Dreaming about the realistic probability of a self-driving car is certainly fun to think about. However, like all at is fun in America, the stuffy, tediously boring throngs of bureaucracy are here to ruin it. Unfortunately, they are right. We do need some discipline. While Google and Apple dance about filling our heads will idealistic visions of the future, we often forget the semantics of such an endeavor.
GOOGLE AI CARS ARE MORE THAN JUST A CAR
According to U.S federal transport safety regulator, the AI of Google’s self-driving cars should be more human. Human in the sense that they should be considered drivers. The reasoning behind this is rooted in autonomous cars. If no one in the car is actually capable of driving it, then the car itself should be considered to be the driver. Current laws state that the driver is identified as whoever is sitting behind the steering wheel. Since Google’s proposed vehicle will have the steering wheel and other features removed, the motor vehicle standards will have to be changed.
WILL YOU FEEL SAFE IN A SELF-DRIVING CAR?
One would think that not having access to controls of a self-driving car is fairly frightening. The good folks at Google seem to think the opposite. Their proposition is that given the option to drive, humans will only interfere with the safety and interface of the car, thus causing a major risk to all passengers involved. Current laws in place have a requirement of service brakes to be installed in every self-driving car. Google at the moment is looking into exemptions from this law as it contradicts their plan.
WILL APPLE JOIN THE RACE?
It’s hard to mention any new technology without talking about Apple. Strangely enough, Apple has been fairly quiet in regards to a self-driving car. We know that Steve Jobs first had the idea of an Apple Car back in 2008, but nothing fruitful has come of that idea. At least, so we think. There are rumors of an Apple electric car coming out in 2019, although it will not be self-driving. There’s also the secret lair “SG5” that has the potential to produce some kind of automated car in the near future. Whether or not they do, you can rest assured the Cupertino company will remain competitive in one way or another.
