How are automated vehicles and drones going to change human lives and its impact on businesses?

Imagine a scenario where you can go on long drives without compromising your sleep and renting a room. Doesn't it make travelling more efficient and cost-effective? This becomes possible with driverless autonomous vehicles. Automation has already disrupted business and society in different ways as have embraced technology and digitisation since its arrival. Artificial intelligence and machine learning have shown to have a great role in accelerating business growth and achieving resilience.

According to a TechRepublic report, Blackberry in 2018, declared its decision to partner with Baidu to combine its QNX software with Baidu's automotive vehicle platform, Apollo. The report further says, "Blackberry announced an expansion of this partnership to assist with the software side of the burgeoning   autonomous vehicle market." Blackberry QNX assures a safe vehicle operating system and development tools for safety detections and cybersecurity.

Let us look at how driverless technologies impact and disrupt human lives and the economy.

Higher Living Standards With the Best Safety

Driverless vehicles focus on yielding a better passenger experience. Fast forward to the future, urbanization will hit its peak, automation and technology will take up space, and people will crave to have easier and safer living standards. Automated vehicles ensure an elevated travel experience with lesser errors and hurdles.

Autonomous cars, connected through IoT and cloud will communicate with other vehicles to reduce traffic jams and discover alternate routes. Sensors placed on traffic lights and roads aid in attaining this stress-free commutation. The autonomous car is said to increase the ride-sharing phenomenon and thus reduce traffic congestions and the population of vehicles. Fewer vehicles on the road indicate more convenient travel in less time.

According to the WHO datasheet,  1.35 million people die each year from road traffic crashes. Speeding, distracted driving, driving under the influence of alcohol, and unsafe vehicles are some of the risk factors according to the WHO. Autonomous vehicles can reduce accidents, which mostly happen through human errors. Sensors, GPS systems, computer vision enhance road safety measures.  This ensures maximum safety and efficient travel.

Optimal use of parking spaces will save our time from searching for parking lots and getting stuck there. Since there will be fewer vehicles on the road, we won't need huge parking areas. These lands can be used for development purposes.

Driverless vehicles will be able to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities, the elderly, children, and pets. Also, these vehicles will increase productivity since you don't have to spend time driving and parking.

The Impact on Business

• The Computer Science industry is going to receive huge benefits with an increase in recruitments. Autonomous cars will require adequate data management, cybersecurity, software operations, programming, etc. The technology industry is going to gain great benefits with the rise in demand for driverless vehicles.

• The advent of autonomous vehicles could flourish the rideshare/cab/taxi businesses. The trend of owning a car might change with people depending more on sharing rides and taking cabs.

• Autonomous vehicles will give a boost to the logistics industry. AI-driven semi-trucks with no human drivers will make transportation more efficient in less time. This will result in better supply-chain management with better safety.

• New models of revenue generation have to be invented because autonomous vehicles will cut down vehicle insurance, tolls, traffic violation incomes, automobile sales, etc.

• The retail industry will evolve with e-commerce taking over store interactions. Automobile retail will face a blow with declining business. It will persuade the retailers to change their business strategy and open up digital-friendly platforms for doing business.

• The government will have to devise new plans for vehicle tax and insurance. There should be a new legislative system and policies catering to the needs of an automated urban set-up.

In Conclusion…

Driverless technologies will change the face of urban cities while bringing new challenges to deal with. Job loss is considered the main drawback of welcoming automated vehicles. The hospitality industry and small enterprises are sure to face a decline in their business. There have been speculations about airlines getting affected as well. There are many more hurdles waiting to receive solutions.

If these challenges are addressed, we are going to witness a cost-effective, energy-efficient, greener future with better living standards to promise our posterity.