How Autonomous Vehicles will Change the World
Introduction
Autonomous vehicles have become a very hot topic in the past few years and with many auto manufacturers and technology companies engaging in extensive research and development on the subject, each year we seems to get a little bit closer to this concept becoming a reality.
Overall, the technology opens up a world of possibilities when it comes to human transportation, and when driverless vehicles become the norm in society, they will certainly change the way human’s live and get around in their communities, in countless ways. This article discusses some of the ways that autonomous vehicles will change how people live and get around as well as some of the concepts that people and companies are envisioning when it comes to the future of transportation.
Getting Around
Nowadays it is quite common for each individual in a household to have their own vehicle. In fact, it is not uncommon in North America for single households to have 2 vehicles or more, depending on the age and employment status of any additional children living at home. However, since one autonomous vehicle could serve the needs of multiple individuals, households in the future may choose to own only a single autonomous vehicle - if they choose to own a vehicle at all.
When we think about coordinating the schedules of multiple people living in a single household, it seems a bit farfetched to think that one vehicle could be shared among all members of a family. However, when you consider the fact that autonomous vehicles do not need to remain parked after their passenger has been dropped off at their destination, this idea becomes a bit easier to fathom.
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For instance, instead of waiting in the parking lot all day after dropping an adult off at work in the morning, an autonomous vehicle would be able to drive itself back home to pick up another individual who happens works at a different time. After dropping off both adults at their place of employment, the vehicle could then also return home to drop off the kids at school while their parents monitor their safety from their smartphones.
When autonomous vehicles hit the market many auto companies will sell rides instead of cars so a different scenario may be that households choose not to own their own autonomous vehicle but instead buy into a monthly service package that sends a driverless vehicle to their home to transport their household around the city. In this scenario the household could choose the service package and a schedule that suits their needs without having to worry about any sort of vehicle maintenance, insurance or fuel requirements. Instead of having their vehicles sit idle in their driveways during the day, some individuals may even choose to rent out their vehicles to others while they are at work. This could make ride sharing much more common and would also act as another source of income for the household.
Though these scenarios may still seem a bit far fetched, several auto manufacturers are currently in the process of making all of this happen.
Ford Motors
According to their website, Ford is the first automaker to begin testing fully autonomous cars and they claim that they will have a fully autonomous vehicle on the market by 2021. According to an article that you can find here the company has partnered and invested in several technology companies (Lyft being one of them) and is gearing up to mass produce a level 4 autonomous vehicle in only a few short years.
The company claims that the vehicle will be capable of completing all aspects of driving on its own without any sort of human intervention and that the vehicles will not be equipped with a steering wheel or gas or brake pedals, which means that humans will have no responsibilities in the driving process. Instead, passengers will be able to sit back and relax and let the vehicle do all of the work.
Mesh Networks
A mesh network is basically an electronic structure of connected nodes that arrange themselves dynamically and non-hierarchically in order to communicate and cooperate with one another. In the case of autonomous vehicles, each vehicle would operate as an individual node within the system which would be connected to every other node across the entire network.
Once connected to a mesh network, individual vehicles would be able to transmit information and communicate with other vehicles in order to determine what obstacles lay ahead as well as the traffic conditions on route. In this way, autonomous vehicles would be able to understand a much larger picture of what is happening on the roadways then their single scope, which in theory would make driving safer and much more efficient.
One limitation to the technology though is the amount of data these mesh networks would require, which unfortunately is probably beyond our current capabilities. Nonetheless, mesh networks will be vital to a society that uses autonomous vehicles.
Concepts
The technology and features within autonomous vehicles will likely progress somewhat slowly over time but eventually these vehicles could be equipped with any number of comforts and features. In the future, vehicles will likely be customized upon their purchase (or rental) to fit the needs of each individual and family.
For instance, some individuals will want their cars to be equipped with extensive entertainment systems with large screens for watching movies, browsing the internet or playing games. Others may want their vehicles to be suited for business or travel. As such, desktops, and seats that turn into beds may be among the features offered by auto manufacturers.
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The Commute: Autonomous vehicles will change how people commute to work by essentially giving them more free time. Since people won’t have to worry about the responsibility of driving while they on their way to work, they will be able to spend their commute doing other things, such as catching up on some sleep, browsing the internet, watching videos or reading a book. Some individuals may even choose to log onto their laptops and begin work while on the road which would allow them to complete their work tasks on route and reduce the amount of time that they need to spend in the office.
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Business: Business as well will certainly change with autonomous vehicles. Some individuals believe that the vehicles themselves will be like small businesses that travel the roadways to bring their goods and services directly to their customers. Fast food restaurants and coffee shops may operate within a vehicle in order to deliver food and beverages to customers immediately after they are made.
Autonomous vehicles would also be capable of allowing their passengers to hold meetings inside the vehicle or complete their everyday work tasks while they are on route to say a conference or travel flight.
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Travel and Leisure: Autonomous vehicles will also certainly change how people travel. When couples and families go on road trips while in a driverless vehicle, they won’t necessarily need to pull over at night to sleep in a hotel. Vehicle could be equipped with seats that fold down into beds allowing them to sleep while driving. As such, people could fall asleep in their vehicles at night and wake up at their destinations in the morning, which would eliminate the extra expense of hotels stays and reduce their overall travel time. I’ve even seen some vehicle concepts featuring a toilet in the vehicle (like the above image) which seems a bit bazaar but nonetheless convenient.
Perhaps people will live in their vehicles??
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If people take a scenic road trip their vehicle may also be equipped with extra-large panoramic windows that will allow them to take in their surroundings as they drive through mountains or scenic landscapes. Some vehicles may even become moving party venues equipped with a music, a bar and even a dance floor. Bars, pubs and lounges could pick up their customers and allow them to party while they are on their way to the venue.
How the World will Change
Many people believe that society will change significantly with the introduction of driverless vehicles. Not only will they create a safer and more efficient roadways, with less accidents and traffic congestion, but they will also change the structure of how cities are designed and how they operate.
For instance, each individual store or business probably won’t need its own parking lot, which will free up more land for development. Instead of parking on the businesses property, vehicles may travel home when waiting for their passengers or they may wait in large designated parking hubs throughout the city until their passengers are ready to be picked up.
Autonomous vehicles will also provide another means of transportation (aside from public transit) for passengers who are normally unable to travel on their own, such as the elderly or individuals with a disability.
As mentioned previously, hotels will certainly be effected by driverless vehicles and they may even become obsolete entirely. If passengers begin sleeping in their vehicles instead of pulling over for the night, hotel chains will have to offer travelers more than just a clean bed and shower to entice them to stay at their establishments. They may need to highlight the experience of staying in a hotel by offering other sorts of entertainment.
Employment will change significantly as well since many professions will no longer be needed. Taxi drivers, truck drivers and package delivery personnel are just a few of the professions that will certainly become obsolete. Car manufacturing, dealerships, and supply chains will also be effected by the change as well as the auto maintenance and insurance industries. On the other hand, many new jobs will also be created.
The marketing strategies of restaurants and businesses may change as well. With passengers focused on the entertainment within their vehicles instead of the outer streets, the billboard advertisements and business signs that currently litter the streets will become obsolete. As such, businesses will need to entice passing customers with electronic advertisements. As such, our on-board screens and entertainment systems may become littered with ads.
Though I cannot stand advertisement pop-ups, I for one am in favor of cleaning up the streets and doing away with the unsightly billboards and street sign advertisements that currently litter our communities. I’d personally like to see more nature and more trees planted in our communities rather than restaurant and business signs.
Other Changes
Other changes to society will include things like:
Driver’s licenses will no longer be required, nor traffic lights and street signs. Traffic and parking tickets will no longer be a source of revenue for the police. People will no longer need a designated driver when drinking alcohol with friends or family. Similarly, DUI violations will not exist.
Since most autonomous vehicles will run on electricity, charging stations and quick battery swap outlets will replace gas stations. GPS and video recording within vehicles will be more common in order to track individual’s whereabouts and safety. Cities and communities themselves will probably be reconfigured to support more walking and biking, especially in downtown cores, parks and shopping centers.
Hacking vehicle computers will be an issue and driving itself will become extremely regulated and rare. Driving will probably even be seen as a luxury and a source of entertainment where people who want to drive a vehicle will have to pay to go to designated site. Much like we have shooting ranges in society, we may also have driving ranges (different from those of golf of course).
Conclusion
Though we are still a little ways away from autonomous vehicles hitting the streets, a lot of progress has been made in their development and many auto manufacturers and technology companies claim that they will have a working product in the next few years. When that happens, societies and our communities will change significantly. I for one am excited at the possibilities that autonomous vehicles offer. What do you think?
Nice article @leaky20. I think the scenarios you discuss are entirely possible. Mobility is going to change drastically and yeah buying a vehicle will probably stop making sense. I do think however that were are going to see mass unemployment as there simply won't be a replacement for, drivers, policemen, driving test agencies, transport authorities, courier services.
May be Wal-Mart will become mobile. No more need to come to wannabe Wal-Mart or a shop, a mobile driverless shop will come to one's house.
Imagine driver less caravans, the possibility is endless, it will make life easier but so many jobs are going to become redundant.
Yes, I agree that there will be massive amounts of job loss. Hopefully new jobs will also be created in the process though. A lot of countries and regions are beginning to test universal basic income right now. Perhaps they foresee this coming and are trying to stay ahead of it?
I would love it when we can swap all transportation vehicles for autonomous vehicles (street, water, air)! Wrt selling rides instead of vehicles, I love the successes of all these car sharing companies having today. Snappcar is the largest in Netherlands, and one of the largest in Europe (the are international already); a service allowing booking of cars from the neighbours. We also have a few companies making cars available at almost each corner of a street which can be booked for a ride; With an electronic key, users can open the car, start it, and drive off. Greenwheels is one of the early adopters of this service in Netherlands; They started already years ago. Next evolution is (obviously) the self driven vehicles with some more advantages over todays car sharing services; Cant wait when we get this deployed for a larger consumer base.
That car booking service sounds very interesting. We don't have anything like that here in Canada - as far as I know. We have similar services for Bicycles but thats it.
Yeah with autonomous vehicles, people will probably start renting out their cars to others while they are at work. There are so many possibilities with this technology. I really think its going to change our world significantly. Thanks for the comment. I appreciate it :)
What about individuals not owning the cars anymore at all? Why would we, when we can summon an autonomous vehicle when we need one? Canada, USA is different to Europe I suppose. In most European cities, public transport is well arranged, and we are used to using a combination of own/shared vehicles (car, scooter, cycle) and public transportation. Our culture already includes the idea of using public transportation and sharing economy is pretty much booming (ok, still in its early stages, but still). The young generation is changing their habits; The group of people not getting a driving license is increasing in the Netherlands and a larger percentage is not buying a car.
Yeah I definitely think that Europe is more advanced than the America's when it comes to public transportation and car sharing. Probably green energy as well - at least parts of Europe. I think that these things will become the norm to the younger generations which will push the technology and practicality even further. Sharing economies make so much more sense in today's world. It's more economical for individuals and it requires less consumption and less resource depletion. Whats the point of many individuals owning their own boat (for instance) if each of them only use it a few times a year? It makes more sense to make that resource available to a larger community to be rented as they need it. I think as a society we need to move away from resource ownership/exploitation and the overall consumption based economies. They are becoming outdated and damaging to the environment.
100% Agree! ;)
Vehicle to vehicle communication will be key for autonomous vehicles. Hopefully with evolving cellular technology, we can achieve the data transfer reqiurments for vehicle communication.
Hi leaky20,
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Thanks for the support :)
How cool is that? That will definitely bring really positive changes to ourlives and the world around us
Now, we really need those cars now! Hope it wouldn't be outrageously expensive though...
Yeah I agree, that it will bring a lot of change to our world. I'm not sure about cost, - if they will be significantly more expensive or on par with what we see today. hmm, I guess we will have to wait and see.
Yeah! Well, we will have to wait...
Awesome article written thumbs up 👍.
But what go me thinking was this.
As technology is increasing, in the sense that don't mis-quote me, machines can not be trusted. Yes they make work easier and faster but they can not be compared to humans. No matter how a technology has been upgraded, it still remains just that (a machine) and mind you, machines can not reason, make right decisions and there must definitely be a glitch somewhere in the machine. Kidnapping will be easily and neatly done thanks to our cyber work enough disadvantages. But let me stay positive.
So leaving our cars to be driven automatically is awesome but it isn't 100% safe. Waiting for that day though.
Yeah, hacking will be an issue for sure. If hackers infiltrate the mesh network or the individual car, that would be very dangerous. hopefully designers and engineers figure out a way to make it safe.
hello that is a very interesting concept, but im a bit septical about it i don't think i could leave my children alone going by themselfe at school even if i can track them with my phone.
Yeah, I'm sure a lot of parents would feel the same way. It may be possible to do it, but I'm sure a lot of people will forgo that service.
I'm a strange person that does not like to drive and I use public transportation as much as I can - even when I lived in California where this attitude made me a freak. Now I am in SE Asia and have lived in two cites with fantastic public transport and terrible traffic otherwise.
I don't follow much news, but I think I did hear of a car company that already did this - Tesla maybe. And I'm thinking the cars were wrecking and killing people, but I am not sure.
I would not want to be in a car like this even less than I like today's cars. I don't think I could trust a machine to make driving decisions. I'm old, and this concept kind of reminds me of the flying cars shown in the 1960's that were supposed to be here by now. I'm thinking this is another way to use taxpayer money for something that won't work. But I will be looking out for this now that I have read your post. You really did a great job with this and gave a lot of detailed info. Congrats of your curie pick up. You certainly deserve it for this good work.
Thanks for the complement, I appreciate it. I think I heard the same story as you actually. There have be several incidents with testing these vehicles so far. It will take time to master the technology and also for the public to trust the safety of the vehicles. I suspect the most dangerous time will be during the transition, when some vehicles are autonomous and others are human driven. Unlike the flying cars and jetpack stories of the 60's, I think you will actually see this technology come to light. only time will tell though
I will be watching now :)
Me too :)
Great article and good writing, I can imagine that you had invested much time. So first an up for this :-) and i also agee that this new technology will improve our life. Driverless driving will be the best in my eyes.
Yes it will be exciting for sure :)
It's another realm of human evolution that will take the game to a whole new level, once we get it right. Many times though, nothing beats being behind the wheel yourself.
I agree that its a whole new level of transportation :)
haha! howdy from Texas leaky20! this is an amazing post. I can't wait for this technology to get here so I can just relax and not have to fight traffic all the time, and all the concept vehicles they are coming up with it mind-blowing! In ten short years it will be a whole other world in transportation! wonderful post!
Thanks for the comment :)
I'm looking forward to relaxing behind the wheel as well. Maybe reading a book or watching a movie hahaha. I'm excited for the possibilities
well howdy there leaky20! I so agree with you, I think it's going to be fantastic and it sounds like car crashes will almost be eliminated!
Hi there :)
yeah it is believed that once all of the bugs in the technology are fixed, the roads will be safer and more efficient because the vehicles will communicate with each other
yes sir leaky20 that's what I read somewhere and I think one of their biggest concerns now is how to get the signals through during a serious electrical or rain storm, I have no idea how they're going to do the tunnels.
Good point. I never thought of that. Seems like there will be many issues to resolve as the tech progresses