It can talk, see, drive and no longer needs a human being to control it by remote. The car of the future - completely computer-controlled - is on the streets of Berlin. Sep 22, 2011, 12.00AM IST (TOI)Since the industrial revolution, tedious human chores have steadily been handed over to machines. Going by this trend, the advent of fully computerised cars that drive themselves should only be a matter of time. A prototype has already been tested by researchers on Berlin's streets. It's the trend of the future with a range of built-in technology which allows it to see and maneuver through traffic on its own. Technophobes may shudder at the vision of speeding driverless cars, navigating through heavy traffic. But how can they forget that in the end, it’s driver error that causes most accidents? Accidents can potentially be eliminated if a machine's in charge. Their recognition of and reaction to the environment can be much faster and more accurate than a human being's. Few would dispute that concentrating on the road is an ordeal with all-round traffic mayhem, speeding cars, and frequently ringing mobile phones. Surely nothing could be better than allowing well-tested technological devices to take care of road anxieties. Besides avoiding other tetchy drivers and road rage, we will have more productive time and leisure. If automated cars that drove themselves became the norm, we would no longer have that drunk driver to worry about. For those who worry about machine malfunction, cars could be designed to stop themselves at the first sign of suspected error. They could also come equipped with an override function, which would allow human beings to take over if the need arose. Technology skeptics shouldn't forget that at present aircraft comes equipped with an autopilot function, which in effect allows them to fly themselves. This hasn't made air travel any more unsafe than before - if anything, it's the contrary. It is high time that we rid ourselves of our fear of radical technological innovations.
Driverless Cars
It's the trend of the future.
It can talk, see, drive and no longer needs a human being to
control it by remote. The car of the future - completely
computer-controlled - is on the streets of Berlin. Sep 22, 2011,
12.00AM IST (TOI)
Since the industrial revolution, tedious human chores have
steadily been handed over to machines. Going by this trend, the
advent of fully computerised cars that drive themselves should only
be a matter of time. A prototype has already been tested by
researchers on Berlin's streets. It's the trend of the future with
a range of built-in technology which allows it to see and maneuver
through traffic on its own. Technophobes may shudder at the vision
of speeding driverless cars, navigating through heavy traffic. But
how can they forget that in the end, its driver error that causes
most accidents?
Accidents can potentially be eliminated if a machine's in
charge. Their recognition of and reaction to the environment can be
much faster and more accurate than a human being's. Few would
dispute that concentrating on the road is an ordeal with all-round
traffic mayhem, speeding cars, and frequently ringing mobile
phones. Surely nothing could be better than allowing well-tested
technological devices to take care of road anxieties. Besides
avoiding other tetchy drivers and road rage, we will have more
productive time and leisure. If automated cars that drove
themselves became the norm, we would no longer have that drunk
driver to worry about. For those who worry about machine
malfunction, cars could be designed to stop themselves at the first
sign of suspected error. They could also come equipped with an
override function, which would allow human beings to take over if
the need arose.
Technology skeptics shouldn't forget that at present aircraft
comes equipped with an autopilot function, which in effect allows
them to fly themselves. This hasn't made air travel any more unsafe
than before - if anything, it's the contrary. It is high time that
we rid ourselves of our fear of radical technological
innovations.
TIMES VIEW Tedious chores are being done by machines since the
last five years. T/FTechnophobes are people who love technology.
T/FAnswering mobile phones while driving can cause accidents.
T/FDriverless cars only exist in science fiction. T/FCommercial
aircraft is equipped with an autopilot function. T/FDrunk drivers
cause no harm on the road. T/F
Match the sentences.1. The advent of fully computerized cars
that - we could have more productive time and leisure. 2. Accidents
can potentially be eliminated - drive themselves could only be a
matter of time.3. Technophobes may shudder at the vision of - an
override function.4. Besides avoiding other tetchy drivers and road
rage - speeding driverless cars.5. They could also come equipped
with - if a machines in charge.
Questions: 1. What came to your mind when you saw the title? 2.
Could you think of other titles for this article? 3. Would you feel
safe in such a car or would a drunk driver be a better choice? 4.
Could you think of what would happen if the car suddenly stopped on
a highway where the traffic is too fast? Would an override function
be of use in such a situation? 5. Would people still like to own
present time cars so that they could drive for pleasure?
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