Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/12/15/why-self-driving-cars-look-like-toasters.html
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Ah yes, the much-beloved facing seats, the most prized spot on any subway train! Perfect for awkwardly staring into the eyes of a perfect stranger or knocking knees with the hoi polloi… Why not make that the only possible option?
/s
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Leaving out the audio-animatronic driver will also be a good design decision.
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Car designers do tend to model us passengers as (necessary evil) poptarts™
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I couldn’t think of an example, but I was thinking science fiction had “boxy” cars. Certainly symmetry as that car from “Sleeper” shows.
Wait, I think I’m thinking of boxy two man spaceships in “Secret of the Martian Moons”.
If you don’t needadriver, there’s less needfor front and back, and symmetry probably makes parking easier.
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Making them look incapable of going fast enough to hurt us makes me think that they can’t go fast enough to be worth getting into.
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Honestly, it is kind of adorable, though. They’ve definitely found the marketing I’m susceptible to.
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When my Toyota 4Runner reached end of life I picked up a used Honda Element, and my rate of speeding tickets went from “this is about to be a serious problem” to “what is a speeding ticket”. Form factor and the fear of tipping over gave my driving style a much needed overhaul.
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It may not look aerodynamic, but it probably is.
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if there is no human driver, having the seats face backward might be safer
and maybe even more pleasant for the passengers 
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The Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle from Captain Scarlett had rear facing seats, so the driver viewed forward via a camera and monitor.
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came here for this
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I would be a lot more open to the idea of self driving cars, if there were certain roads set aside for their use. Interstate highways are limited access for a good reason. Turning over the entire road network to autonomous cars all at once, is a recipe for disaster.
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As I recall, it was Futurama at the 1964 New York World’s Fair that showed a controlled highway. So individual cars, but under central control. I was onky 4-5, I don’t remember details.
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- Geddes’ “Magic Motorways”, multi-lane highways with remote-controlled semi-automated vehicles.
And a “New Futurama” in 1964.
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I think I saw it in 1964 or 65, but the most vivid image is in the National Geographic article about the Fair.
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Yes, and we could then embed metal strips in these roads to help guide the cars, and they could also provide power so the cars don’t have to have their own batteries. Or maybe overhead wires might be safer. You could string a whole set of cars together in one long caravan, which could then travel pretty fast, so you wouldn’t need lots of lanes. And you could have designated stopping places where people can get on and off, near to shops and restaurants and homes. And run them on pre-set schedules, so people can plan their journeys.
Hmmm, seems odd that nobody has tried to design a transport system like that already.
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It’s been cheaper (For USia, anyway) to subsidize oil costs and stay embroiled in war. Rubber on asphalt isn’t very efficient, but it’s proven to work.
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