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It seems extraordinary now, but GM is claiming that driverless vehicles (automobiles that drive themselves) may be on sale in a decade. They displayed their efforts to that end at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in the form of a Chevrolet Tahoe.

In a very real way the technology already exists, it’s just a matter of uniting these accepted technologies into a goal that many feel dangerous, though it could result in safer roads. When considering that with GPS systems we can easily find a route to any destination, lane warning systems alert drivers when they are drifting into another lane, traction and stability controls keep vehicles from losing control, and sensors alert us when approaching a vehicle too quickly (and some even initiate braking) it does seem like the parts are largely in place.

Going a step further, imagine not owning or leasing a vehicle, but renting the use of one with others. You go online to create your schedule, telling a system when you need the car and where you need to go. The logistics are worked out so a vehicle arrives, sans driver, and takes you to your destination. After drop-off, the driverless car takes off for its next pick-up. Everyone shares in the expense of the vehicle fleet, and no one needs to deliver it to the next user, it takes care of that on its own.

That may be a bit of a tangent, but the ability for a vehicle to drive itself opens up many opportunities, as long as government regulation does not get in the way. How about sending your car out to get groceries? Or pick up the kids from soccer? Driver-less vehicles then stop being just a “car” and more of a personal robot. Get them to transform so they can walk into the supermarket and gently pick up your dozen eggs and suddenly GM’s sponsorship of the Transformers film looks more like a true glimpse into our future (minus the mayhem) than science-fiction eye-candy.

Categories: News
Tags: features, tahoe