in your destination in Google Maps and go back to work?
The most interesting aspect of Google’s self-driving vehicles: they have completely removed the driver from the equation. No steering wheel. No gas pedal. No break pedal. Just an On/Off switch, and an emergency stop button. How can this be possible? The car can drive on laser and radar detection alone? The cars in iRobot at least had an override option that allowed Will Smith to manually evade the usurping robot-human. Is Google simply removing loose ends? And while we love the idea of saving time – we have to wonder what happens to all the jobs that revolve around a human driver: taxi drivers, and food deliverers. We can ill afford to loose thousands more jobs. (And if youre in the US, you have to wonder: What will happen to NASCAR, a $ Billion industry.
Well regardless of Google’s intentions — increasing the joy and safety of driving and maybe adding a taco or two, and an extra few hours to the workday… it’s good to know that the State of Nevada has already passed legislation allowing the use of driverless cars and the innovator’s home state of California is in a similar process.
So get ready for the future people – it’s driving forward whether we’re ready or not!
Until next time,
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