21st technology

Mitchell Marchand

Professor Roundtree

Art and Technology

18 October 2016

Electronics

     One of the greatest technological introductions of the 21st century has been the emergence of autonomous cars. The automobile itself has been around since the late 1800s, and year after year since, we’ve grown their capabilities (History.com). From automatic transmission and to power steering, it is safe to say that the strive for ease and simplification has always been our goal. Major advances in design and function have presented themselves throughout the 20th century, but in 2013, a few U.S. states actually began passing laws that permitted the use of autonomous driving cars (wikipedia.com).

     Hints at the notion of autonomous travel have found their way into tales and stories for centuries. For instance, a tale of King Praates II of Parthia talks of a magic carpet that flew him into battle in 130 BC (computerhistory.org). While the concept of the car was far from development, the idea of getting from one place to another automatically was certainly in the works. More recently, modern day airplanes have been developed with the ability to nearly fly themselves.

     On the forefront of the mission to develop self-driving cars is Google, who coined their effort the Google X. Top researchers and engineers from all around the world have been recruited by companies to take part in this effort, and we are growing closer and closer everyday. Certain predictions have called for 10 million self driving cars to be on the roads by 2020 (businessinsider.com). As it stands today, many companies like Tesla, Mercedes, and BMW have released cars with autonomous features such as automatic breaking and lane keep. It is said that fully autonomous vehicles (cars that can get from point A to point B with no interaction from the driver) will begin to present themselves in 2019 (businsessinsider.com). 

Works Cited

By 130 BC, a Magic Carpet Supposedly Flew King Phraates II of Parthia to Battle. Flying Carpets Have Graced Folktales from Russia to Iraq. They Combine Two Once-fantastic Dreams: Autonomous Vehicles, and Flight. Credit: Wikimedia Commons. "Where To? A History of Autonomous Vehicles." CHM Blog Where to A History of Autonomous Vehicles Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.

Greenough, John. "10 Million Self-driving Cars Will Be on the Road by 2020." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 2016. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.

"History of Autonomous Cars." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.

History.com Staff. "Automobiles." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.