If you’ve got a passion for entrepreneurship or are interested in the progress of automobile technology, listening to TED talks is a great way to learn about current advancements in the field. Some of the brightest and most charismatic speakers gather at TED talks to talk about transformative projects, research breakthroughs, and innovative technology in the automotive industry.
The following is a guide that summarizes some of the
best talks regarding car technology.
My Dream of a
Flying Car by Paul Moller
If you’re interested in futuristic, innovative
design with the potential to transform the transportation sector, you’ll love Paul
Moller’s talk about the Moller Skycar. In his 15-minute speech, Paul Moller,
the president, CEO, and chair of Moller International, details his vision of
car-jet hybrids that would encourage drivers to move off the roads and take to
the skiesusing hover disc technology.
Moller has been working on vertical takeoff and
landing (VTL) personal vehicles since the late 60s. Although, as of 2016, no
Moller car has been able to make a successful, untethered flight, Moller’s
research and designs shouldn’t be dismissed. Rather, they should be viewed as
the first steps toward freer personal travel.
Making a Car for
Blind Drivers by Dennis Hong
In his 2011 TED talk, Dennis Hong, the founder and director of RoMeLa, one of Virginia
Tech’s robotics labs, proposes a solution to the independent travel problem that
plagues many individuals with disabilities, namely those with vision impairment.
Hong describes how,by using video cameras, advanced GPS
systems, robotics, and laser rangefinders,it’s
possible to develop cars for individuals who are blind.
Hong stresses these cars shouldn’t be categorized as self-driving vehicles.
Rather, they would be cars that allow those without sight to determine their
speed, route, and distance, and travel independently.
Reinventing the
Car by Larry Burns
Although his talk is a little over a decade old, former
General Motor’s vice president Larry Burn’s short lecture on the future of car
technology is a must-see for any tech or automobile enthusiast. Burns is an
advocate for alternate forms of fuel and pollution-reducing technology such as
hydrogen fuel cells.
At TED, Burns also talks
about the types of car customization, sustainability, and innovations
leaders in the auto industry want to implement. Things have changed in the
twelve years since he spoke to the public about the future of cars, but his
talk serves as an excellent benchmark to measure how far modern cars have
advanced.
A New Ecosystem
for Electric Cars by Shai Agassi
As a green auto engineer with a foundation in the
software industry, Shai Agassi proposes solutions to what he calls the world’s
“fossil-fuel habit.” Agassi was inspired to pursue greener car technology at a
Young Global Leaders conference in 2005and has been working with prominent
names in the auto business like Nissan-Renault.
Agassi advocates for electric cars, claiming that
hybrids are too oil-dependent and can’t offer the freedom from fossil fuels
that the world really needs. Countries like Israel and Denmark are also on
board with his ideas, pushing to mostly, if not completely, do away with their
usage of crude oil by 2020.
A Future Beyond
Traffic Gridlock
Larry Burns isn’t the only corporate head with a
passion for innovation in the automobile industry. In 2011, Henry Ford’s
great-grandson and former executive chair of Ford
Motor Company, Bill Ford, took to the stage to speak
about the infrastructure and automobile needs of an increasing population.
Ford believes that it’s important for the autoindustryto invest in innovative
infrastructure not only to benefit the environmentbut also to accommodate an
increasingly mobile public. Ford’s talk details hisvisions for smart roads that help reduce traffic and
make the planet a greener place.
Google’s
Driverless Car
Tesla, Inc. isn’t the only major company attempting
to turn the way we use cars on its head. At TED 2011, Sebastian Thurn, a
Computer Science and Electrical Engineering professor at Stanford University
and director of the Stanford AI Lab, spoke about his experience helping build
Google’s driverless car.
Inspired by his robotics research and a personal
desire to find technological ways to reduce traffic accidents, Thurn hopes to
use his knowledge and expertise to contribute to advances in car technology.
The driverless car he helped build passed numerous road tests, including
successfully navigating through city traffic, and it went on the win the DARPA
Grand Challenge in 2005. The car is now displayed at the Smithsonian museum.
The Future of
Racecars by Chris Gerdes
Autonomous vehicles are, without a doubt, the future
of the auto industry. Increasing the number of driverless cars on the road could
potentially reduce the number of car accidents and traffic jams and minimize travel
times. However, self-driving can be applied to more than just personal commutes,
as Dr. Chris Gerdes, a mechanical engineer and director of the Center for Automotive
Research explained at TEDx Stanford in 2012.
Using pioneering robotics technology, it’s possible
to make autonomous racecars that can
drive up to 150 miles per hour. Although racing fans and professional racers
might have misgivings about changing the nature of the sport, self-driving
racecars would be able to travel fast while avoiding most if not all accidents.
What a Driverless
World Could Look Like by Wanis Kabbaj
Last, but certainly not least,is
a thought piece from TED@UPS (United Problem Solvers),
a multi-year collaborative project that focuses on the “what if” aspects of
various fields. In this 2016 talk, Wanis Kabbaj attempts to paint a picture of
the future that might be a lot closer than we think: a society where all cars
are autonomous.
As the UPS director of global strategy for
healthcare logistics, Wanis Kabbaj has more than 16 years of experience working
with various global organizations and understands how widespread access to
revolutionary technology can be beneficial to
society.
Transportation is one
of Kabbaj’s passions, and his love for finding ways new technology can solve
world problems is evident in his speech. Kabbaj asks the audience to envision a world where transportation isn’t limited to
the road but utilizes airways as well as roadways. He also describes the steps
individuals can take to make this world of autonomous transportation a reality.
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