Autonomous Rides & CES Las Vegas: Driverless Lyfts!

Premise

Probably not this car.

This is exciting. Lyft plans to offer autonomous rides to a variety of pre-planned destinations for attendees to this year’s Computer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Unfortunately I’m neither attending CES or will be in Vegas at that time, but the advent of this new technologies makes me wonder about our future. Lyft’s partnership with nuTonomy & their parent company Aptiv will make this happen.

Caveats

Routes and destinations are set, so you cannot go anywhere you want, although it is a step above last year’s simple city/highway loops. Perhaps in subsequent years the technology will continue to improve and make it a more efficient, seamless, and ideally everyday option for people not just in Las Vegas but worldwide. That will be a few years away, but we’re racing towards that progress.

You’re here!

Details – Lyft with (and without) a driver

Attendees can request rides from the Las Vegas Convention Center’s Gold Lot, and learn more about self-driving cars through an exhibit. Of course, there will be a safety driver behind the wheel (just in case) as well as an in-car host, presumably to teach you more about the technology and how Lyft’s applications will improve and change the world. This is understandable, but it will get crowded quickly if Lyft plans to hold more than one attendee in these autonomous rides. After pilot programs showing promise, we’re ever closer to this reality

Towards the future! From Pixabay

Conclusion

Kudos to Lyft for making this happen. This sounds like a fun, exciting experience to try for those attending CES. Think of all the practical applications for self-driving cars, such as the massive increase in efficiency, economies of scale, etc., as well as the improvements towards reducing pollution, delays, accidents, and human error. I am a huge fan of automation and improving the overall quality of life, and this technology will be a good step. Of course, we have to ensure that competition or regulation prevent any monopoly over this technology from impeding the public good, but hopefully that will be the case.