The era of the self-driving car is coming much, much sooner than you think. Think of your parents, on the road, right now. They’re probably terrible drivers, because most of us just straight-up stink behind the wheel, and the constant advance of medical science means that they’ll be on the road for at least another couple of decades, eyesight degrading, reaction time slowing, entitlement to the road growing.
Of course, not everybody can afford a fancy new robot car. So some researchers are building a $150 version. Or, at least, trying to.
University of Oxford researchers, seeing the writing on the wall, are working on making self-driving car systems cheaper. Currently, these vehicles can cost as much as a tricked out luxury car. So they’re driving down the cost in a few ways.
Currently, the price sits at $7,750, but the goal is $150. Of course, that’ll involve some compromises. For example, to teach the car to drive, you’ll have to take it on your routes to various places until it learns the way and can take over.
But hey, who doesn’t want a car that can handle a crappy 7am commute?
British Researchers On The Road To An Affordable Self-Driving Car [Telegraph]