Austin, Texas has been the breeding ground of the Self-Driving Car project from Google, and the results have been generally successful over the past several years.
Technology is advancing, with many of these innovations serving to eliminate problems in society. But the debate rages on as to just how far humanity should go.
The Autonomous Vehicle Initiative is the largest in a line of increasingly daring projects from tech giants Google. The idea of Self-Driving Cars, or AVs, has been greatly popularized since the project launch in 2009.
Six years on, however, and the project has encountered considerable obstacles.
Google executives of the AV project are now faced with a more daunting foe than ever; a $60 laser pointer.
A recent study by a security researcher found that a simple laser pointer can be used to confuse the means by which AVs detect their surroundings. Such a device could be made with spare parts amounting to a value of about $60.
Google AVs use a system known as Lidar to navigate and identify potential driving impediments. Images of their surroundings are reflected and bounced back to allow for accurate driving, but a laser pointer can be used to distort these images, causing the AV to change direction or stop completely.
The problem has again ignited the argument of the impact of technology on society, with many left wondering where the line is drawn.
Newtown High School junior Jonathan Holden believes that technology is no longer an aid to society, but instead a problem area. “Technology is an addicting waste of time,” he said. “But it provides the human with short lasting enjoyment,” Holden said.
High School juniors Francesca Tinga and Jonathan Sung of Shekou International School in Shenzhen, China, believe there is a risk involved in pushing the boundaries of technology.
At a high school which is predominantly technology oriented, the exposure to innovation is abundant in daily life. However, students feel there are both benefits and drawbacks to this experience.
“Nowadays, technology is such a big influence in our lives that I think we should move away from the mechanics of it to learn how to use it responsibly,” Tinga said.
Google is taking a risk by implementing their AV project so soon, Sung and Tinga both said.
“In general, autonomous cars seem to definitely be the future, but until they become ubiquitous, I don’t think they would easily fit into society as of right now”, Sung said. “They could definitely be incredibly helpful in certain situations, but also potentially dangerous in others,” he added.
The amount of trust humanity puts in technology is worrying, according to Tinga.
“I think that in theory, electric, autonomous cars are good but I don’t know if I trust technology enough to so blatantly put our lives in its hands,” Tinga said. “Roads have a lot of people on them and putting a machine on the road could help lives but could risk them as well.”
Many fear that much like the critically acclaimed animated film Wall-E, society may reach a point at which the human race is entirely dependent on technology.
While unlikely, technology pioneering giants Apple Inc. certainly proceed with the goal of eliminating certain necessities; needs like driving, studying, and communicating.
Project Titan, Apple’s own self driving car project, was launched in 2014 and has rapidly made up ground on that of their counterparts, Google.
However, progress was stunted by a lawsuit filed by high profile electric car battery manufacturer A123, which accused Apple of ‘poaching employees’. The news led to the initial rumors of Apple potentially releasing a line of cars.
Having already scaled new heights upon releasing groundbreaking new smartphones and tablets, it is yet to be seen how else tech companies will go about changing the world of technology.