There’s no doubt that technology is moving at a rapid pace and has been doing so for the last decade. Over the years, we have seen how technological advancements can be both a blessing and a curse to our world. We have seen firsthand how smartphones have diminished face-to-face communication and placed barriers between individuals. On the other hand, we appreciate the many ways that technology has been working towards our advantage in various sectors such as education, medicine, and so on.

Quiero decir, ese es el objetivo final de la tecnología, ¿no? Su objetivo es simplificarnos la vida y ayudar a que la sociedad crezca de la forma más eficiente posible.

In recent years, there has been a large discussion around the topic of self-driving cars. Flash-forward, one year, and the reality of this thought may be coming to life sooner than anybody could have expected. Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, believes that “by the middle of 2020, Tesla’s autonomous system will have improved to the point where drivers will not have to pay attention to the road”. What a concept.

Aunque la idea de los coches autónomos es fascinante, también hay cierto escepticismo en torno a ella. Echemos un vistazo a los pros y contras del futuro del transporte.

Beneficios:

La eliminación de errores del conductor

Los estudios demuestran que el 85% de los accidentes son consecuencia de errores humanos, ya sea conducir ebrio, exceso de velocidad, enviar mensajes de texto u otras distracciones en la carretera. Si eliminamos a los conductores de la ecuación, el problema de los errores humanos ya no sería tan frecuente, lo que permitiría salvar cientos de vidas que se pierden debido a accidentes de tráfico todos los días.

Transporte más rápido

Los coches autónomos pueden eliminar la congestión y los atascos de tráfico al tener límites de velocidad más altos y ser capaces de detectar otros vehículos a su alrededor.

Increased Mobility for the Young, Elderly, and Disabled

Muchas personas no saben conducir o no pueden hacerlo debido a alguna discapacidad o problemas médicos. Los vehículos autónomos ofrecerían a estas personas una oportunidad más significativa de desplazarse y hacer lo que necesitan hacer a diario.

Mejor para el medio ambiente

Self-driving vehicles would not run on gas but instead on electricity, therefore reducing air pollution and emissions that are regularly released due to constant acceleration and braking.

Experiencias de viaje mejoradas

Si los conductores ya no tienen que prestar atención a la carretera, tienen más tiempo para concentrarse en el trabajo, charlar con amigos o dormir.

Desventajas:

Occupational Loss for the Automobile Industry

When Uber and Lyft made their way into our lives, Taxi companies suffered greatly, and there was a significant loss of jobs. When self-driving cars are implemented in society, there will be even more job loss due to a lack of demand for these services.

Fallas tecnológicas

No technology is perfect, and there are often issues within programming and computer systems. Autonomous vehicles, being a computer system, increase the chances of these faults that could lead to malfunctions and even more dangerous driving circumstances if brakes don’t work or if the car doesn’t sense other vehicles around it.

Cuestiones de responsabilidad

Accidents are inevitable, whether it’s a human error or a technological error. If there is an accident between two autonomous vehicles, who pays the price if there is no personal liability? This seems like it would cause a conflict between car manufacturers and insurance companies.

Seco

Los piratas informáticos son un auténtico problema en el mundo actual. Si hubiera coches autónomos en la carretera y un pirata informático encontrara una forma de acceder al software del coche, podría hacerse con el control del vehículo y obligarlo a hacer lo que quisiera. Esto supondría un gran peligro para uno mismo y para los demás en la carretera.

Falta de intuición

While some may disagree, there is a level of morality and intuition that is imperative when it comes to operating a vehicle. For instance, if there is an autonomous car driving by and a child starts running in front of the car, how would the program react to such a situation or know where to go? Some decisions on the road have to be sought out and acted upon within a second in order to avoid disaster, and this may be difficult for a computer that is programmed to perform only in the way that it is set up.

Estos son solo algunos de los beneficios y costos de coches autónomos. Researchers and scientists would have to go through a list of the short and long-term projections of this technology to decide how it would function positively in our world. If you have any opinions or thoughts, we would love to hear them and get an idea about where the rest of society stands on this debate.