Overview

From famed automotive journalist Jason Torchinsky comes a witty insider’s guide to self-driving cars, the automated future, and the road ahead. Self-driving cars sound fantastical and futuristic and yet they’ll soon be on every street in America. Whether it’s Tesla’s Autopilot, Google’s Waymo, Mercedes’s Distronic, or Uber’s modified Volvo, companies around the world are developing autonomous cars. But why? And what will they mean for the auto industry and humanity at large? In Robot, Take the Wheel, Torchinsky, cofounder of The Autopian and former senior editor of Jalopnik, star of Jason Drives, and producer of Jay Leno's Garage, gives a colourful account of the development of autonomous vehicles and considers their likely implications. He encourages us to think of self-driving cars as an entirely new machine, something beyond cars as we understand them today, and considers how humans will get along with these robots that will take over our cars’ jobs, what they will look like, what sorts of jobs they may do, what we can expect of them, how they should act, ethically, how we can have fun with them, and how we can make sure there’s still a place for those of us who love to drive, especially with a manual transmission. This vibrant volume brimming with insider knowledge, humour, and original artwork pushes us to reconsider our understanding of cars, raises fascinating ethical questions, and compels us to act now to shape the automated future.

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9781948062268

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Reviews

One of my favorite guests on the Tonight Show was an astronaut named Story Musgrave. Although not as famous as Neil Armstrong or Buzz Aldrin, Story was not only an astronaut, he was also a physicist, an academic, and a philosopher. He could translate space travel into words and pictures that people could really understand. I like to think of Jason as my automotive astronaut, able to take his experiences and really make the reader feel like they are riding along with him. Jason is a unique blend of dork, car guy, and intellectual all rolled into one. -Jay Leno, host of Jay Leno's Garage and former host of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno Robot, Take The Wheel is an entertaining yet serious examination of what automation is and how it applies to our favorite pastime: driving. -Automoblog It's a great book. I encourage you to check it out. -In Wheel Time Everything you wanted to know about autonomous vehicles but were afraid to ask. This delightfully written book by the longtime Jalopnik contributor is an essential guide to how driverless vehicles work-and how they have the potential to dramatically reshape society. -Curbed An interesting and light hearted look at what the future of autonomous vehicles might be like. -The Gearhead Project As car manufacturers and other companies race to develop autonomous vehicles, the need for a sherpa in the potential robot uprising is more pressing than ever. Torchinsky is that sherpa. -Book & Film Globe Jason Torchinsky's Robot, Take the Wheel tops our list of must-read books for anyone interested in autonomous vehicles. -Ground Truth podcast

One of my favorite guests on the Tonight Show was an astronaut named Story Musgrave. Although not as famous as Neil Armstrong or Buzz Aldrin, Story was not only an astronaut, he was also a physicist, an academic, and a philosopher. He could translate space travel into words and pictures that people could really understand. I like to think of Jason as my automotive astronaut, able to take his experiences and really make the reader feel like they are riding along with him. Jason is a unique blend of dork, car guy, and intellectual all rolled into one. --Jay Leno, host of Jay Leno's Garage and former host of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Author Information

Jason Torchinsky is the senior editor of Jalopnik, a cutting-edge news and opinion website about cars and technology, and has written for a wealth of other publications such as Boing Boing, Make, and Mother Jones. Torchinsky is a producer of Jay Leno’s Garage, which he’s guest starred on, and the star of his own show, Jason Drives, which features Torchinsky driving obscure cars and has had millions of views on social media. Torchinsky is also a stand-up comedian, an artist whose work has exhibited around the world, and the coauthor of Ad Nauseam. Torchinsky lives in Chapel Hill, NC. Beau Boeckmannis president and COO of Galpin Motors, America’s most recognized Dealership Group and home of the #1 Volume Ford Dealer in the World. In 2006 Boeckmann founded Galpin Auto Sports, which led to a starring role and production title on the #1 rated automotive television show, Pimp My Ride. Boeckmann has been honored with several industry awards including the Peterson Automotive Museum’s first Visionary Award and was inducted into the National Rod & Custom Car Hall of Fame. Boeckmann serves as a key member of Ford Motor Company’s Product Committee, Aston Martin’s Dealer Advisory Panel, and the Ford Dealers Advertising Association. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.

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