Google’s cutting-edge new driverless vehicle prototype has no steering wheel… or mercy, according to Conan’s crew and other witnesses who were visibly awed and excited to see the maiden voyage of the high tech car. By the end of the demonstration, their faces had gone through a transformation quite possibly caused by grief and horror.
I may be slightly biased. I share the feelings of many who envisioned the car of the future as a bit more sporty than the baby-sized cartoon car with no controls. Also, if you’re looking forward to this hands-free driving experience, you’ve obviously had better luck with G-mail than I. Let’s review. No steering wheel, no brake…Computer controlled…What could possibly go wrong?
Now, for aesthetics. Public outrage recently surfaced in the face of the autonomous Google car prototype.
The car of the future is coming. Recently photographs were published by Google of their prototype car that drives itself. Much to the chagrin of the supporters of the upcoming electric vehicle, the prototype design of the futuristic Google Car is nothing like the Pontiac that Kitt was in the 80s TV action series ‘Knight Rider’. Such disappointment with the model presented was displayed online with a vicious meme unleashed in Google’s own search engines.If you noticed that the driverless Google Car looks like it has a smiley face, you were right, it is a happy-go-lucky Google design feature. Google has yet to respond to the public about the Knight Rider trolling. We can only speculate at this point that it may have struck some nerves and touched some hearts at HQ. No doubt the test car in the photos is merely an inferior line model, and the true prototype car of the future that will be part of the pilot program in California will look like a jet black Pontiac… and it will talk… and learn.. and be emotional.
As you can see from Conan’s test drive, the deceptively goofy little car is far from a black Pontiac, or safe. It’s a grinning unmerciful killer. We could maybe forgive that little glitch until it’s fixed- if it only looked hot.