Detroit-Based Web Community Takes Aim at Determining Future of Autonomous Transportation
James Wasiloff
Based on the self-created word “Autonomite,” meaning autonomous vehicle enthusiast, the firm Autonomite LLC has been capturing information from future driverless technology users worldwide with the goal of promoting awareness and accurate design and development. We use daily discussions, polls, and forums to gather this data and establish Autonomite as an authoritative source for subject matter expertise. As the founder of the firm, I hope to share an insider’s perspective on the organization, its mission, and how it hopes to drive the future of autonomous vehicle research and development.
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Autonomite’s work begins with postings on a discussion forum and the capture of responses and other future customer data. Interactive surveys are posted on our corporate website and a LinkedIn-based discussion forum that we call “Autonomous Vehicle Community of Practice.” The data is then rigorously analyzed, characterized and warehoused for future use and dissemination to the industry and interested academia to aid in research, development, marketing and engineering functions.
In a practical sense, we seek to provide a proactive means to develop autonomous vehicle concepts that meet or exceed the customer’s expectations. For instance, there is a lot of discussion on what would be appropriate for the interior of an autonomous vehicle’s cabin. Many of our participants believe that vehicles should be equipped with networking and business-enabling features, while others are convinced future vehicles should be focused on relaxation and rejuvenation (movies, coffee bars, and more). We are repeatedly amazed at the wide spread interest in and passion for AV discussion, both pro and con, in the future autonomous drivers that have joined our community.
Autonomite was founded in 2014 but we have already begun to uncover some unexpected trends in the data. The implications of driverless technology have prompted exciting and previously unheard discussions by the more than 600 subject matter experts that currently make up our users, who range from current automotive engineers to classic car collectors. However, these discussions are just the start. We intend to continue to explore such topics as safety, legality, and the theory of ownership.
The realization or discovery of an ‘order of magnitude’ potential increase in the duty or usage cycle of an autonomous vehicle dominates much of our daily conversation. Today’s car owner uses her primary vehicle about 5 percent of the time on a typical day, or 60 minutes or less. The vehicle sits parked the rest of the day.
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We have also found that the acceptance of driverless technology follows a familiar distribution based on user age, with the chart shaped somewhat like a bathtub with age in the Y-axis. Both younger and older segments of the overall user population spectrum appear to fully support AVs and may be characterized as so called early-adopters. Our studies indicate that middle-aged users are least likely to give up control of their vehicles.
As the discussion continues, more questions are evolving about the future of driverless vehicles and their passengers. Will future driverless vehicles be shared or owned by communities or corporations instead of individuals or families? Will alternative propulsion systems take on new characteristics to support driverless vehicles? What standard and luxury features should be available to the modern driverless transport passenger? And how will driverless vehicles impact the economy?
Autonomite and the Autonomous Vehicle Community of Practice is always looking for more participants. If you wish to become involved or to check out some of our current research topics, visit the corporate website www.Autonomite.com.
