GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The Geneva Motor Show is already gearing up for March and we can expect to see and hear more about driverless cars, starting with Swiss inventor Frank Rinderknecht at Rinspeed near Zurich, a creative think tank for the automotive industry.
Rinderknecht’s latest dream car is called Etos, but starting with the Greek sigma rather than an “E”.
It will be unveiled in Las Vegas 5-8 January and will make its European premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March.
Casual viewers are likely to be charmed by its retractable and folding steering wheel, and two screens, that will allow the driver to turn car-handling over to the car itself to free up time for other matters.
But behind the gadgetry lie some serious questions. The company, in announcing the new car this week notes that it’s not yet clear how much of a “human component” driverless cars will ultimately need:
“Everyone involved realizes that answering this question requires merging expectations, tolerances and acceptance. There are countless unsettled issues, for example the morals and ethics of a machine, that need to be resolved. In addition, the means for the technical realization also must be developed. Rinderknecht ventures a prediction: “This process will likely lead to an adaptive, learning and intuitive control software. But it will be a long rocky road.'”