Self-driving cars are coming. Of that there can be no doubt. The grown-up responsible implementation of Marty’s hoverboard in Back to the Future will one day be a part of our lives.
However, that time is not now. It might be 5 years away. It might be 10. It might be longer. So, what can we do in the meantime with what we have?
Virtual Reality (VR) looks like being the next breakthrough technology. Within 1–2 years I predict we will have settled on a standard and one or two key players in the market. This will drive greater uptake and acceptance in the fat belly of the adoption bell curve.
Combining Driving & Virtual Reality
So, what about this? Why can’t our regular non-self-driving cars be retro-fitted with a communications control module, and then offices and public places install “driving pods” so that I can remotely control and drive my car, myself, but without needing to be in the car.
Wait, what? This isn’t self-driving cars: this is me driving my own car when I’m not in it. Why would I want to do this? Many reasons. There are plenty of times when we drive just for the purpose of moving a vehicle from A to B. Ever driven to a bar, had a couple of drinks and got a taxi home then had to negotiate getting the car back morning after? Ever walked into work but then wished you could drive back?
Think of all the freight movement — wouldn’t our long-distance drivers prefer to work from home? Wouldn’t it be safer to swap drivers every 2 hours?
I imagine these pods to have a standard car seat and controls with either wrap-around monitors or a VR headset so that the driver is able to see the same (or maybe more) than if she was physically in the driving seat. Retro-fitting the cars would involve adding enough cameras to facilitate a 360-degree view, plus something to control the accelerate, brake and turning of the vehicle. The pods would either be provided free of charge by offices, supermarkets and public bodies or offered by private companies for rent by the minute.
This also opens up the possibility of this driving around being available as a service. I can pay someone remotely to drive my car on my behalf, either with me in the car or not. That’s pseudo self-driving.
Interestingly, this halfway house might be easier to navigate through our existing driving laws. I’m still in control of my vehicle, I’m just not physically present within in (Disclaimer: I’m not a lawyer, this is just conjecture).
So, what about the downsides? Would it increase road-rage, make us more likely to take risks because we’re not physically present and exposed to risk? Maybe, but only the first time, the very real costs of the damage would probably make us think twice the next time around.
Internet connectivity would also be an issue if this were to be tried today. However this isn’t a blocking problem, it just needs investment and effort. If this is the only technical limitation then I remain positive. Short-term workarounds are possible: for instance maybe you have to map our your route before you begin so that the system can verify that you have good internet coverage throughout your entire route.
I’m interested to know what other people think about this. Is it a serious proposition which can take us through the next 5–15 years until truly autonomous vehicles are a commercial and legal possibility? Feedback in the comments please.
I’m writing this on Medium rather than on my main blog because the subject matter isn’t relevant for my blog. I normally write about Skype for Business development. I’m not an expert in cars or VR — this post was just a brain-fart I had whilst walking.