Driven: The Race to Create the Autonomous Car
Publisher,SIMON & SCHUSTER
Publication Date,
Format, Paperback
Weight, 420 g
No. of Pages,
Shelf: Non-Fiction Books / Business Finance & Accounting / Business Biography / Company Profile
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The self-driving car has been one of the most vaunted technological breakthroughs of recent years. But early promises that these autonomous vehicles would soon be on the roads have proven premature. 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 of the DARPA days 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.
This is the book about the origins of the self-driving car industry that I've been waiting for. Alex was at the right places at the right time with the right access and it shows. It's written as a story, in narrative fashion, which makes it a gripping page-turner. But there's also enough technical detail (which he gets right) to give you insight into the real problems faced and the leaps required to bring us to today's technology.
It's also just a joy to read. I can't put it down!
This is the book about the origins of the self-driving car industry that I've been waiting for. Alex was at the right places at the right time with the right access and it shows. It's written as a story, in narrative fashion, which makes it a gripping page-turner. But there's also enough technical detail (which he gets right) to give you insight into the real problems faced and the leaps required to bring us to today's technology.
It's also just a joy to read. I can't put it down!