The self-driving car has been one of the most hyped technological breakthroughs of recent years. But early promises that these autonomous vehicles would soon be on the roads have proven premature.
Wired editor Alex Davies
follows the twists and turns of this story from its origins to today.
The story starts with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which was charged with developing a land-based equivalent to the drone, a vehicle that could operate in war zones without risking human lives. DARPA issued a series of three “Grand Challenges” that attracted visionaries, many of them students and amateurs, who took the technology from
Jetsons-style fantasy to near-reality. The young stars of the Challenges soon connected with Silicon Valley giants Google and Uber, intent on delivering a new way of driving to the civilian world.
Soon the automakers joined the quest, some on their own, others in partnership with the tech titans. But as road testing progressed, it became clear that the challenges of driving a car without human assistance were more formidable than anticipated.
Davies profiles the industry’s key players from the early enthusiasm to their growing awareness that while this spin on artificial intelligence isn’t yet ready for rush-hour traffic, driverless cars are poised to remake how the world moves.
Driven explores this exciting quest to transform transportation and change our lives.
The story of the quest to develop driverless cars and the fierce competition between Google, Uber, and other companies in a race to revolutionize our lives.
“The autonomous car has become a fixture of every conversation we seem to have about the future of transit. Alex Davies’ illuminating — and surprisingly fun — new book
Driven connects the key events of the last two decades, from a wild contest thrown by DARPA in the desert to the halls of Silicon Valley’s disruption-crazed tech giants, to show us exactly why we’re talking that way. Easily the best pop history of self-driving cars you can read.”
