It might sound like something out of the pages of a Sci-fi novel or out of movies like Blade Runner and Minority Report, but it’s a fact that Google is in the process of creating a “robotaxi”. In other words, Google is working on a self-driving vehicle. The company is well aware that it has no competition as no auto firm is working on such a project.
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Why you ask? Well it seems other auto firms would want to automate the more mundane aspects of driving, but they have a feeling that driving itself is too cool an experience to automate. Those who have to drive their kids to schools, drive to the mall, the dentist’s appointment and be stuck in traffic at hours on end on their way to work would never associate the word “cool” with driving and this is the market Google possibly hopes to tap.
The most exciting aspect about this news is Google’s plan to bring in self-driving taxis, which is something that has also gotten us excited. Such a service might gradually eliminate the need for people to own cars and also let’s face it; computers make lesser mistakes than human beings, which in turn would mean lesser accidents on the roads.
Google on its part is already giving a thought to which cities in the US, it would like to launch this “robotaxi” in. Surely, there can’t be a more apt metropolis than New York City for Google to test the waters. The other really great city to try out these robotaxis would be Tokyo. If these self-driving taxis do a good job in cities like these, one can be sure they would do well in every other city in the world.
Initially when Google gave this project the green light, it had hoped to partner with some established carmaker, but eventually Google realized that no carmaker is keen to join hands and hence it decided to go on its own. Possibly, carmakers are apprehensive that Google might end up monopolizing the market.
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In any case, Google might end up with a huge customer base, if these self-driving vehicles turn out of be as great as they sound. Google X, the department that has earlier worked on the “Google Glass” and normally works on really hi-tech stuff, has been entrusted with the job of creating this revolutionary vehicle. Imagine pairing your Android device with one of these self-driving vehicles and watching a movie in hi-def on the windshield, while you are driven to your destination. The possibilities are endless!
