Self-driving cars are about to come true.
Autonomous driving is currently one of the biggest challenges facing the automotive world. Creating artificial intelligence cars, able to drive without human intervention, and capable of making fundamental decisions in a few thousandths of a second is not a simple task.
During the testing phase on the roads open to traffic, accidents involving self-driving cars made it into the news. But step by step, technology is progressing, and manufacturers produce increasingly advanced models capable of not requiring human intervention to drive.
Changing an industry
Until a few decades ago, talking about self-driving traveling could seem like science fiction. Science fiction enthusiasts may recall the extraordinary Kitt, the talking car of the 80’s TV show Knight Rider. Today, this technology is no longer a mirage. More and more car manufacturers are developing autonomous driving models able to face any condition.
Self-driving cars are vehicles capable of satisfying the main transport capacities of a traditional car, and they can drive without human intervention. They will be fully capable of detecting the environment. They will surpass the old paradigm of the driver’s assistant, and combine it with the advantages of popular apps. They will make traveling experiences a new business model.
Self-driving traveling experience
When we no longer have to worry about driving, the inside of the car changes. The new models indicate this trend in the designs presented to date. BMW models transform the interior into a real sitting area for relaxing, working, or sleeping. There are footrests and movable seats, to better adapt the space to the number of passengers. The passenger will become the center of attention of the next advertisements because the self-driving traveling experience will depend on the satisfaction of the traveler.
Currently, this is not the case, or at least it will not be so for at least a few more decades. The certainty, however, is that research does not stop and that, before 100% automated driving, we will go through various transition phases in which technology will not replace a person but, more than ever, will help him or her to travel safer. As David Moss, Nissan Europe’s Vice President of Research and Development, says the first thing manufacturers want to deal with is road safety.
Traffic will change and become more automated. Road safety will depend on the cars’ ability to remain cautious and continuously updated. According to current estimates, this will get us used to a new way of traveling and moving around in less than twenty years.
