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ISTR people saying that about the Segway.

Driverless cars would more or less kill an entire job category overnight. Who wouldn't want a truck driver that doesn't make wrong turns, doesn't get distracted, forget to gas up, doesn't need to sleep, eat, or be paid (as much)?

Don't forget: Offloading almost all freight traffic that can't be done by rail to automated vehicles between 1-6am daily.

Airplanes fly constantly, because each second they're on the ground is a second they're not paying for their capital cost. Ever see how barren a 6 lane highway is at 3am in the morning on a weeknight?

Exactly, robots aren't constrained by a need for sleep; and is likely more aware of it's surroundings vs. a human facing the same conditions. A driverless car can "see" in infrared or radar just as easily as it can visible light (potentially better).

You're not seriously comparing the segway to driverless vehicles?

Nah, I'm just comparing that bit of hyperbole.

Like the "paradigm shift" that was to be the Segway, what problem does this solve exactly?

40,000 deaths annually due to driver error

Also: Cost of human labor in logistics. Driverless cars don't need sleep.

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