UA-124173970-1 google-site-verification=0s5a35dli_mtOsnKZh7kpERYJye8W8PlW1indlDocgI 279506616524861 TTB 116: Autonomous Travel - The Travelers Blueprint

Episode 116

TTB 116: Autonomous Travel

Larry Burns advises organizations on the future of mobility, logistics, manufacturing, energy and innovation.  His current clients include Waymo, Goodyear and Kitson & Partners.  Larry served as General Motors Corporate Vice President of Research & Development and Planning from 1998-2009. Between 2010 and 2016, Larry was Professor of Engineering Practice at the University of Michigan, Director of the Program for Sustainable Mobility at Columbia University, and an advisor to several major companies.

Larry is the author of Autonomy: The Quest to Build The Driverless Car—And How It Will Reshape Our World (with Christopher Shulgan and published by Ecco / HarperCollins on August 28, 2018).

Inside the Episode:

  • (05:02): Larry starts us off with a brief history of his upbringing and how it influenced his passion for travel. 
  • (12:44): We begin our discussion on autonomous technologies and how Larry began his career as a contributor to these technological advancements. 
  • (14:40): As Vice President of Research and Development for General Motors, Larry was met with a life changing question by GM’s CEO. As Larry explains, this question influenced Larry’s philosophical outlook on what it meant to develop and manufacture an automobile and contributed to new developments around electric vehicle design.
  • (20:40): What do YOU hate about travel?! Long lines, expensive airfare, overpriced hotels, and the time you spend moving between destinations?? Well, autonomous technology appears to be the solutions to those problems. In the not too distant future, the annoying aspects of travel will likely become more enjoyable as our cars turn into autonomous hotels on wheels and humans start to opt for their autonomous transport vessels over expensive crowded airplanes and public transit.
  • (35:25): Is it better to have autonomously driven vehicles instead of manually driven cars? 
  • 39:50: How will autonomous tech decrease the financial burden of owning a car? Similar to your Netflix subscription and how the Uber app operates, you may be ordering an autonomous travel vehicle in the very near future. So, while you’re sitting back letting the car drive itself, maybe think about what you can do with all that extra cash! 
  • 50:00: When will autonomous vehicles be an everyday reality?

Learn More About Our Guest:

www.lawrencedburns.org

The Travelers Blueprint is more than just a podcast with consulting services that allow you to Become Your Own Travel Agent!




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The Travelers Blueprint
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Elliot Shibley

We came up with the name "The Travelers Blueprint" for two main reasons:
To provide information for you to draft your own itineraries or how to begin a career that takes you all over the world.
We both have backgrounds in engineering, architecture, or the environment, so we though a blueprint was an apt title to describe our intentions and end goal.

Why We Do It:
We both recently settled down with our careers and families, and can no longer live the nomadic lifestyle we both still crave. The solution to satisfy our overwhelming wanderlust is this podcast where we get to sit down with savvy travelers, globetrotters, conservationists, nature-lovers, or any other travel enthusiasts to peer into their inspiring lives. By listening to these fascinating individuals, we vicariously live through their experiences, and in turn share them with you.

You will hear the personal stories of extraordinary people who have “been there and done that”. Our guests share their unique wisdom and unpack valuable advice on how to plan your trip, what to do once you get there, and how to make sure you head back home (or not) with memories that will last a lifetime. Each episode’s discussion will range from a particular location, to discussing a travel-oriented project or conservation effort, and everything in between.

Occasionally, we take a break from hosting guests, and you will get the opportunity to listen to us divulge our own travel ideas and travel experiences, or maybe just exchange our thoughts on travel methods. Although we have similar worldviews and travel ideologies, you will quickly learn that we also have some very different travel expectations.

Tune in each week, and discover something new about the world, the fascinating cultures buried within, and learn how to draft your own journey from those who have traveled before you!