The term "techno-utopian" is helpful for referring to people who believe technology alone can solve the world’s problems. The term is rarely used literally. But if the financial services company Morgan Stanley is to be believed, driverless cars will literally bring about a utopian society in just over a decade.
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Tired of sitting in traffic? Just take the completely automated, high-speed safety lane! At least that’s what the singing, time-traveling family of the 1950s did in this amazing film from General Motors.
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Back in the 1950s and 60s, self-driving cars represented the fantastic life of luxury that was supposed to be just around the corner. But here in the 21st century we can’t even pretend that our driverless cars of the future will be filled with board games and light reading. No, our self-driving car of tomorrow will be for one thing: work.
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Volvo’s hitting the gas on its plan to sell self-driving cars. The Swedish (but Chinese-owned) company just announced a trial that will put 100 driverless cars on the streets of Gothenburg in 2017. They’ll navigate traffic, dodge pedestrians, and even park themselves. Pretty futuristic!
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Robots are stealing our jobs. Again. In fact, they’ve been stealing our jobs in one way or another since the dawn of the industrial revolution.
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In 1964, sci-fi legend Isaac Asimov penned a piece for the New York Times with his predictions for the world of 2014. Looking at the World’s Fair of 50 years hence, Asimov imagined 3D TV, underground cities, and colonies on the moon. Many people online have hailed this as an incredible example of prescient thinking, but what sticks out to me is just how shockingly restrained—unoriginal, even—his predictions were for the time.
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Just moments ago, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into effect SB1298, effectively paving the way for driverless cars in California. For a state that relies more heavily on cars than any other, this is hugely significant when it comes to traffic and road congestion. More »
Google just chalked up one of the more important victories for driverless cars. California Governor Jerry Brown has signed bill SB1298 into law, formalizing the legal permissions and safety standards needed to let automated vehicles cruise on state-owned roads. While the bill lets anyone move forward with their plans, it’s clear from the ceremony that local technology darling Google is the primary impetus for the measure: Brown visited Google’s Mountain View headquarters to put ink to paper, and Google co-founder Sergey Brin oversaw the signing with his Google Glass eyewear on full display. If you’re dying to see driverless vehicles become mainstays of the Golden State, the official act making that possible is already available to watch after the break.
Filed under: Robots, Transportation
California Governor Brown signs bill clearing use of driverless cars on public roads (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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