I built a self-driving car, and am launching a VR-based startup. Figured I should chime in here.
I personally don't see much opportunity for people to get involved directly with autonomous vehicles, from a tech/development standpoint. The vast majority of work is focused on highly specialized subsets of development. Computer vision, embedded systems, network infrastructure, cellular networks, robotics, artificial intelligence, yada yada yada. The only meaningful work being done right now, is mostly by engineers with Masters, Doctorate, or post-Doctorate level education in niche fields.
Personally, I don't have that kind of educational background. I still managed to piece together everything to make a working prototype, but there is not a snowball's chance in hell that I would be able to contribute anything into this field.
Not to say it's useless, though. This is about to unlock a need for UI designers/developers on a level that is hard to fathom. Sit down and think for a while about what the hell people are going to be doing, while being chauffeured around. Entertainment options (Netflix, Youtube, News, etc.) will be in massive demand. Gaming of all different kinds (especially multiplayer experiences, that involve the vehicle's environment.) Advertising as a whole. (And goddamn do I wish I could be an investor in PornHub right now.)
While Oculus, HTC, Microsoft, etc. all have (or will soon have) consumer-ready products available for the VR market, I still feel like this technology is barely entering it's infancy stage. The financial barrier to entry is holding back 98% of the world from getting into it (for now). There isn't enough meaningful content beyond some decent games. (Once again, goddamn do I wish I could be an investor in PornHub right now.) For the most part, still tethered to a computer (or using a watered-down phone-based experience). It's cool tech for sure, but it doesn't feel (to me, at least) like anyone has really figured out what the hell to do with it yet.
3D development isn't terribly different than any other kind of development. A few more thoughts and considerations, but still the same principles of traditional console/pc game development. WebVR (and ReactVR) are still just a novelty. Because of the sheer scale and intricacy of most 3D environments, and my own predictions of an explosive growth pattern in this industry, I'm thinking that some form of automation (A.I., etc.) will have to be taking over most of the grunt work for development. Thinking that most dev roles are going to evolve into mostly architect roles, and that the real need is going to be for UI/UX (particularly thought leaders, as opposed to designers).
Thanks for this insightful comment. The current VR status irritates me as well. It has only affecting gaming till now, despite the remote working/AR implications. What do you mean by an 'explosive growth pattern'?
I personally don't see much opportunity for people to get involved directly with autonomous vehicles, from a tech/development standpoint. The vast majority of work is focused on highly specialized subsets of development. Computer vision, embedded systems, network infrastructure, cellular networks, robotics, artificial intelligence, yada yada yada. The only meaningful work being done right now, is mostly by engineers with Masters, Doctorate, or post-Doctorate level education in niche fields.
Personally, I don't have that kind of educational background. I still managed to piece together everything to make a working prototype, but there is not a snowball's chance in hell that I would be able to contribute anything into this field.
Not to say it's useless, though. This is about to unlock a need for UI designers/developers on a level that is hard to fathom. Sit down and think for a while about what the hell people are going to be doing, while being chauffeured around. Entertainment options (Netflix, Youtube, News, etc.) will be in massive demand. Gaming of all different kinds (especially multiplayer experiences, that involve the vehicle's environment.) Advertising as a whole. (And goddamn do I wish I could be an investor in PornHub right now.)
While Oculus, HTC, Microsoft, etc. all have (or will soon have) consumer-ready products available for the VR market, I still feel like this technology is barely entering it's infancy stage. The financial barrier to entry is holding back 98% of the world from getting into it (for now). There isn't enough meaningful content beyond some decent games. (Once again, goddamn do I wish I could be an investor in PornHub right now.) For the most part, still tethered to a computer (or using a watered-down phone-based experience). It's cool tech for sure, but it doesn't feel (to me, at least) like anyone has really figured out what the hell to do with it yet.
3D development isn't terribly different than any other kind of development. A few more thoughts and considerations, but still the same principles of traditional console/pc game development. WebVR (and ReactVR) are still just a novelty. Because of the sheer scale and intricacy of most 3D environments, and my own predictions of an explosive growth pattern in this industry, I'm thinking that some form of automation (A.I., etc.) will have to be taking over most of the grunt work for development. Thinking that most dev roles are going to evolve into mostly architect roles, and that the real need is going to be for UI/UX (particularly thought leaders, as opposed to designers).