There’s no question about it, technology is fascinating, and with each technological advance there seems to be another one right behind it, pushing the boundaries of conventional wisdom. We have long dreamed about the day that automobiles would drive themselves, and while this technology seemed to be somewhere in the nebulous future, the reality is that it is here now.

Google’s driverless cars have made headlines as they take to the streets, however Google isn’t the only company who is researching and developing this technology. Currently, there are thirty different corporations who are working on driverless cars; Ford, GM, Apple, Audi, BMW and Tesla are just a few of the big name corporations who are looking to develop this technology.

Autonomous driving isn’t just limited to cars either, Daimler piloted a test in Europe this month testing truck convoys, called platooning. They successfully tested six different convoys in real traffic, across borders and over several distances with no issues. The thinking is that by letting the truck do the work, it will result in quicker braking, less passing and a 10 percent fuel savings for the subsequent trucks.

While this technology is exciting, there are still a lot of practical and ethical dilemmas to consider. Car Buzz put it this way, “Humans aren’t consistent enough to any degree for a computer’s assumptions to be accurate.” One example of this was back in February when Google’s self-driving car was involved in an accident. It was pulling away from the curb in front of a bus and the computer determined that the bus would slow down, unfortunately the bus driver didn’t, which resulted in an accident. When human reasoning is involved, it makes computer programing that much more complicated.

While most of us would enjoy the convenience of just sitting back and letting our cars chauffer us around, there are more practical applications of this technology to consider as well. For one thing, drivers who are sleepy or who had a few too many drinks at dinner could certainly benefit from a driverless car. Google happened to give one of their driverless vehicles to a blind man to use, and the video of him being able to get around town on his own was amazing. Giving back some independence to those unable to drive would be a truly remarkable gift.

There are undoubtedly some kinks that need to be worked out, but actually seeing the application of this technology on the road is thrilling. It will be interesting to see how this evolves over the next few years as more companies unveil their prototypes and start putting their vehicles into real life situations. This is the day and age of automotive technology and we are loving every minute of it!