Image via YouTube
The future will be driverless, comfortable and quite possibly slow.
Digg spotted the following video from YouTube's Tom Scott who was riding around in a shuttle in Greenwich recently.
Yes, that doesn't sound incredibly exciting. And on a scale of captivating videos, this seems like it would rank slightly above watching a Kardashian take a selfie.
We assure you that this is well worth your time, because, as Scott so eloquently puts it, it features driverless transportation in its glorious infancy.
Scott explains in the description: "Thanks to the Transport Research Laboratory for letting me have a test ride on one of the Meridian Shuttles they're testing on the Greenwich Peninsula!"
Scott offers when you might find them: "If you want a ride, they'll be there, on and off, between March and May."
PC Magazine reminded that "Greenwich, Bristol, Milton Keynes, and Coventry" recently won the chance to try out the technology.
The report also issued that those shuttles will command quite the audience this summer: "(U.K. Business Secretary Vince Cable) Cable and (Transport Minister Claire Perry) Perry will visit Greenwich to witness the first official trials of the fully autonomous Meridian shuttle. The ministers will also unveil a prototype of a driverless pod to be tested in public areas in Milton Keynes, as well as a BAE wildcat vehicle set for testing in Bristol."
As Scott states, you don't have to spend thousands to visit the UK just to ride in one of these, but the sight of one is worth your time if you are local.
Across the pond and watching via the Internet, we are eager to see the next chapter in this technology's evolution.
While this particular shuttle might be slow and a bit drab looking, it's incredibly remarkable if you step back and look with more optimistic goggles.
Slowly, like a Meridian Shuttle squiring dumbfounded tourists, we are heading to a brighter and more convenient future.
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