Why Google Driverless Cars-Thrun, Larry Page and Brin should win a Nobel prize?

           Why Google  Driverless Cars-Thrun, Larry Page and Brin should win a Nobel prize?

Everybody will have a relative who died in a motor vehicle accident. Motor vehicle accidents are the single biggest killer of the youth. According to the CDC 33,783 died in a motor vehicle accident. So it saves lives for sure-more preventable deaths than smoking in the future because smoking is becoming less popular among the youth worldwide. However, more and more cars are hitting the roads and people, especially in the developing countries where the roads are narrow and more congested.  I assume, more people in India and China will be benefitted out of this wonderful innovation.  Technology follows the Moore's law. Therefore the cost of this Hi-Tech vehicle will decrease exponentially and by 2020 it will become affordable for an average American and by 2025 it will become affordable for a middle class Indian, This means millions and millions of self driven  vehicles! 

It's all about motor vehicle accidents? No. It will help the environment by saving carbon containing fuel. This is achieved by increased efficiency of road traffic and its control achieved by automation and networking- 1) finding the shortest route 2) finding the less congested road 3) Communication between vehicles to maximize road transport efficiency-by transmitting information about the vehicle itself (for example applying the brake, taking a turn, overtaking, power and type of engine, brake efficiency etc.). 

It might also optimize the power consumption, light harvesting and distribution in case of solar powered vehicles. Countries like US and India spend a significant percentage of their GDP on import of oil. This money can be saved for improving the quality of education or health. 

Millions of Americans spend (or waste) over a quarter of their life inside cars. More time if there is heavy traffic. They can do something creative or earn more money by spending their time inside the car, but doing some work which is productive. Self driving vehicles will not only save your driving time by decreasing traffic jams, but it will free not only your hands, but all your senses consumed while driving such as eyes and ears. Self driving cars save you time and money. 

Poor quality of roads is one of the biggest causes of inefficient fuel consumption, pollution and accidents in the developing world. This is amplified by the number of vehicles and traffic jam further deteriorating the fitness of roads. This is a vicious cycle. Self driving cars would increase the life of bitumenised roads by decreasing traffic congestion.  The huge amount of money spent on road repairs can be saved to some extend. 

A lot of people die in ambulance caught in traffic.  A lot of people die or get incapacitated by pollution-asthma and lung cancer. Self driving cars can mitigate these issues to a certain level. 

Google car is a great help for handicapped and disabled people.

 It will help farmers in the rural India, Africa or Southern America to transport their produce to a distant market 'automatically' without depending on the middlemen or the inefficient governmental system. 

To conclude the benefits are huge. I believe this innovation, the Google car, deserves a Nobel Prize when we consider it's huge impact on the society.  I didn't mean  other services and innovations of Google are less important. They are hugely important.  However, for those we need to wait and see the impact on society. For example, Albert Einstein got the Nobel Prize for the photo voltaic effect; not for the theory of Relativity or for the equation E=MC^2. This equation paved  our way to the invention of nuclear reactors, which might help us to become energy independent someday along with the product of his first discovery-the photo voltaic cell.  Einstein's E=MC^2 not only resulted in nuclear power plants, but also the atom bomb.  Similarly, the Google artificial intelligence products (including the search engine) may have impacts beyond our control. Only time will tell. On the contrary the benefits of self driving cars are obvious and immediate and deserves a Nobel prize in Physica if not in Peace!

Nobel Prize Winners -Larry Page and Sebastian Thrun with Sergey Mikhaylovich Brin

   

Sanal Madhusudana Girija