A robotic steering wheel is not far from reality again. We could soon be having robots strapped in the driver’s seatbelts. Soon enough, those who produce films on self-driven cars would no longer be nominated for the science fiction awards anymore. Because surely, history is preparing blank pages for the reality of self-driving cars to be written on. It would be fun to watch the conductor screaming “yaba yaba” answer to his “machine-Oga” who is driving. But what I don’t know is how LASTMA officials would feel not been able to show off to the drivers of these cars when they get to Nigeria.
That is to say that in a very short interval, self-driving cars would go from-off sci-fi imaginative projections to stark reality. Those guys who paint in their studios of imagination, a self-driving car fantasy now need to paint new imaginations because, a self-driving car is no longer the “big picture”, it is coming to a tangible reality for sure driving around our byways and highways.
Uber is the most recent of company who took their gloves into the ring to box this invention out. Of late, the company had opened at Carnegie Mellon University an Advanced Technologies Centre, this would enable residents of Pittsburgh have the expectation of seeing many of these lovely and adorable “auto-automobiles” driving luxuriously around town in the closest future.
In a close vein to Google cars, Uber’s research vehicles come along with a bank of cameras and scanners which are placed top of the roof enabling it with the capacity to identify obstacles, as well as harmless bystanders and also worth mentioning here: the curves in the road. There is not much of Uber’s plans in the show glass for all to see but then some kudos must be paid to the Pittsburgh Business Times for we are now aware that the futuristic possibility of self-driving taxis not too far away as it just climbed a step closer.
Automatic for the people
“This vehicle is part of our early research efforts regarding mapping, safety and autonomy systems,” Uber spokeswoman Trina Smith had revealed to the publication via an email.
The end product is very clear: one day we will enjoy the opportunity of tapping on our phones and then a robot driver pops up and take you to your destination say your home or your office or even possibly when you have a flat tire and your mechanic has been arrested for not paying his N20 “tax” to the policemen at the roadblocks. Of course without much ado it could be thoroughly favourable bargain for every party (if we choose to exclude the current Uber drivers for sure course).
Uber really gathered a bucketful of resentment as well as criticism for its philosophy of apparently succeeding staffs with robots, making sure robots wear the shoes this human workers leave behind Carnegie Mellon University, but then when it comes to the CMU as well as sharing economy outfit, we could put it as rather a “partnership”.
