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Mom-Chauffeur’s Dream: A Driverless Car
Feb 15 2008 by Courtney Messenbaugh
2/15/08
Look Ma — No Hands!
I've written before about how nice it would be to have a chauffeur. I could lounge in the backseat, read the newspaper, sip some caffeine, play with my son — sounds totally dreamy, right? Well, it seems that pipe dream may not be as far-fetched as it appears. The way technology is advancing, in a few years I may not even need another person to drive me around. Yes, you read that right, someday my car just might be able to drive me around by itself.
Our friends at General Motors are so cutting-edge they demonstrated an unmanned (i.e., nobody was behind the wheel) Chevrolet Tahoe at the Consumer Electronics Show last month in Las Vegas. That very same Tahoe had already "driven" itself through a 60-mile urban course last November to win a prestigious U.S. Defense Department-sponsored competition. How cool is that?
Autonomous driving — as it's officially called in the biz — is made possible by electronic controls, software, wireless capabilities and digital mapping. The systems recognize road patterns and makeup and perceive other traffic and obstacles in order to figure out where it's safe to go, and to avoid the many potential dangers that can pop up on a typical drive.
Angele Shaw, spokeswoman for GM's research and development department, told me we'll likely see hands- and/or feet-free systems within the next 10 years or so. Different stages of the technologies will be introduced in an evolutionary way as GM moves toward fully autonomous driving. For instance, some of the technologies already found on some GM models, like Forward Collision Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keeping, are all part of the emerging family of electronic driver-assist technologies — the things that could push us to the Nirvana of autonomous driving. They're all aimed at reducing driver error, which is one of the most common causes of crashes. I, for one, am willing to take all the help I can get. If that means having to buy a car that drives me around, so be it!
No word yet on exactly when or on what GM models we'll see the fully autonomous capability, but I can't wait. Drivers will be able to choose whether or not they want to be in control of the car, much like you choose now whether you're going to use your cruise control. Angele did warn me, however, that I shouldn't get too comfy with this idea, as these technologies don't relieve a driver of her responsibility; she will still have full control of the car any time she wishes, and she'll need to maintain her awareness.
For now, I guess drivers should probably remain in the driver's seat, but maybe, just maybe, in the long run, when autonomous driving technology is fully matured, your vehicle will truly be able to chauffeur you around on those days when you just don't feel like driving. Larry Burns, GM's vice president of R&D and strategic planning, said that this is all "a stepping stone toward a day when commuters can do their email, eat breakfast and even watch the news while being 'chauffeured' to work."
Well said, my friend. That's a step in the right direction.
User Comments
This will also lead to lighter cars as more vehicles have the autonomous feature there will be fewer accidents and less need for the crash resistent fetures of today’s cars, this in turn will reduce the fuel consumption, and emissions, as well as commmute times as all the cars communicate to each other and can anticipate future actions.
great tech!
Yeah… until there’s a massive server crash, or an advanced virus makes its way through security, or a satellite fails, or any of the other staggering number of possible “technical difficulties” that could cause mass chaos with systems like this being employed. Failsafes? Backups? Gimme a break. Every “failsafe” known to computing and/or networking technology has failed sooner or later… Murphy’s Law always wins.
How cool is that?!! Next we can get a bathtub that cleans the kids by itself like a dishwasher… No more shampoo battles! Oooh, how about a gym that does the exercise for me while I get a pedicure? That’s what I call a step in the right direction. No steps.