A nagging issue noted at the AutoSens conference is the gap between technology people and car guys. Even more confusing – perhaps even to people creating devices that might usher in a utopia of self-driving vehicles – is that some of the AutoSens crowd occupy both sides of the gulf.
The Ford Sportsman "Woody" convertible, a luxury car when built in the 1940s, evolved into a classic jalopy by the 1960s, when it was immortalized in songs by the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean. (Photo by David Benjamin)
A nagging issue that I noticed last month at AutoSens in Brussels, Rob Stead’s visionary annual conference on sensor technology for the “cars of the future,” is the gap between technology people and car guys. Even more confusing—perhaps to the very people creating the systems and devices that might, finally, foster a utopia of self-driving cars, trucks, buses and “Look, Ma, no hands!” Harley-Davidsons—is that some of the AutoSens crowd occupy both sides of the gulf.