It was bound to happen at some point – you need a ride, don’t
feel like driving or maybe you have been drinking and shouldn’t. No worries,
you have an automated car! Hop in the passenger seat and let the robot drive
you home!
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| The Lexus equipped to be driverless |
Toyota and Audi this week introduced the driverless car at
the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Toyota says the technology is
similar to Google's with the use of electronics, but that "the Google
focus is on software mapping, that's what they're really good at. Toyota
focuses on safety programs and more integrated programs", says Jim Pisz,
corporate manager at Toyota North America.
While letting the car drive itself is in the not-so-distant future (none of
the makers of the auto-car will let it go on the road on its own but some states have passed laws allowing that to occur), the
electronics used on these cars are what is interesting to those of us who fix
cars for a living. There are already sensors that let you know when your car
might need a tune-up. But this technology can possibly prevent accidents by realizing
potential danger seconds before the human driver does. We all get distracted on
the road. Now, you will have a co-pilot who will be keeping a close “eye” on
what’s going and keep you safe when you decide to answer your cell phone!
While this is really interesting stuff, we aren’t too
worried about auto mechanics becoming extinct like the dinosaurs. We
still need to help people with their maintenance and other issues.
Hopefully, those robots are a century or two away!
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