System Autonomy: Start with automobiles

I believe autonomous systems will probably be the greatest achievement of the 21st century.  A system of systems, based on network of networks, mesh, grid, etc. will power this world by the end of this century.  And I am confident that Quantum Mechanics will have a significant hand in it.

To begin with, Volvo's foray into autonomy of automobiles - from the Wired Autopia blog:

"By 2014, Volvo plans to introduce a new system dubbed Traffic Jam Assistance that will allow the vehicle to be piloted autonomously at speeds up to 30 MPH. At the flick of a switch, the vehicle will be able to steer, brake and accelerate in slow-moving traffic, using a combination of cameras that detect the lines on the road and the vehicle ahead, along with a brace of sensors to keep a safe distance from other road users."

"This latest breed of technology has been born out of Volvo's SARTRE road-train testing program, which allows a densely packed group of vehicles to follow a manned tractor trailer at highway speeds. But that implementation is still several years away, and Volvo is trying to get the technology into vehicles as quickly as possible."

Demonstration of the system below: