Page 154 - Using MIS

122 Chapter 4 Hardware, Software, and Mobile Systems

Figure 4-7
Future Cars Will Drive
Themselves
Source: Dan Race/Fotolia

hardware and integrated software and is the epitome of a mobile system. In fact, it will be so
mobile that it will be able to move without anyone being in the car (Figure 4-7). Yes, self-driving
cars are in your very near future.
A recent report by KPMG and the Center for Automotive Research indicates that self- driving
9
cars will be a reality as soon as 2019. Google is shooting for 2018, and most auto manufactur-
10
ers (Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Audi, and BMQ) say they will have self-driving cars by 2020. As
of 2014, Google’s latest self-driving car is a two-seater with no steering wheel, brake pedals, or
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accelerator. Google’s cars have logged more than 700,000 miles without a single accident. It
looks like the race to develop self-driving cars is heating up. The competition will be fierce.
Self-driving cars will make things easier, cheaper, and safer. They’ll also disrupt well-
established industries.

Self-driving Cars Make Things Easier
Imagine how a self-driving car will change the lives of a typical family. A self-driving car could
allow Dad to review sales reports while “driving” to work. He’s much less stressed out—and more
productive—during his commute than he was with his old car. The self-driving car could then
drop off the kids at school—without Dad in the car—and return home to take Mom to work.

9 KPMG and the Center for Automotive Research, “Self-Driving Cars: The Next Revolution,” 2012, accessed May
22, 2014, www.kpmg.com/US/en/IssuesAndInsights/ArticlesPublications/Documents/self-driving-cars-next-
revolution.pdf.
10 Glenn Garvin, “Automakers Say Self-Driving Cars Are on the Horizon,” Miami Herald, March 21, 2014, accessed
May 22, 2014, www.tampabay.com/news/business/autos/automakers-say-self-driving-cars-are-on-the-horizon/
2171386.
11 Steven Musil, “Google Unveils Self-Driving Car, Sans Steering Wheel,” CNET, May 27, 2014, accessed May 28,
2014, www.cnet.com/news/google-unveils-self-driving-car-sans-steering-wheel.