Why Humanoid Robots Could Be the Key to Safer Roads

?Are Humanoid Robot Drivers Better Than Driverless Cars

We are in an era where big tech companies are heavily investing in driverless cars, pouring billions of dollars into this futuristic idea. However, I often ask myself what the purpose of this investment is, especially considering that driverless cars have so far shown limited performance in real-world conditions. Is this a milestone tech companies are competing to reach, or is it viewed as a challenging technology to conquer?      More importantly, is the idea of driverless cars feasible in the real world, and how many people are willing to trust them

Challenges of Driverless Cars

Up until now, our roads, cars, and infrastructure have been designed for human drivers. The real world is far from perfect: roads can have potholes, drivers and pedestrians can be unpredictable, and weather conditions can hinder driving altogether

As humans, we use almost all of our senses to navigate and drive safely. For example, we can hear a siren and move aside for an ambulance, smell smoke from a fire ahead, or communicate with other drivers to understand road conditions and intentions better. We can even get out of the car to check the road ahead if necessary

In contrast, a driverless car with fixed cameras is far less capable than a human driver. This inflexible setup makes the quest for driverless cars even harder, significantly raises the capital needed to achieve this goal, and erodes public trust. People are less likely to trust this rigid technology compared to a human (or in the future, a robot) driver who can adapt and respond to dynamic road conditions

The Case for Humanoid Robot Drivers

We are also in the midst of another technological arms race: the development of humanoid robots. Several companies are making significant progress in creating robots that look and act a lot like humans, and manufacturing costs are decreasing rapidly.

If humanoid robots become capable enough, they could drive cars like humans, offering more flexibility and adaptability than driverless cars

One significant advantage is that humanoid robot drivers wouldn't require a redesign of cars. We could keep the steering wheel and other features built for human drivers. There would be no need to develop cutting-edge technology to enable a limited number of cameras to understand the surroundings. Additionally, humanoid robot drivers might drive more safely than driverless cars and could become so abundant that there would be no shortage of drivers

 

Conclusion

In my opinion, tech companies should consider pausing their efforts on driverless cars, at least for now, and redirect their capital towards developing humanoid robots. These robots could become widespread in the future, potentially solving the driver shortage problem and providing a more adaptable and safer driving solution