IKEA Interested In Self-Driving Car Market
It might not take that long before we start to see many more self-driving vehicles on the road and the more that our preferences shift toward this method of transportation, it opens up the opportunity for the need to redesign the car interior as we know it.
Recent reports suggest that IKEA is now looking to get into the self-driving car market.
They aren't interested in manufacturing, their focus is centered around looking toward exploring how they might be able to contribute to this re-imagination of what the car interior looks and acts like.
With a growing trend toward self-driving car technology, that opens up the opportunity to re-imagine the interior car space to work as something else: a store? A meeting room? A hotel? And IKEA is a pro at bringing forth minimalist designs that could easily compliment this sort of project. Their design agency, known as SPACE10, has recently unveiled a variety of creations they've imagined for autonomous vehicles.
This isn't a new concept entirely, because we know that people have for some time now been using a variety of vehicles to act as a platform for their parties, meetings, and other encounters. But those vehicles are still traditional vehicles in that they require a driver etc. What IKEA has imagined is very different, as you can see form their concept design above.
A mobile cafe? Mobile hotel? Mobile grocery store? A mobile medical clinic? The team has come up with a myriad of creative ideas for exploring this possibility of re-imagining the car space.
A variety of car companies have been busy working on their own self-driving car technology. Some of these cars have already made it to the roads, though they aren't a prevalent method of transportation yet. As well, a few of these vehicles have also gotten into accidents and killed people which hasn't helped the case for their acceptance with the public.
Companies like Ford have said that they aren't in a rush to get their self-driving cars on the road because they want to do it correctly.
According to a recent self-driving safety report, the company suggests that it has a goal to have its brand most closely associated with the word trust for consumers in the market today. Given the skepticism that many have in adopting self-driving cars, companies invested in this space are now reportedly more committed to highlighting the safety of their product. For Ford, they say that it isn't about the technology alone, it's about earning the trust of the people to ultimately adopt this transportation method.
We've been told that self-driving cars could quickly transform driving as we know it and that by as early as 2020 they'll drastically alter urban life. Others say that the industry might need a reality check on their lofty goals, suggesting that we might not see self-driving vehicles become a popular option for quite some time yet.
Once the product is readily available however, will many be willing to go this route for their driving experience? Previous polls, like that conducted by the Brookings Institution, have found that as little as 20 percent of adult internet users say that they would be interested in riding in a self-driving car. A separate report by PEW found that while many Americans assume self-driving cars will one day dominate the roads, a great deal of them say they wouldn't be interested in traveling this way.
Pics:
pixabay
space10 via technology review
space 10 via tech review
I think the traditional car manufacturers are not so interested in self driving but are doing it out of necessary - because other are doing it. They are still more keen to sell their cars. If there are more self driving solutions, I think there'll be lesser need to buy cars.
The possible applications for self driving cars seem to be increasing as different companies get their shot at becoming involved. They are actually testing them out in my small town and have created a testing center on the edge of town. https://lfpress.com/2017/11/08/self-driving-cars-to-be-on-stratford-roads-in-months-as-ontario-fund-research/wcm/8eabd86c-51a7-07a8-abb5-9ee9c005a8a7
I am thinking we will start to see some taxis over the next while as the most logical application. Beyond that, waiting for the slowass government to get everything overtested to the point of general safety, then getting their hooks into every guideline and business and liability, I can see it taking a while.
I love driving and hope to be able to still have that option when this is widely adopted.
Reminds me of back in the day, the old time vegetable man used to drive down the street slow and use a loud speaker to barker his wares. It was convenient for the stay at home moms.
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@doitvoluntarily welcome to the future, things will change much sooner than we thought, autonomous vehicles are already a reality, they are in many aspects of our lives, autonomous tractors, small autonomous vehicles working in agriculture
Many thanks for letting us know this news
I wish you a great day