One of the biggest tech revolutions in recent years has been the self-driving car. Google leads the way in this?trend. But one major player in the US auto industry wants to lead this race.
This is where Ford’s self driving ambitions come in. At the annual CES conferences in Las Vegas, Ford leaders announced they should have autonomous cars on the road by 2020. According to Ford Advanced Engineering Director Jim?Buczkowski, the automaker is working on cars that can drive themselves, in certain areas, and in certain weather conditions. Ford will triple their autonomous vehicle testing fleet. They’re also using a system called LIDAR for detection and ranging. This LIDAR system will us 3D maps to determine the car’s surroundings. But who says Ford’s new self driving car is just for driving? If all goes right with Amazon, you’ll be able to control the Echo smart home device right there in your car. You can do so through Alexa the voice assistant. Ford even want drones to work with their cars. They’re partnering with drone maker DJI. They want the driver of the car carrying a drone to control that drone through their cabin. They believe this could be good for disasters and emergencies, for farmers to manage their crops, and construction crews surveying their building sites.
Once upon a time, this self driving business was either out of a cartoon, sci-fi plot or a child’s imagination. Within a few years, maybe even months, this could become reality. Google and Ford will see to it. In the Great Recession, Ford leaders begged Congress for bailouts. Now, they’re leading the charge for autonomous cars. What could this do for technology? Think about the city of Detroit, which isn’t in the best of shape. They’re striving for a comeback. Could Ford’s self driving ambitions be a part of the comeback? Could this put the US auto industry back on top?