United Kingdom (Commonwealth Union)_ Billionaire Bill Gates has always been passionate about cars. Microsoft co-founder and software tycoon Bill Gates also has a clear vision for the future. According to him, driverless vehicles, or autonomous vehicles (AV), are the future of driving. In his most recent blog post, Bill Gates predicted that the day will come sooner rather than later when humans would surrender control of their automobiles to machines. With this perspective, the American business magnate was delighted to ride in a self-driving automobile around the streets of London.
Following his driverless car experience, the software king took to his blog and posted, “One of the most difficult driving environments imaginable”. The post was titled, ‘Hands Off The Wheel: The Rules Of The Road Are About To Change’. Further, Mr. Gates was impressed with the car’s ability to navigate through traffic despite having a safety driver intervene on many occasions. The car was made by the British tech start-up Wayve, and Mr Gates deemed it a memorable and unimaginable experience.
On Mr. Gates’ driverless car journey in London, Wayve’s CEO and founder, Alex Kendall, accompanied him. Wayve is a tech startup that is actively developing a revolutionary autonomous driving strategy. In his blog post on the car, Mr. Gates stated that although most autonomous vehicles can simply navigate pre-programmed streets, the Wayve vehicle acts more like a human. It can drive wherever humans can. In order to make decisions while driving, we rely on the collected information we have gained from our prior driving experiences. This explains why we instinctively know what to do at a stop sign, even if we have never seen that exact sign on that particular route before.
According to Mr. Gates, Wayve uses deep learning techniques to achieve the same result. The program analyzes its surroundings and responds in real-time based on information collected through extensive real-world driving and simulations. Mr. Gates, detailing his travel in the AV across downtown London in search of fish and chips, said, “The result was a memorable ride. The car drove us around downtown London, which is one of the most challenging driving environments imaginable, and it was a bit surreal to be in the car as it dodged all the traffic. (Since the car is still in development, we had a safety driver in the car just in case, and she assumed control several times)”.
According to Mr. Gates, who was discussing the gradual transition to autonomous vehicles (AVs), many automobile manufacturers, including GM, Honda, and Tesla, are already making vehicles with autonomous features that are similar to conventional cars. However, the tech titan is interested in how this transition to AVs will actually play out, as factors such as the scope of car insurance coverage and the current state of vehicular rules, technology, and road networks must be modified to incorporate AVs.
Mr. Gates further added that this sort of transition is likely decades away, if it happens at all. And, even once the technology is mastered, people may not feel comfortable riding in a car without a steering wheel at first. However, going forward, the advantages of the vehicle will convince them. He further wrote, “Humanity has adapted to new modes of transportation before. I believe we will do it again. For most of our existence, we relied on natural ways of getting around: We walked, or rode on horseback, or traveled in a boat pushed by wind. Then, in the 1700s, we entered the locomotion age when mobility was powered by steam engines and internal combustion. Now, we find ourselves in the early days of the autonomous age. It’s an exciting time, and I can’t wait to see what new possibilities it unlocks”.
