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"A science fiction story is a story built around human beings, with a human problem and a human solution, which would not have happened at all without its scientific content."
- Theodore Sturgeon
 |
| Automatic Automobile | ||
| A car that drives itself. |
John Poorson, inventor, was inspired by an all-to-common circumstance:
"And that is just one more reason why the average human being should not be allowed to drive such a powerful machine!" he mused to himself. "it has taken the combined intelligence of all the scientists of modern time to perfect the automobile and yet it is sold to and driven by any moronic fool who is able to gather together the few dollars necessary to buy a secondhand one."
Now, let's see what he created in response to this incident.
The glancing blow from the recklessly driven automobile had spun him into the gutter, but had injured little except his pride and his clothing.
| "I want to show you something new in the way of an automobile."
"Nothing new about this," laughed Babson, scornfully. "One of our best and most familiar models." "How about the steering wheel?" "Where is it?" "I do not need one. Sit down and make yourself comfortable. Now watch me. We are going into traffic..." |
| From The Living Machine,
by David H. Keller. Published by Wonder Stories in 1935 Additional resources -
|
Just think of the advantages of the self driving car!
As far as I know, this is the first reference to the idea of an autonomous automobile.
Old people began to cross the continent in their own cars. Young people found the driverless car admirable for petting. The blind for the first time were safe. Parents found they could more safely send their children to school in the new car than in the old cars with a chauffeur.
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'See Vee Threepio - Vee for versatility - at your service...'
'Three and a half centimetres in diameter, permanently fixed in the centre of his forehead.'
"They were half way home when a single flyer, hopping free in a copter harness, approached the little parade."
'...moving with such drifting ease that it was like a single solid cloud of black-grey smoke blown at him in silence.' Almost.
