The Future Is Here: Fully and Semi-Autonomous Cars

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Introduction
It was once envisioned that by the 2000’s people would be flying to work and living on different planets. The future held runways instead of garages and the 52nd state was to be Mars. Unfortunately, today people still drive themselves to work in cars not a flying apparatus, and the only thing living on another planet that is known is the Mars rover Curiosity. But the part about people driving themselves might soon be a relic of the past. In 1939 Norman Bel Gaddes in a partnership with General motors showed off the first prototype for an autonomous vehicle. Unfortunately his idea was too early to ever truly come to fruition, but it is that idea that could lead to one of the greatest revisions of the automobile since the seatbelt. Semi or fully-autonomous vehicles are currently being developed by some of the greatest thinkers in the world. Google has been experimenting with and using them for several years in contained situations as have many auto manufacturers. Mr. Gaddes would be amazed by the leaps this technology has made in just this decade. While concerns with the legislation, liability and market acceptance could stall this technology, fully and semi-autonomous vehicles have the potential to be a quicker, safer and more efficient means of transport.
Faster
The average American has an almost thirty minute one way commute to work each day. That’s an hour a day a person spends in their vehicle battling other commuters, road conditions and stop lights. That average only accounts for only eighty-eight percent of all commuters. There is an unlucky category of commuters called “Megacommuters”; these travelers travel at least fifty miles or ninety minutes on a one way commute. Autonomous vehicles offer commuter solutio...

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...sticking point when arguing. They maintain that autonomous cars will be stuck in a never ending legislative battle. While politics do seem to be impossible at times there have been bright spots. States like California, Florida and Nevada have all passed laws permitting the testing of autonomous vehicles on public roads and currently seven other states are considering similar laws. Along with these laws there is another piece of information that could help move legislation along. Some of the first vehicles to be equipped with autonomous technology are commercial vehicles such as semi-truck and taxis. Japan is already allowing testing of autonomous semi-trucks on public roads. Being that commercial trucking has been struggling with an aging work force and is always looking to get a more effective form of transport this could be the backing autonomous vehicles need.

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