The apparent advantages of automated vehicles are numerous. By eliminating the possibility of human error, the road could be made exponentially safer. Also, in terms of the business sector, companies that are on the road could rely on this technology rather than paying people to operate their vehicle. On a more personal level, those who are using this technology could add possibly several hours to their day's productivity, depending on the time they normally spent commuting to and from work. Time that would have been spent focusing on the road could turn into a time catching up on some office work, or even reading a book. If this technology does take over the industry, drive time could even be reduced.
Despite the great benefits, there is also a draw back. Hard working people such as long-haul truck drivers, and the package delivering workforce could possibly face substantial cuts to their workforce. Also, is it reasonable to think that we can design a machine that can think better than human beings can? Our brains are extremely complex, and to design a technology that is more capable than them would be cause for concern in and of itself. This technology could possibly be extremely dangerous to those on the road if it is not perfected.
Personally, I am super excited about this new technology. It has its share of problems at the early stages they are in right now, but it has some amazing potential. Should we as a society be accepting of this technology? Are autonomous vehicles a cause for fear or fascination?
I spend about five hours a week commuting, and I get frustrated because that feels like five hours of wasted time for me. At the same time i hate giving up control, especially with something as potentially dangerous as a motorized vehicle. I think this is extremely cool, but it also makes me uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteI spend about five hours a week commuting, and I get frustrated because that feels like five hours of wasted time for me. At the same time i hate giving up control, especially with something as potentially dangerous as a motorized vehicle. I think this is extremely cool, but it also makes me uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteI think that this technology is a cause for fascination, and while I think it will be a while before this technology is available for use on a large scale to the average consumer, I think we're starting to see a lot of successful technologies integrated into cars now that are leading us up to that stage (cars that can park themselves, cars that can stop themselves in danger, etc.)
ReplyDeleteI think you make a great point about being careful with replacing humans on the road and the potential implications of that.
Very interesting post! I agree that autonomous cars can open many doors and its cool to think that computers can be programmed with all the details of driving, things as small as being able to detect a cyclist's hand signals. But what about driving and planning for the unexpected, humans can adapt and react to trouble in a way that computers can't, I agree that we have to be careful. I think its all a bit scary to think that we are working towards replacing humans with computers, eliminating jobs and taking away the personal aspect of delivery. Who knows what the future holds, it will be interesting and exciting to see how everything unfolds.
ReplyDeleteIn the world today things are definitely becoming more autonomous. I can definitely see the emerging need for more intuitive technologies. These technologies can be very helpful but i don't think they are to the point yet that they can replace human reflexes. It will be interesting to see how far this technology progresses.
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