Through the looking glass: Researchers argue that self-driving cars will have an unforeseen impact on the hospitality industry. Traditional hotels could see a decline in customers as travelers opt to sleep in their cars, restaurants could go mobile and yes, even brothels could take advantage of autonomous vehicle technology.

Self-driving cars are going to revolutionize personal transportation and influence a number of seemingly unrelated industries. I've touched on the impending chain reaction of cause and effect that's poised to play out in the coming years but never did I consider the possibility that autonomous vehicles might enable mobile brothels.

Researchers from the University of Surrey and the University of Oxford in a study titled "Autonomous vehicles and the future of urban tourism" explore how the deployment of CAVs (connected autonomous vehicles) will affect the hospitality industry.

Specifically, the researchers believe pay-per-hour hotel rooms could be replaced by CAVs. Publicaly shared CAVs will likely deter passengers from having sex or doing drugs through the use of surveillance but those measures could be disabled. In private CAVs, however, it wouldn't be an issue.

The researchers liken it to Amsterdam's Red Light District "on the move."

This is just one of many scenarios that you could follow on this path. General hotel usage could also decline as some may find it more affordable or convenient to rent a car overnight and sleep in it. Furthermore, it's not inconceivable that people in areas where housing comes at a premium could live inside of their cars overnight as they mindlessly roam the streets.