Autonomous Vehicles From Feature Films, Porsche’s Science Fiction Reality Check

The mode of transportation and films are somewhat inseparable, more specifically, the autonomous vehicles, which have been the secret stars of feature films for decades.

As such, Porsche has listed out five well-known examples and done a reality check on what has come true? And where did Hollywood get it completely wrong?

In no particular order, first up is the Fifth Element (1997) by Luc Besson, which starred a standout cast composed of Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich and Gary Oldman.

To give a little context, throughout the movie, the two heroes Leeloo (Milla Jovovich) and Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) travelled in a vehicle that seems to be a flying taxi. 

They were also seen navigating through the futuristic metropolis setting in said futuristic vehicle using the autopilot mode.

Now for the reality check. Interestingly, numerous companies around the world are already working on autonomous and electrically powered air taxis. 

Most commonly, these have been displayed by the makers at which the air taxis are seen flying between the centre of a metropolis and its outlying airport or flying over traffic jams. 

Notably, the leaders in this innovation aim to enter the market within the coming few years, and with that said, technically, autonomous flying taxis are certainly feasible.

Second on the list is the Knight Rider TV series (1982-1986), created and produced by Glen A. Larson that had David Hasselhoff as the protagonist. 

Playing a former police officer, Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff), he tracks down criminals in an all-black high-tech car called K.I.T.T. (Knight Industries Two Thousand). 

It can drive autonomously, park automatically, be summoned via a wristwatch, and its most significant feature, being able to talk.

Although this might all seem too good to be true, one of the latest developments in the field of highly automated driving is actually automated parking.

At which, the vehicle drives itself to a parking space and can later be ordered back to the driver, for instance via a smartphone.

Remarkably, the series introduction of such a function is forthcoming, denoting this film’s vision to be absolutely realistic.

Next is Blade Runner 2049 (2017) by Denis Villeneuve, a masterpiece of a film that starred Ryan Gosling, Jared Leto and Harrison Ford.

This sequel to Ridley Scott’s science fiction classic revisits the theme of the difficult relationship between humans and ‘replicants’, human-like androids who fight for their rights. 

Throughout the film, the main protagonist, Officer K (Ryan Gosling), travels in a flying car that can take him anywhere on its own if necessary, using the autopilot mode.

Plus, there’s also a drone on board, built into the flying car’s roof that can use its sensors to explore the surroundings from the air.

Checking the facts, to make sense out of it, the combination of autonomous vehicles and drones could definitely be useful.

For example, a map of the route ahead could be generated from a bird’s-eye perspective, so the autopilot would always know exactly what to expect in the immediate future. 

Apart from that, the drones could also fly over parking lots, to scout free spaces for automated parking. 

Interestingly, there are plenty of ideas for the use of such advanced sensors, and technical implementation would be possible quickly.

Fourth on the list is Total Recall (1990) by Paul Verhoeven that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone.

Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) plays a construction worker who is on the run and mid-action he was seen entering an automated cab (‘Johnny Cab’) driven by a robot named Johnny.

Akin to the number two on this list, this ‘Johnny Cab’ android is also able to self-drive, respond to voice commands and carry-on small talk.

Significantly, autonomous driving fundamentally changes the relationship between passenger and vehicle, with the latter becoming more of an environment for working or relaxing. 

Therefore, having conversations with one’s car could become part of everyday life in the future, but there will probably not be a humanoid robot in the passenger compartment.

Realistically, the vehicle of the future is more likely to be something like a rolling assistance system, and for the self-drive part, maybe like a Tesla on steroids.

Last but not least, is the movie Minority Report (2002) by Steven Spielberg, which had a star-studded cast starring Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell and Samantha Morton.

The plot follows police officer, John Anderton (Tom Cruise), who is accused of committing a murder in the future, in which he tried to escape using an automatic Maglev (magnetic levitation) vehicle. 

A little different from a normal autonomous car, with the Maglev, the authorities in the film can interfere with its controls, making the driver not able to control the vehicle manually any longer.

Albeit sounding a little boundary breaching, safety plays a central role in autonomous driving, so in cases where technology was to fail, external intervention would be conceivable. 

E.g., in 2018, California decided that cars without pedals and steering wheels must be able to be controlled remotely via a mobile network. 

Thus, to do that, the operator of such vehicles would have to take the wheel and drive remotely with the help of live camera images.

However, this can only be utilised during an emergency and always in compliance with data protection regulations.

All in all, there are many more examples out there, and outstandingly, most of them are closer to becoming a reality than one might think, especially in the ever-growing technological era of today.