Should We Trust a Self-Driving Car?

Over the past century there has been a trend of autonomy, attempting to make the world easier for the average citizen. From the automatic dishwasher, the cell phone contact list (Do you know your best friend’s number?), to the remote vacuum ( http://www.irobot.com/For-the-Home/Vacuum-Cleaning/Roomba.aspx ). It is all in an attempt to make our lives easier. These innovations have become common in our lifestyles, to the point where some users would be helpless without them.

What will be the next major automated innovation? How can we “make life easier” from here? For an innovation to be a major change in our daily lives, it must significantly affect our daily lives. With every innovation comes skepticism, it is part of the process. What’s the old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? How many brilliant ideas were made with good intentions, but led to unforeseen consequences? This is the primary question I’ll ask today, can we truly trust the next major innovation in automated living? Can we trust a self-driving car?

The first question you might be asking is “What company has the confidence and aptitude to attempt such a feat?” The answer might surprise you. This project is led by the fascinating minds at Google.

In 2010 Google announced that they were creating a small division within their company for research and experimentation of a self-driving car ( http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-were-driving-at.html ). Their goal? “According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.2 million lives are lost every year in road traffic accidents. We believe our technology has the potential to cut that number, perhaps by as much as half…as well as help create the new “highway trains of tomorrow." We have good intentions from a reputable company, with the resources to support this project, but is the risk of a malfunction worth it?

Google released a promotional video in 2012 giving the public an example of how this technology can change the lives of the handicap (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdgQpa1pUUE). The video shows Steve Mahan, a legally blind man from California working with Google. Steve is in the driver’s seat, relaxing as his car drives him around town and even manages to navigate a taco restaurant’s drive-through! This is a great example of how this technology could change a life, but we should notice that this situation takes place in a controlled situation, minimal traffic, prefect weather, and a planned route.

What do we do about the unforeseen events that come with driving? Some of the known limitations of the self-driving car include, but are not limited to; safe driving during poor weather conditions such as ice, unexpected traffic stops such as an officer directing traffic, and the system’s inability to discern a major hazard from trash on the street.

It will be interesting to see how Google progresses with their self-driving car, it could be the next major innovation that shifts the world yet again.

Andrew Miller