In the following essay, I try to explore the future of self-driving cars and why humans don't quite like the idea of autonomous vehicles. I also hope to discuss the subtle issues that challenge and dramatically influence the use of autonomous vehicles and how automotive companies are designing solutions to get around them. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay According to a report from the American Automobile Association (AAA), 63 percent of Americans feared traveling in a self-driving car, with only 13 percent trusting the technology. This points to a puzzling argument: it is not cars, but humans who are not ready for the transition to this new era of transportation. It is difficult for companies to convince people of the idea of self-driving cars, the reason being that they fear the unconventional and fundamental design of having no steering in a self-driving car. Therefore, for now more than serving any practical function, the steering wheel must be there as a mere preventative for the driver's fears, in case the self-driving car somehow loses control. This is a quintessential human characteristic. We refuse to adopt a change that visibly disempowers us or alters our assumed pattern of practice. Even if the change is better than us, we tend not to give up control: in this case, artificial intelligence in autonomous vehicles that is safer than a human driver. For years we have focused primarily on improving technology to improve our experience and we may have overlooked the psychology behind it. In recent years, automotive companies such as Mercedes, Tesla, Jaguar and GM have followed a step-by-step approach to get people to accept the concept of self-driving cars. Thus replacing the need for a human driver with an intelligent computer assistant in piecemeal steps rather than in a single radical change. Therefore, the introduction of technologies such as adaptive cruise control, intelligent summoning, ADAS and advanced braking systems, which serve as additional features but prepare us for a drastic change. How can we make the transition smooth? From “steering” to “non-steering”! Theatrical design can be used in self-driving cars to increase safety by providing effects that create a pseudo-experience for the user and people around. For example, modern electric cars are much quieter than their internal combustion predecessors, which is much more difficult for pedestrians to hear them approaching. Since we are used to listening to engine noise as a safety signal, a quiet vehicle can more easily “get closer” to us and cause accidents. For this, we can use something called artificial engine noise, where a recording based on the noise produced by an internal combustion engine can be played to alert pedestrians and even to entertain the user. In one of Jaquar's recent projects, they tried to "engineer" human trust by "developing a driverless capsule with eyes that signal the vehicle's intent to human observers/pedestrians." People are starting to feel more comfortable with self-driving cars, and projects like these certainly paint a safer future. One of the well-known problems faced by self-driving cars is the ethical question in an emergency such as an accident. Imagine yourself in a situation where one way is to drive towards some people on a bridge, perhaps including children, or simply take your car off the bridge and save?
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