Cars are changing, and drivers are now starting to become obsolete. Cars not only get smarter, but they are actually taking This the lead. This year alone, many startups are in a race to develop the best systems for autonomous cars. All these car technologies will marry virtual reality and car AIs in a combined tech package.
These two threaten to be the most disruptive technologies to cause ripples in the relationship between drivers and cars. Even Elon Musk should contend with the need to consider these applications in Tesla cars or be outdated. It seems even the combo of virtual reality and autonomous car systems, are as disruptive to Tesla's leadership in sub-level 4 autonomy.
People do not have full access to automotive applications of virtual reality yet, because it is a new technology. Not all carmaker has the tech at their disposal for consumers because of it just in the development stage. Like the problems with Waymo's robo-cars, this is having tons of bugs to fix before anyone can use it. One thing that all consumers should expect is full deployment as the next big thing for everyone to rave about.
Self-driving cars will be a hard sell to customers who do not know a whit, about autonomous cars. Even the sales of electrics are taking a hit, because of misconception about electric cars on the buyer's side. Even selling the idea of an autonomous car will need creative and snappy to sell the idea to buyers 100%. No one buys anything that is alien to them, and some may think autonomous cars are dangerous too.
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One startup called Civil Maps providing map for robo-car navigational resources, it helps the machine find its way autonomously. If people can see what a robo-car sees in virtual vision, part of the anxiety of not knowing will be less and better for good. Virtual drivers are now riding, with robo-cars, seeing what is happening for faster acceptance, not the opposite.
For starters, what observers would see are a simple rendering of the environment, through electronic eyes. This just the start, but what the sensors process is a simple picture, that is not hi-definition yet. The observers might only see simple images, in time there will be better virtual images, as advances get better. One question is will observers and drivers have the same opinion, or the should satisfy both.
One advantage of virtual reality is drivers have remote access to what is ahead of them. What matters is not how to project the info, but if there is access by the drive to check via virtual imaging. Another way virtual reality works is to do it without distraction and help drivers navigate and avoid trouble.
Another need for virtual reality on automated cars that have drivers' seat or not, is that humans can intervene anytime when needed. This is will be a precious fallback for buyers of cars with self-driving or autonomous cars, to drive it remotely and hand over control to AI or another connected user.
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