The self-driving car appears to be sort of almost here.
A driverless future will obviously have enormous economic, social, and cultural consequences. To mention a relatively trivial one from my own piece of the pie: A large percentage of the work done by many small law firms and solo practice lawyers involves things — traffic accidents, drunk driving, etc. — that will pretty much disappear in a world without drivers.
A more consequential effect will involve the millions of people in the US alone who currently make their living by driving cars and trucks.
In short, driverless cars could be a major technological shock in all sorts of ways, both good and bad.From Lawyers, Guns and Money.
A household Roomba.
In a related note, I'm also interested in the potential impact of industrial grade Roombas (i.e. robot vacuum cleaners) when they start to be used to clean commercial buildings and mow lawns. The Wall Street Journal profiled the latest in robotic lawn mower technology this past April.
2 comments:
I still stand by my prediction (made in 2012) that "by 2060, it will be illegal for humans to drive in the USA".
Wouldn't it be ironic is Saudi Arabia finally achieves gender equity in personal transportation by prohibiting men from driving, rather than by allowing women to do so?
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