14 February 2015 — Self-driving cars are going to change the world — not many folks will disagree. It’s beginning to feel like our space race, the next leap towards a more efficient future. Google’s got prototypes, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo have adaptive cruise control, Tesla almost has autopilot and Apple’s leaking.
Great, but these are baby steps when it comes to experience. Of course, solving the intelligence bit is really hard but the way we experience this future is where we’re gonna need to decide what type of world we want to live in. I personally don’t want to spend longer than 10 minutes in something the size of a Smart car. And why cars?
My commute is about 45 minutes from Palo Alto to San Francisco. It’s usually fine, I get to listen to audio-books and read or work when I take the train. How could this be improved? I’ve always wanted an Airstream Sport but the thought of hauling it around and only getting to use it parked seems lame. However, a self-driving Airstream would be sick! I could spend my time much like I spend it at home. Make breakfast, have coffee, read and maybe even get a little work done. All from 130 square feet of comfort.
Why stop there? I’m not married, I don’t have kids, so why couldn’t this be home? A home that knows where I need to be and where I like to be.
Every evening would be spent at a new location: in the mountains, on a beach, in a forrest, at my favorite self-driving home neighborhood with my favorite self-driving food trucks nearby. While sleeping the home gently starts taking me to work. I wake up, shower, and have coffee just before arriving. At the end of the day my home arrives after taking care of a few upgrades and another journey awaits. This could spawn whole worlds of destinations catering to a mobile lifestyle. People could personalize their homes and share their favorite drives and destinations.
Stationary homes would feel so boring! There are so many things to rethink when we take on this vagabond lifestyle. What if your home knew about impending bad weather? How would mail or taxes work? At this point there’s no doubt that mobile is eating the world — could this also apply to our home and our current way of life?