Imagine this: you’re walking down the street and pause to do a double take at a sweet Mercedes. Then, your double take becomes a triple take when you realize that there’s no driver behind the wheel of that car.
Self-driving cars have been a promising prospect on the horizon for a while, but it looks like they might actually be a reality now that there’s one cruising around San Francisco to the awe of city dwellers and onlookers. The Mercedes F-015 concept car, which looks like something out of Tron has been spotted taking in the sites of the Bay Area while everyone else is watching and wondering, “Is this really happening?”
Photo Credit: Bro Bible
Technological marvels aside, it’s extremely surprising when you notice just how normal (albeit cool) the car appears. Lots of self-driving car prototypes are pretty clunky looking, with spinning cameras and radar systems that help it navigate on its own. The Mercedes F-015 that’s been seen in San Francisco is remarkably sleek. It doesn’t even have side mirrors, which I guess is one of the old safety features that driverless cars won’t need. The photo above shows the interior design of the F-015 which features spinning seats which will allow the passengers in the front to turn around and converse with the passengers in the back, since there’s no need to pay attention to the road.
The Mercedes’ leisurely drive through San Francisco has drawn quite a lot of attention. It appears to be some sort attempt to garner publicity ahead of an event for the car that is scheduled next month. Maybe the makers will soon be announcing when we’ll be able to buy our own driverless Mercedes. I can think of quite a few reasons one would come in very handy.
