Could you fall asleep in a self-driving car? For Waymo’s early riders it’s no problem
For commuters around the world the promise of autonomous vehicles could mean an extra hour or two of sleep every day. In theory, you can jump in the car, nod off and wake up in your parking space at the office.
So unnatural is this concept, we can imagine it might take folks a few journeys before they feel comfortable enough to nod-off behind the soon-to-be-redundant wheel.
However, for early riders hitching a lift in the in the specially-equipped Chrysler Pacific minivans, catching 40 winks doesn’t seem to be a problem.
Related: Self driving cars in the UK by 2021?
In a new video shared at South By Southwest (via Wired), Waymo showed folks taking selfies, scanning their smartphones and having a rare old time.
Then they started yawning and, in some cases, getting a little shuteye before leaving the vehicle.
Waymo has been offering free trial rides around in parts of Arizona (Chandler, Tempe, Mesa, and Gilbert), where it has a license to operate as a transportation network company.
It wants to expand the number of rides undertaken throughout 2018, but it hasn’t confirmed when the platform will roll out to all consumers.
The firm currently has a 600-strong vehicle with thousands more sensor-equipped vehicles on the production line.
Do you think you’ll be able to sleep in a self-driving car? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.