I’m not sure if it’s just me, but have you noticed that all the hype about autonomous vehicles for everyday driving seems to have subsided slightly in recent times?
I’m certainly not against autonomous vehicles and can see the value of them in controlled circumstances like mines, farms and around docks, however, I can’t see them working on our roads for the simple fact that how does a computer decipher between a tree or a mother with a pram when it chooses which of the two options to hit in an emergency situation.
Also, I’ve had many discussions with legal people as to who’s legally responsible when an autonomous vehicle spits the dummy and crashes, is it the vehicle owner or the manufacturer? To date, no one’s been able to give me a definitive answer, however, all of them had dollars in their eyes at the mere thought of being involved in such a legal challenge.
All that aside, having cursed so many times whilst trying to reverse a jet-ski or 6×4 trailer, I was pleased to recently see the following video which illustrates what auto engineers can achieve when they really put their mind to something constructive and integrate autonomy/technology into a car that is truly beneficial – like Trailer Assist.
Or are they simply bored?