The Future of Self-Driving Vehicles — a Data Gold Mine
The future is currently in a brief hibernation with many industries at a stagnation or screeching halt, but it’s clear that automation and the reduction of unnecessary human exposure will be a flexibility that’s expected of many services in our near future
Autonomous vehicles are an emerging source of extremely valuable data that can both improve how businesses perform services and market themselves, but also consumer experience. — with that said, I wanted to explore the myriad applications of self-driving vehicles in the near future.
Real-time Analysis of Traffic Conditions
Using Lane Analysis would mean higher precision.
This can be repackaged in consumer GPS apps or apps for shipping companies to give them hyper-local actionable information to get an edge on navigating traffic while transition to 100% automated roadways.
(Loops back into the decisions of the swarm to ensure optimal ETAs)
Real-time Occupancy & Pedestrian Conditions
This information could be sold to advertisers or leveraged in geofenced marketing and is still safe with respect to identity if anonymous means of computer vision are used.
Real-Time Weather Analysis
Built-in sensors to determine temperature, humidity and sense precipitation will inevitably become standard and can be leveraged to inform hyper-local forecasts and a much more accurate precipitation alert.
Not Owning; Subscribing, Hiring and Carpooling:
It’s apparent that over time the congestion on roads has increased as more affordable vehicles and individual ownership has increased. Pop culture has contributed to the concept that getting a car is even a personal rite of passage for most teenagers when they get their license.
The shift is already occurring as more compact modes of transportation disrupt this norm and the cost-prohibitive nature of storing vehicles in major cities is leading to embracing public transportation and on-demand taxis like Uber, Lyft, Via; the list goes on. However premium on-demand services are currently, they’re going to be drastically reduced as the convergence of solar power, self-driving tech and supportive legislation leads to the inevitable smart car swarm.
At that point, the goal is to acquire subscribers into an ecosystem, much the same way that Apple users subscribe to on-demand music. There’s no doubt Waymo and Uber are working towards this model and I think the end-game is personal ownership will be relegated to the affluent and in many cases be unnecessary when you imagine how personalized this platform can feel if it’s mapped to your digital profile; allowing it to know your preferences spanning music, driving style, internal climate controls and more.
Completely Automated Guided Touring
A combination of car company and city can together invest in and license autonomous driving technology to provided mobile Visitor Information and Guided Touring Services with semi or completely autonomous systems — this platform could even fund itself with portions of the interior and exterior available to advertisers.
Imagine an automated Napa Valley Vineyard Tour sponsored by Mercedes and Waymo.
Mobile Venues
Much like the group exercise bike bar, this could take many shapes and provide a multitude of spaces for groups. Toyota’s E-Palette is a great example of realistic and imaginative applications for this concept.
Exercise Venue
For the sake of motion, the stop and go aspect of inner-city traffic may not be optimal for this, but a combination of the mobile bike bar could continue to involve cycling and be semi-propelled by the power generated from group exercise. A combination of more time being spent on the ride (semi outdoors with open windows), combining exercise and touring in a group setting with a sense of giving back to world by generating green power in the process.
Mobile Conference Room
A mobile conference room for the purpose of a group drive-through of a region or property for information gathering, brainstorming, site-planning and grounds management, this could transform the direct testing of assumptions and unknowns that require on-location presence while reducing fatigue and providing of a structured command-center style hub to help capture, discuss, plan or manage.
High Frequency Carpool Shuttle Routes
- During Holiday season a swarm of cars could allow shoppers quick and simple jumps to distant stores in a district
- Conferences that take over a portion of the town could be wrangled to create universal ease for visitors who don’t know their way around and help to reduce traffic congestion from the influx of visitors at the venue. This is also a great platform/framework for costs to be subsidized by sponsorship from car manufacturers providing vehicles, advertising, etc.
- Airports and Airlines creating city-centered hubs for transportation to terminals.
- Corporate Campus Transportation.
- Festival Shuttles from parking/camping grounds, allowing for more expansive footprints.
The list goes on…
Deliveries
Services in San Francisco are already experimenting with automated deliveries, eliminating the need for a human courier as a 4-wheeled cooler makes it’s way from restaurants to their customers where they can use their app to securely open the compartment upon arrival.
Security
Autonomous vehicles can patrol tirelessly and reduce the need for police officers or security guards unless there’s an emergency. A startup in San Francisco, called Knightscope, has been utilizing this concept and proving it won’t be long before the parking lot security guard is obsolete.
One of the best features of this system is that it patrols the lot regularly and remembers consistent factors and faces, but is capable of spotting activity that is out of place like a trespasser.
Conclusion
Over time, these technologies will rapidly reach a low cost of operation with a high level of personalization that will enable the masses to do more and see more via transportation without the burden of the costs and maintenance that’s associated with ownership of personal vehicles. This will all be exponentially invested in and driven by the demand for the valuable data generated from this new paradigm.
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