Robot, Take the Wheel: The Road to Autonomous Cars and the Lost Art of Driving

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From famed automotive journalist Jason Torchinsky comes a witty insiders guide to self-driving cars, the automated future, and the road ahead.

Self-driving cars sound fantastical and futuristic and yet theyll soon be on every street in America. Whether its Teslas Autopilot, Googles Waymo, Mercedess Distronic, or Ubers modified Volvo, companies around the world are developing autonomous cars. But why And what will they mean for the auto industry and humanity at large

In Robot, Take the Wheel, Torchinsky, cofounder of The Autopian and former senior editor of Jalopnik, star of Jason Drives, and producer of Jay Leno's Garage, gives a colourful account of the development of autonomous vehicles and considers their likely implications. He encourages us to think of self-driving cars as an entirely new machine, something beyond cars as we understand them today, and considers how humans will get along with these robots that will take over our cars jobs, what they will look like, what sorts of jobs they may do, what we can expect of them, how they should act, ethically, how we can have fun with them, and how we can make sure theres still a place for those of us who love to drive, especially with a manual transmission.

This vibrant volume brimming with insider knowledge, humour, and original artwork pushes us to reconsider our understanding of cars, raises fascinating ethical questions, and compels us to act now to shape the automated future.

Reviews

One of my favorite guests on theTonight Showwas an astronaut named Story Musgrave. Although not as famous as Neil Armstrong or Buzz Aldrin, Story was not only an astronaut, he was also a physicist, an academic, and a philosopher. He could translate space travel into words and pictures that people could really understand. I like to think of Jason as my automotive astronaut, able to take his experiences and really make the reader feel like they are riding along with him. Jason is a unique blend of dork, car guy, and intellectual all rolled into one.Jay Leno, host ofJay Lenos Garageand former host of theTonight Show with Jay Leno Everything you wanted to know about autonomous vehicles but were afraid to ask. This delightfully written book by the longtime Jalopnik contributor is an essential guide to how driverless vehicles workand how they have the potential to dramatically reshape society.Curbed An interesting and light hearted look at what the future of autonomous vehicles might be like. The Gearhead Project As car manufacturers and other companies race to develop autonomous vehicles, the need for a sherpa in the potential robot uprising is more pressing than ever. Torchinsky is that sherpa.Book & Film Globe Robot, Take The Wheelis an entertaining yet serious examination of what automation is and how it applies to our favorite pastime: driving. Automoblog Its a great book. I encourage you to check it out. In Wheel Time Jason TorchinskysRobot, Take the Wheeltops our list of must-read books for anyone interested in autonomous vehicles. Ground Truth podcast

Author Bio

Jason Torchinskyis the cofounder of The Autopian and one of todays leading writers on cars and technology. Previously, he was senior editor of Jalopnik, a producer ofJay Lenos Garage, which hes guest starred on, and the star of his own show,Jason Drives, which featured Torchinsky driving obscure cars and has had millions of views on social media. He is also the coauthorAd Nauseam,has contributed to a wealth of publications, such as Boing Boing,Make, andMother Jones,and is a stand-up comedian and an artist whose work has exhibited around the world. Torchinsky lives in Chapel Hill, NC. Beau Boeckmannis president and COO of Galpin Motors, Americas most recognized dealership group and home of the highest volume Ford dealer in the world. In 2006 Boeckmann founded Galpin Auto Sports, which led to a starringrole and production title on the #1 rated automotive television show, Pimp My Ride. Boeckmann has been honored with several industry awards including the PetersonAutomotive Museums first Visionary Award and was inducted into the National Rod & Custom Car Hall of Fame. Boeckmann serves as a key member of Ford Motor Companys Product Committee, Aston Martins Dealer Advisory Panel, and the Ford Dealers Advertising Association.He lives in Los Angeles, CA.