TECH TORQUE

AUTONOMOUS, or so-called driverless, vehicles are getting plenty of attention these days. So much so that the Australian Federal Government, via its Standing Committee on Industry, Innovation, Science and Resources, has recently called an inquiry into the “social issues” relating to these new-technology vehicles. As with most government inquiries, submissions have been called for to discuss this matter. Surprisingly, of the 43 submissions to this essentially car-based subject, only two come from car companies, namely Toyota Motor Corporation Australia and Volvo Car Australia. A third submission comes from Robert Bosch Australia, so effectively a third ‘car’ company given Bosch is a key global player in the automotive industry. The other 40 submissions come from government bureaucracies, private industry, academics, motoring associations, various non-government organisations, members of parliament, legal firms and even private…