Project MapCoin: Putting the Autonomous Pedal to the Metal

by CryptoBlastoffAugust 21st, 2018

Too Long; Didn't Read

Self-driving cars are coming. And they’ll bring new levels of safety and efficiency to our roads and highways. But they’ve encountered plenty of roadblocks along their route.

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Crowd-sourcing Navigational Data

Self-driving cars are coming. And they’ll bring new levels of safety and efficiency to our roads and highways. But they’ve encountered plenty of roadblocks along their route.

For now, hope is riding shotgun and promises occupy the back seats. We still have a long way to drive before we can trust these robots with our lives. Hundreds of billions of miles, in fact.

And the MapCoin project wants to use blockchain tech to help get reliable autonomous vehicles across the finish line.

Now, before we get in and buckle up, let’s make sure we’re both heading to the same destination…

Disclaimer: This is not investment or financial advice. I’m not a financial expert by any stretch of the imagination. Most information within this article is speculative and merely my own personal opinion. Always conduct your own research before contributing to any startup projects.

Always remember that what you do with your money is your decision to make. And if that decision proves too difficult for you alone, seek guidance from a financial professional.

I may or may not receive a small allocation of tokens for creating this content. That said, I will do my best to remain unbiased and fair. I try to avoid all FOMO and FUD and never wish to impart those emotions on my fellow crypto-heads.

Slow Ride

Leaving the safety of your family at the mercy of a high-speed robot is a little unsettling. Although their creators are confident in their robo-buddy’s abilities, the wheels often come off during public demonstrations.

Anyone care for a… SNACK!?!

The road to reliable autonomous vehicles is paved with data. Lots and lots of it.

Until all self-driving cars are fully loaded with highly detailed information, there’s no way we can count on them to safely transport Meema to her Jazzercise class.

And AI, an industry that’s constantly racing ahead, is an integral component of autonomous vehicles’ success.

In order for cars to understand the conditions they’re going to drive in, they must first undergo training. Engineers feed thousands and thousands of real-world samples into their fake brains. And then they take what they’ve learned to the track.

You don’t jump right into a race; you run a few practice laps first.

Autonomous vehicles must familiarize themselves with all the potholes and pedestrians and parked cars and bikers and distracted drivers that fill our streets.

In rain and snow, wet and dry, fast and slow, the cars need to have already driven those conditions.

Not only do autonomous cars need to remember how to navigate, they need to know where to go. And their only method for getting themselves from point A to B is the use of ultra-high-def maps. Much, much more precise than what people use.

Many different AI and map data-gathering companies are at work now. But, all their mapping of roads and training of robots is both sluggish and costly. While Google can certainly afford it, they’re simply taking too long.

The MapCoin team got tired of waiting and waiting for others to deliver our autonomous future.

So, they decided to jump-start the industry by putting everyday drivers behind the wheel and rewarding them with tokens…

Get rewarded for providing map data

Blockchain Fast Lane

The MapCoin platform is guided by an app. The team chose an appropriate title — Collectr — because app users are doing just that: Collecting data as well as tokens.

Now, you won’t be able to simply activate the app and then drive off. The project isn’t after simplistic data.

App users will be collecting hi-def video footage. Which means you’ll have to mount your phone to your windshield as you drive.

As users transmit video footage to MapCoin, the platform will collaborate with companies who’ll use the data to speed up the realization of cars that can drive themselves.

Users of MapCoin’s Collectr app are awarded MAP tokens whenever they contribute to the network. Whether it’s a random, leisurely drive or a road trip requested by the app, now you can score some crypto along the way.

Final thoughts…

Human error is why most car accidents happen. And now that people feel the need to text and apply makeup and eat nachos — all at the same time — while driving, the roads are a little more perilous than they once were.

But, once properly trained, autonomous vehicles will dramatically diminish the number of daily accidents. They’ll be proficient in defensive driving, unlike half of today’s motorists.

Learning is the key that starts the engine and that’s exactly what MapCoin is helping to facilitate.

In addition to accident reduction, we should also see a marked decrease in road congestion. If humans would just be courteous and leave plenty of space in front of them, traffic could be so much smoother.

But in my town, unfortunately, it seems there’s always a race to a red light. I never understood why people are in such a hurry just to stop.

There’s also a new trend of drivers ignoring yellow and red arrows on a left turn. Because, you know, nobody else’s time is as important as theirs so it’s okay to make everyone wait.

And when we can take the human emotion out of the driving experience, we’ll all be safer out there.

We can also count on a whole new level of convenience when self-driving cars come along. We’ll rely on them to take us wherever we want to go, and they’ll become mobile work and entertainment spaces.

Granted, it’ll be years until we’ve established enough confidence to take a nap in the back of K.I.T.T. as the machine escorts us to a meeting. But that day will come and it’s going to be glorious.

And projects like MapCoin are helping us get there even faster.