Future of driving looks grim
Study finds we won't be driving at all
"Just doing my email..."
That's the future as perceived by Škoda, which today published the results of a study it commissioned from the think-tank, Centre for Future Studies. The study reckoned the company car of the future "is set to be revolutionised over the next 40 years".
By 2050, fleet vehicles are to become a “virtual colleague” to company car drivers, thanks to increased robotisation, which will hand over control to the vehicle. Škoda said that this will boost road safety and enable motorists to use their travelling time to watch the morning news, video conference or answer emails.
Manufacturers will implement haptic systems – a set of technologies from the aerospace industry that add a sense of touch to the man-made interface - to warn of dangerous conditions or even wake up drowsy drivers by vibrating the steering wheel or activating actuators in the driver’s seat.
The office will extend to the car, enabling the company car driver to have full interaction over the Internet with the office computer and personal assistant, meaning motorists can do the majority of what is done in the office, in the car. Essentially, vehicles will become a virtual colleague with full communication interaction, said Škoda. Features will include technology that can read out incoming emails to the driver, allow the driver to dictate responses, permit the driver to set up meetings, update to-do lists and write short memos.
Automated highway systems will operate on major commuter routes, creating trains of automatically controlled cars that travel close together at high speed. The agent-based software will also calculate the most cost-effective route for every journey.
However, with technology come perils; it will come as no surprise to many that company car drivers will lose their map reading abilities as dependence on satellite navigation becomes far more widespread.
Commenting on the findings of the study Dr Frank Shaw from the Centre for Future Studies said: "Škoda is to be applauded for thinking about how we will use vehicles in the future. The most effective car manufacturers spot the trends of tomorrow and start building them into the cars of today.
"The key drivers of change determining the design, manufacture and usage of the car of the future are technology, energy supply and demographics. Technology will make cars safer, cleaner and more intelligent and will also provide alternatives to our oil dependency. The car of the future will be far more of a versatile, eco-friendly, cyber-connected travelling space.”
Škoda's sales chief Martin Burke said: “Clever car design that enhances the vehicle’s experience is central to Škoda’s current and future success. This report is an important part of helping Škoda engineers to think about how people will use cars in the future and design vehicles that meet those needs.
"This forward thinking is evident in our fourth model, the Roomster, and even more so in our Yeti and Joyster concept cars."
So much for the thrill of driving...
I work with computers every day and the last thing i want is my car being driven by one.
Before mobile phones became the norm (and small) a salesman collegue at the time told me that when he was driving it was the only time he got a break from work.
I enjoy driving and i make a point of not having a car-kit for my phone so when im in the car its just me, my music and the controls..
I'm not a computer and dont fancy being treated like one..
A car is not just a vehicle that drives you from A to B...
It can also be good fun and/or a hobby to do...
Also with a hobby/funcar you can drive from A to B with a big grin...
So keep the Robots for work! I want to drive my sportscar myself!
Ofcorse for public transport Robots are fine! or for people who don't give a sh*t about cars...
GTRene
I don't particularly enjoy sitting in crawling rushhour traffic so would welcome a system like this - assuming it didn't run on Windows...
If you're planning to masturbate in your car, I hope it doesn't have Windows too!!
Isn't that a self-fulfilling prophecy?
Thank goodness not all manufacturers are so obsessed with gimmickery. On the rare occasions I walk into a showroom and express my opinion on self-levelling, auto-dip, power-assisted, fly-by-wire cup holders, salesmen think I'm crazy. "But it's cool - makes life so much easier". "Well I don't want it. I don't need it and it'll just break".
I don't particularly enjoy sitting in crawling rushhour traffic so would welcome a system like this - assuming it didn't run on Windows...
If you're planning to masturbate in your car, I hope it doesn't have Windows too!!
I don't particularly enjoy sitting in crawling rushhour traffic so would welcome a system like this - assuming it didn't run on Windows...
If you're planning to masturbate in your car, I hope it doesn't have Windows too!!
Probably the only occasion where having your computer go down on you could be a good thing?!?
:coat:
Me too, but ISTR from safety-critical systems lectures at Uni the subject of human overrides to automated safety systems. Went something like this...
Consider some safety critical system where a binary decision must be made, and the wrong choice results in much death...
- A human may have 1 in 100,000 chance of making the wrong decision
- A computer may have 1 in a million chance of making the wrong decision
- Given the choice of overriding the computer decision, the human will always do so, regardless of the fact that he's(*) more likely to be wrong.
- Ergo, it's safer to remove the manual override.
* I say "he", because if it was a woman she'd say to the computer "fine, you make the decision but if you're wrong it's your fault".
Personally, I think fully automated cars would be great. I''ll take the optional "driver's beer fridge"...
Well, I wouldn't mind if my hypothetical auto-motorhome (towing trailered hypothetical Radical) could drive me overnight to a track day at a circuit 400 miles away, then back again.
Is road driving really that fun?
In any case, the systems would no doubt only work on motorways for the foreseeable future, which would discourage "normal" people from blocking up the fun roads.
John
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