Autonomous Vehicles have been the cause of recent headlines and many awed and confused faces as-of-late. According to a report by The Verge, this newest development in the self-Driving world is no exception. "Sedric" is the newest invention to race humanity towards a future of independent vehicles. Autonomous vehicles, by definition, do not have a steering wheel or pedals. Theoretically, this is a far safer mode of transportation as it eliminates the major problem-factor in automotive accidents: people.
Sedric's features
For now, Sedric exists only in the minds, sketches, and digital-renderings of engineers and designers.
This cute little toaster-machine, once constructed, will be the first autonomous vehicle to be constructed from scratch (as opposed to Google's self-driving cars.) Volkswagen's idea behind the Sedric-concept is to create a summoning service similar to Uber or Lyft, just minus the stranger picking you up. Yes, you'd still be hopping in a car that's not your own, but this time a computer's calling the shots.
Sedric's interior looks more like a cozy cocktail lounge than a "van" (as it's supposedly called). This limo-esque feel calls luxury to mind, a quality even further exemplified by Sedric's button-summoning system. Creators designed Sedric to have pet-like qualities, such as winking at his admirers.
The selection of these cute features seem to make this strange and new invention more approachable as skepticism revolving around self-driving vehicles remains despite tremendous advances.
Why more Sedric's are on their way
Self-driving vehicles, whether or not Sedric is one of them, truly are the way of the future. According to Business Insider, 10 million self-driving cars should be on the road by 2020.
As the world's population rapidly increases and land and resources for interstate development grow slim, self-driving cars are the next practical solution to ensure that everyone gets where they're supposed to be efficiently and safely. Naturally, costs and regulations to guide this massive transition are still being sorted out, but regardless of how the details are arranged, little guys like Sedric truly are the way of the future -- a future that's coming sooner than you think.
