Self-driving vehicles will be on the roads soon, what do you think of them?

[noisyturtle]

Curious what GH's opinions are on self-driving cars like the Google Firefly, and the benefits or issues surrounding them.

[meiosis]

Already started, some Tesla's have an auto-drive feature. two casualties so far but both are questionable on fault.

[tp4tissue]

I don't think this system works until EVERYONE has them..

Or at the very least,   the government should mandate tracking systems on cars so that we have an entire network of Aware cars,  even if the driver is manual.

[xondat]

Already started, some Tesla's have an auto-drive feature. two casualties so far but both are questionable on fault.

It's autopilot, not auto-drive. Even if there have been two casualties, it's still less than the normal figures.

If we're speaking about solely self-driving/autonomous vehicles, I think it's bloody amazing, and I welcome it. The only problem is other drivers, but this is the problem for a lot of road usage.

[noisyturtle]

It really comes down to the amount of data available to the sensors and the data already applied to their algorithm. As long as people are driving there will be room for error, but I think safety nets can be put into place. For example, most people have cell phones so there could be a something that pings your cars location to nearby automated cars if they are out of sight of the sensors.

But the idea of mobilization for the elderly, disabled, and blind. or automated delivery for food and local stores. Like so many small shops are out of business by huge online retailers, but what if a small mom and pop shop had a self driving vehicle that could just bring you their product on demand in minutes? That would be amazing! Amazon will likely use that idea first though.

[nmur]

i for one welcome our new self-driving vehicle overlords

seriously though, i think it's very exciting and promising and can't wait for the day where i get a driver-less uber home from the airport

i'd love to work developing self-driving systems too, although i don't know how much of that development would be taking place down here

[tp4tissue]

It really comes down to the amount of data available to the sensors and the data already applied to their algorithm. As long as people are driving there will be room for error, but I think safety nets can be put into place. For example, most people have cell phones so there could be a something that pings your cars location to nearby automated cars if they are out of sight of the sensors.

But the idea of mobilization for the elderly, disabled, and blind. or automated delivery for food and local stores. Like so many small shops are out of business by huge online retailers, but what if a small mom and pop shop had a self driving vehicle that could just bring you their product? That would be amazing!

This has to be real time.

So a cellphone wouldn't be reliable,  It needs to be something in a pre-installed KNOWN location relative to the vehicle.

Best if broadcasting..


But, now imagine 1000 cars,  1000 transmitters..     we can Barely get reliable wifi to 50 NON moving people..

[tp4tissue]

i for one welcome our new self-driving vehicle overlords

seriously though, i think it's very exciting and promising and can't wait for the day where i get a driver-less uber home from the airport

i'd love to work developing self-driving systems too, although i don't know how much of that development would be taking place down here

I think going outside is going to be phased out sooner or later..

It's a huge waste of time..

Just stay home people..

[meiosis]

Already started, some Tesla's have an auto-drive feature. two casualties so far but both are questionable on fault.

It's autopilot, not auto-drive. Even if there have been two casualties, it's still less than the normal figures.

If we're speaking about solely self-driving/autonomous vehicles, I think it's bloody amazing, and I welcome it. The only problem is other drivers, but this is the problem for a lot of road usage.

They had to change the term after the incidences recently, but technically it is capable of both.

It's kind of scary as the way these cars work is the same as a camera, if there is any interference to block the majority of the lens there will be trouble.

[nmur]

i for one welcome our new self-driving vehicle overlords

seriously though, i think it's very exciting and promising and can't wait for the day where i get a driver-less uber home from the airport

i'd love to work developing self-driving systems too, although i don't know how much of that development would be taking place down here

I think going outside is going to be phased out sooner or later..

It's a huge waste of time..

Just stay home people..

outside is deprecated

[Findecanor]

I can't see it working well together with other types of traffic. Trams, crazy cyclists who don't follow traffic rules, pedestrians jay-walking... all will confuse these machines and there will be accidents.

[noisyturtle]

Already started, some Tesla's have an auto-drive feature. two casualties so far but both are questionable on fault.

It's autopilot, not auto-drive. Even if there have been two casualties, it's still less than the normal figures.

If we're speaking about solely self-driving/autonomous vehicles, I think it's bloody amazing, and I welcome it. The only problem is other drivers, but this is the problem for a lot of road usage.

They had to change the term after the incidences recently, but technically it is capable of both.

It's kind of scary as the way these cars work is the same as a camera, if there is any interference to block the majority of the lens there will be trouble.

They use a special form(s) LIDAR that gives immediate 360 3D feedback on all objects or shapes the vehicle has even partially seen, the detail and object size variance is very impressive. So essentially the longer they drive around the smarter they become at identifying every single detail they pass by. I do have some small concerns about privacy invasion and the sharing of that data with the government. Intense weather would be a concern as well, like perhaps picking up rain-slicked roads as reflections or something.

[0100010]

I think it will take some time to settle out liability when a car runs over a pedestrian versus swerving into a light pole (example); between the car manufacturer, software writer, driver or other.

[xtrafrood]

I think the real danger would be once the automation systems are able to take full control. I'm not saying robots taking over the earth. I'm saying hackers taking control of your ride. Robbing someone would be similar to ordering pizza for the extremely tech savvy folk.

[nmur]

I think it will take some time to settle out liability when a car runs over a pedestrian versus swerving into a light pole (example); between the car manufacturer, software writer, driver or other.

if anything, autonomous vehicles would have an even lesser chance of being in an accident, due to much quicker reaction times and better decision making

if these cars are programmed to obey the laws of traffic to a tee (especially things like keeping a certain distance from the car in front of you), it's more than likely that the actual cause of the accident would be something like a pedestrian walking onto a road when/where they shouldn't be, or a human-driven car making an error

[tp4tissue]

I think it will take some time to settle out liability when a car runs over a pedestrian versus swerving into a light pole (example); between the car manufacturer, software writer, driver or other.

if anything, autonomous vehicles would have an even lesser chance of being in an accident, due to much quicker reaction times and better decision making

if these cars are programmed to obey the laws of traffic to a tee (especially things like keeping a certain distance from the car in front of you), it's more than likely that the actual cause of the accident would be something like a pedestrian walking onto a road when/where they shouldn't be, or a human-driven car making an error

Robo cars don't really need traffic laws,

We won't need street lights any more , because they can time it perfectly that intersections do not need metering.

[tp4tissue]

Already started, some Tesla's have an auto-drive feature. two casualties so far but both are questionable on fault.

It's autopilot, not auto-drive. Even if there have been two casualties, it's still less than the normal figures.

If we're speaking about solely self-driving/autonomous vehicles, I think it's bloody amazing, and I welcome it. The only problem is other drivers, but this is the problem for a lot of road usage.

They had to change the term after the incidences recently, but technically it is capable of both.

It's kind of scary as the way these cars work is the same as a camera, if there is any interference to block the majority of the lens there will be trouble.

They use a special form(s) LIDAR that gives immediate 360 3D feedback on all objects or shapes the vehicle has even partially seen, the detail and object size variance is very impressive. So essentially the longer they drive around the smarter they become at identifying every single detail they pass by. I do have some small concerns about privacy invasion and the sharing of that data with the government. Intense weather would be a concern as well, like perhaps picking up rain-slicked roads as reflections or something.

the lidar they currently use is actually still kind of 2 D..

[xtrafrood]

Not one person in this thread thinks it's possible to hack into a car that is fully automated and connected to the www?

[tp4tissue]

Not one person in this thread thinks it's possible to hack into a car that is fully automated and connected to the www?

They can already do this with the cars now..

[slickmamba]

If everyone had automated cars traffic would be a non issue, and life quality overall would be nicer

[tp4tissue]

If everyone had automated cars traffic would be a non issue, and life quality overall would be nicer

If Everyone is the issue..


A control system like this is ~$2000-5000-10000, depending on how many redundancies

There are many folks zooming around with cars Less than that..

[xtrafrood]

Not one person in this thread thinks it's possible to hack into a car that is fully automated and connected to the www?

They can already do this with the cars now..

You know this and I know this but no one else in these thread seems to be concerned about it. I'm confused and intrigued

[tp4tissue]

Not one person in this thread thinks it's possible to hack into a car that is fully automated and connected to the www?

They can already do this with the cars now..

You know this and I know this but no one else in these thread seems to be concerned about it. I'm confused and intrigued

I think the convenience outweighs the risk.  Because the odds are low that someone wish to prematurely extinguish your life.

Hacking is not something 99% of the people need to worry about..

And that last top 1% worth hacking all have their own private drivers.

[iri]

I'd only accept self-driving cars able to drive through Russian roads.

[xtrafrood]

Not one person in this thread thinks it's possible to hack into a car that is fully automated and connected to the www?

They can already do this with the cars now..

You know this and I know this but no one else in these thread seems to be concerned about it. I'm confused and intrigued

I think the convenience outweighs the risk.  Because the odds are low that someone wish to prematurely extinguish your life.

Hacking is not something 99% of the people need to worry about..

And that last top 1% worth hacking all have their own private drivers.

Who said anything about killing? Your expectations are little backwards in regards to who needs to worry about being hacked. My network was breached a few times. By your logic, I should have at least a million in the bank. As much as it pains me to type this, I do not have a million in the bank..

[tp4tissue]

Who said anything about killing? Your expectations are little backwards in regards to who needs to worry about being hacked. My network was breached a few times. By your logic, I should have at least a million in the bank. As much as it pains me to type this, I do not have a million in the bank..

Getting a virus from visiting naughty websites is not the same as getting hacked..   hahahahahahhaha

[xtrafrood]

Not one person in this thread thinks it's possible to hack into a car that is fully automated and connected to the www?

They can already do this with the cars now..

You know this and I know this but no one else in these thread seems to be concerned about it. I'm confused and intrigued

I think the convenience outweighs the risk.  Because the odds are low that someone wish to prematurely extinguish your life.

Hacking is not something 99% of the people need to worry about..

And that last top 1% worth hacking all have their own private drivers.

Who said anything about killing? Your expectations are little backwards in regards to who needs to worry about being hacked. My network was breached a few times. By your logic, I should have at least a million in the bank. As much as it pains me to type this, I do not have a million in the bank..

Getting a virus from visiting naughty websites is not the same as getting hacked..   hahahahahahhaha

Who said anything about a virus?

[eksuen]

My personal ideal would be separate road systems for human drivers and self-driving cars, because I enjoy driving (the problem is the other dimwits on the road). IMO, there are many people out there who should not have a driver's license and for whom a self-driving car should be made mandatory. I don't think metering would be removed because pedestrians still need to cross at intersections and I don't think building pedestrian overpasses at every metered intersection is a suitable solution. I would love to see the uniform acceleration when a light turns green though. It will be beautiful.

[Geroximo]

self driving vehicles > women driving

[noisyturtle]

Already started, some Tesla's have an auto-drive feature. two casualties so far but both are questionable on fault.

It's autopilot, not auto-drive. Even if there have been two casualties, it's still less than the normal figures.

If we're speaking about solely self-driving/autonomous vehicles, I think it's bloody amazing, and I welcome it. The only problem is other drivers, but this is the problem for a lot of road usage.

They had to change the term after the incidences recently, but technically it is capable of both.

It's kind of scary as the way these cars work is the same as a camera, if there is any interference to block the majority of the lens there will be trouble.

They use a special form(s) LIDAR that gives immediate 360 3D feedback on all objects or shapes the vehicle has even partially seen, the detail and object size variance is very impressive. So essentially the longer they drive around the smarter they become at identifying every single detail they pass by. I do have some small concerns about privacy invasion and the sharing of that data with the government. Intense weather would be a concern as well, like perhaps picking up rain-slicked roads as reflections or something.

the lidar they currently use is actually still kind of 2 D..

It is not at all. I don't even think the data is even viewable in 2D

[kenmai9]

more sleep

[rowdy]

I wouldn't trust them - you're basically trusting your life to some nerd's programming skills.

[Fictiouz]

I won't trust them till all/majority of cars are self driving. The same reason I'm a cautious driver now; I trust me/self-driving, I don't trust the other people driving.

[vivalarevolución]

I welcome self driving cars, because idiot drivers are all too common.  Less accidents, less fatalities.

We will be bored, though, having to be a passenger in our vehicle.  It would take the fun out of driving.

What I worry about the most is the loss of jobs that will result.  This country has millions of people employed as drivers and I imagine auto sales will reduce, as more people will utilize self driving cars from an Uber-type service or car share.  Auto manufacturing still is a significant sector of the economy.

[vivalarevolución]

I think the real danger would be once the automation systems are able to take full control. I'm not saying robots taking over the earth. I'm saying hackers taking control of your ride. Robbing someone would be similar to ordering pizza for the extremely tech savvy folk.

This also is a concern I have. These things can become an easy target for a motivated hacker.

Also, if a bunch of these cars are all connect somehow through a network or system or software or whatever imagine if someone hacked into the entire system.  Would it be possible to deactivate braking at rush hour on the highway in an entire fleet of connected vehicles?

[davkol]

It's huge step forward towards abolishment of human drivers and car ownership. YAY!!!1!
There are several problems though…

First, "a motivated hacker"? lol. A corporation/government has full control of the vehicle (=computer system with an engine and wheels); there's a centralized network… that's gonna be a sweet target for black hats, including those funded by governments. This lends itself to a whole new level of cyberwarfare or oppression (all tracking data available, making people "disappear" is a piece of cake).

Second, it doesn't eliminate the existence of cars per se. They are still low-capacity vehicles with non-trivial emissions and requirements for infrastructure. It doesn't solve actual problems esp. with urbanization.

[rowdy]

I welcome self driving cars, because idiot drivers are all too common.  Less accidents, less fatalities.

We will be bored, though, having to be a passenger in our vehicle.  It would take the fun out of driving.

What I worry about the most is the loss of jobs that will result.  This country has millions of people employed as drivers and I imagine auto sales will reduce, as more people will utilize self driving cars from an Uber-type service or car share.  Auto manufacturing still is a significant sector of the economy.

As long as everyone else is in a self-driving car, right?

[vivalarevolución]

I welcome self driving cars, because idiot drivers are all too common.  Less accidents, less fatalities.

We will be bored, though, having to be a passenger in our vehicle.  It would take the fun out of driving.

What I worry about the most is the loss of jobs that will result.  This country has millions of people employed as drivers and I imagine auto sales will reduce, as more people will utilize self driving cars from an Uber-type service or car share.  Auto manufacturing still is a significant sector of the economy.

As long as everyone else is in a self-driving car, right?

You're right, the mental/behavioral habits of humans will be the greatest barrier to adoption.

[xtrafrood]

I welcome self driving cars, because idiot drivers are all too common.  Less accidents, less fatalities.

We will be bored, though, having to be a passenger in our vehicle.  It would take the fun out of driving.

What I worry about the most is the loss of jobs that will result.  This country has millions of people employed as drivers and I imagine auto sales will reduce, as more people will utilize self driving cars from an Uber-type service or car share.  Auto manufacturing still is a significant sector of the economy.

As long as everyone else is in a self-driving car, right?

You're right, the mental/behavioral habits of humans will be the greatest barrier to adoption.

Plus there are a lot of people that still like to drive.

More

[noisyturtle]

Some people say they want to replace all live drivers on the road, but I do not think that is the plan at all. It would be like taking people's guns away, it would never be allowed to happen.

[iri]

Some people say they want to replace all live drivers on the road, but I do not think that is the plan at all. It would be like taking people's guns away, it would never be allowed to happen.

I see what you did there

[vivalarevolución]

First, "a motivated hacker"? lol. A corporation/government has full control of the vehicle (=computer system with an engine and wheels); there's a centralized network… that's gonna be a sweet target for black hats, including those funded by governments. This lends itself to a whole new level of cyberwarfare or oppression (all tracking data available, making people "disappear" is a piece of cake).

Second, it doesn't eliminate the existence of cars per se. They are still low-capacity vehicles with non-trivial emissions and requirements for infrastructure. It doesn't solve actual problems esp. with urbanization.

Yea, I don't know squat about who will be able to hack into these cars.

Good point about urbanization.   Sprawl is gross.  Hate it so much, and very little effort is put towards controlling it in the United States.

[vivalarevolución]

Some people say they want to replace all live drivers on the road, but I do not think that is the plan at all. It would be like taking people's guns away, it would never be allowed to happen.

Banning both of those things would drastically reduce unneeded deaths, but freedom and personal liberty and fun and all that jazz.

[tp4tissue]

First, "a motivated hacker"? lol. A corporation/government has full control of the vehicle (=computer system with an engine and wheels); there's a centralized network… that's gonna be a sweet target for black hats, including those funded by governments. This lends itself to a whole new level of cyberwarfare or oppression (all tracking data available, making people "disappear" is a piece of cake).

Second, it doesn't eliminate the existence of cars per se. They are still low-capacity vehicles with non-trivial emissions and requirements for infrastructure. It doesn't solve actual problems esp. with urbanization.

Yea, I don't know squat about who will be able to hack into these cars.

Good point about urbanization.   Sprawl is gross.  Hate is so much, and very little effort is put towards controlljng it in the United States.

I don't want to live next to so many people,  disease,  noise, City-dense DUST,,  Criminals..

[vivalarevolución]

First, "a motivated hacker"? lol. A corporation/government has full control of the vehicle (=computer system with an engine and wheels); there's a centralized network… that's gonna be a sweet target for black hats, including those funded by governments. This lends itself to a whole new level of cyberwarfare or oppression (all tracking data available, making people "disappear" is a piece of cake).

Second, it doesn't eliminate the existence of cars per se. They are still low-capacity vehicles with non-trivial emissions and requirements for infrastructure. It doesn't solve actual problems esp. with urbanization.

Yea, I don't know squat about who will be able to hack into these cars.

Good point about urbanization.   Sprawl is gross.  Hate is so much, and very little effort is put towards controlljng it in the United States.

I don't want to live next to so many people,  disease,  noise, City-dense DUST,,  Criminals..

Exactly.  Our personal preferences are out of alignment with what is actually good for the planet and long-term survival of the species.

[Altis]

As someone in the field of automation, I'd say automated cars are relatively simple for much of the driving conditions.

However, there will be many roads and areas that will be very difficult for the car to interpret.

The biggest issue here in Canada will be having to deal with snow conditions that will disrupt most of the sensory information and have unpredictable vehicle control.

... not that people here are any good at driving, mind you...

[0100010]

In line with prior comment : http://jalopnik.com/this-mit-online-activity-lets-you-choose-who-gets-kille-1787333738

[tp4tissue]

Yea, I don't know squat about who will be able to hack into these cars.

Good point about urbanization.   Sprawl is gross.  Hate is so much, and very little effort is put towards controlljng it in the United States.

I don't want to live next to so many people,  disease,  noise, City-dense DUST,,  Criminals..

Exactly.  Our personal preferences are out of alignment with what is actually good for the planet and long-term survival of the species.

Yea. but how is it that it's so SURELY against long-term survival..  We've got Elon Musk,  he's already fixed the whole energy issue.  it's just a matter of time before Solar gets 4x more efficient, which will make it viable to replace our traditional power.

[vivalarevolución]

In line with prior comment : http://jalopnik.com/this-mit-online-activity-lets-you-choose-who-gets-kille-1787333738

Funny, I make those same considerations every day at workplace. 

[Shapey Fiend]

As the sole driver in my household I like the idea of self driving cars. It could pick up the kids from school. I could do some work on the 2+ hour drives I often need to do outside the office, read a book or take a nap. It'd be cheaper than owning a car that sits inactive 90% of the time.

I've never had a car accident but I've had enough near incidents to be confident that a computer could do a much better job. A combination of radar sensors, internet tracking and other tech should build in enough redundancy that programming errors or failures shouldn't result in much probability of an accident. I'd hope that would also cover you against government assassination because it would be an infrequent enough event to be more suspicious than the traditional 'two to the head' suicide assassination favored by todays elite overlords.