Living Autonomously

This week, you will learn all about living autonomously and what it means to live an autonomous life.

The word autonomous commonly means to be independent of something. This could be living an autonomous life and having the power to make your own decisions, or an independent country governing themselves. However, autonomous is quickly gaining another common meaning: to be self-directed or led via robotics. When I think of autonomous, the first thing that comes to my mind is an autonomous car or to autonomously command a BEST robot.

Here’s the world’s first autonomous bus – would you ride in it?

Resources

The Driverless Bus
Pros and Cons of Driverless Cars
Autonomous Cars
Tesla Autopilot
Autonomoustuff
Autonomous Postal Delivery
Autonomous Buildings
The Three Types of Persuasive Appeal
BEST Inc.

Research/Reflect/Brainstorm

There are so many aspects of autonomous living. It can be anything from living in an autonomous building or community, or driving an autonomous car. Your goal as a team is to research and find as many aspect of autonomous living that are out in the world. Expand your search to countries that are adopting an autonomous lifestyle.

Activity

READ the following: A computer-controlled car that drives itself, also called an “autonomous vehicle,” dates back to the 1939 World’s Fair when General Motors predicted the development of self-driving, radio-controlled electric cars. That dream might become an everyday reality.
Driverless Cars – Pros and Cons 

THINK: California is home to several of the biggest players in autonomous driving, including Tesla and Waymo. In a victory for several of the state’s big tech companies, the California Department of Motor Vehicles recently announced “a path for companies to test or deploy light-duty autonomous trucks (delivery vehicles) on the state’s public roads.”

Write an essay explaining your position on this topic. Explain why you believe the United States should further embrace autonomous (self-driving) cars or why you believe the United States should distance itself from autonomous cars.

Be sure to —
• Pick a side and support if fully.
• Use persuasive appeals (Ethos, Logos, and Pathos) to convince your readers.
• Counter argue by addressing the main objections of the “other side” and provide reasons or facts to oppose their argument.

As always, be sure to —
• Clearly state your controlling idea.
• Organize and develop your explanation effectively.
• Choose your words carefully.
• Use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation and grammar.

BEST Connection

Visit the BEST Robotics website, , click on the competition tab at the top and go to the yearbook. There, you will find the theme of every competition since our first in 1993 on. Choose one or two competitions that you and your team members participated in and describe how you would incorporate an autonomous robot segment into it. If last year was your first competition, then only choose that competition. If you are brand new to BEST, choose any of the competitions that look interesting to you.

Community Connection

What autonomous living is taking place in your community? Are there any nearby companies making autonomous equipment or products? Does your community have autonomous living? Find as many aspects of an autonomous lifestyle in your community as you can.

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Bloom’s Taxonomy: create, explore, evaluate, generate, include, identify, list, observe, reflect, review, use, and write

Workforce Skills

Critical thinking, materials evaluation, reading comprehension, science, writing, research