Self-driving cars used to be seen only in science-fiction movies, but now it seems as if Google is helping bring fiction to reality.
Google first unveiled a mock-up of the self-driving car back in May. After going through various prototypes, Google finally exposed the finished prototype on Monday. The self-driving car is part of the work going on at Google X Research and Development Lab. The company stated that they are looking to test drive these cars over the holidays, and possibly have these cars available to consumers within five years.
But how much can anyone really trust a piece of machinery? Sure it would make car rides a lot more productive. You could handle your business calls, text family, and even organize your purse all while being driven to your destination, but is it really the car of the future?
For those who are science-fiction aficionados, the film “Terminator” might be just enough of a reason to not like this kind of car. It may be a crazy scenario to imagine self-driving cars running the world and humans ceasing to exist, but it is possible.
For a more realistic scenario, imagine your car driving you down I-59 and suddenly it crashes into another car because of a glitch in the system. Machines break down all the time and these self-driving cars wouldn’t be an exception. Can you really trust your car to get you from Point a to Point b safely? It will be hard to relinquish control over to a machine that might take you to Timbuktu for all you know, when you really only wanted to go down the street.
Before they start selling these cars like hotcakes, it would be nice to know the car has gone through millions of test runs and in-depth inspections prior to hitting the market.
While it’s hard to say when self-driving cars will populate the roads, it’s safe to say that people shouldn’t be so ready to buckle their seatbelts in one anytime soon.