Google gets license to drive.... driverless

[Newbie16ver]

This cant come soon enough... i can see a day where there will be:

- less traffic accidents because you take dumb people out of the equation
- much faster speed limits because a computer can react instantly and detect problems much further ahead
- less bad traffic because a computer doesn’t do all the things that contribute to bad traffic (slow drivers, frequent lane changes, hesitation, slow reactions)
- You'll be able to call you car to come pick you up from wherever you end up
- You'll be able to get out of you car and have the car go find a parking spot for itself
- You'll be able to send a car to pickup something for you like groceries or drop off kids on its own
- You car will be able to go fill up on gas on its own when its convenient for you (at 2am) or drive to get serviced while you are at work

I would give up driving if I could have the above

[spitfirevr6]

This cant come soon enough... i can see a day where there will be:

- less traffic accidents because you take dumb people out of the equation
- much faster speed limits because a computer can react instantly and detect problems much further ahead
- less bad traffic because a computer doesn’t do all the things that contribute to bad traffic (slow drivers, frequent lane changes, hesitation, slow reactions)
- You'll be able to call you car to come pick you up from wherever you end up
- You'll be able to get out of you car and have the car go find a parking spot for itself
- You'll be able to send a car to pickup something for you like groceries or drop off kids on its own
- You car will be able to go fill up on gas on its own when its convenient for you (at 2am) or drive to get serviced while you are at work

I would give up driving if I could have the above

I am down with all of this, but i would still be a little worried about giving up all control.

[Air and water do mix]

old news...

That's very prophetic. We just now have TVs hanging on the walls and this looks to be from the late '50s. Automatic lighting has yet to become popular and microwaves only date back to the '70s in common use.

[Shmi]

I'm slightly uneasy about it, but that got me wondering where the uneasyness comes from with this. Is it from lack of control, even though the owner would be sitting behind the wheel, ready to take over at any moment?

Does anyone mind when an airline pilot flicks on autopilot? Seems similar to me. Even when I do fly I'm not really bothered by lack of control, because I realize the pilot or even autopilot are better than I could be, in the same way a Google car could react and analyze traffic faster than I could. Except cars don't carry 100-300 passengers and travel at 500mph. And yet the idea of being in a driverless car seems uneasy to me

[dieselraver]

This cant come soon enough... i can see a day where there will be:

- less traffic accidents because you take dumb people out of the equation
- much faster speed limits because a computer can react instantly and detect problems much further ahead
- less bad traffic because a computer doesn’t do all the things that contribute to bad traffic (slow drivers, frequent lane changes, hesitation, slow reactions)
- You'll be able to call you car to come pick you up from wherever you end up
- You'll be able to get out of you car and have the car go find a parking spot for itself
- You'll be able to send a car to pickup something for you like groceries or drop off kids on its own
- You car will be able to go fill up on gas on its own when its convenient for you (at 2am) or drive to get serviced while you are at work

I would give up driving if I could have the above

Since you put it that way... Sign me up too!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk and my U S Robotics 14,400 baud modem on aol 2.5

[Air and water do mix]

I'm slightly uneasy about it, but that got me wondering where the uneasyness comes from with this. Is it from lack of control, even though the owner would be sitting behind the wheel, ready to take over at any moment?

Does anyone mind when an airline pilot flicks on autopilot? Seems similar to me. Even when I do fly I'm not really bothered by lack of control, because I realize the pilot or even autopilot are better than I could be, in the same way a Google car could react and analyze traffic faster than I could. Except cars don't carry 100-300 passengers and travel at 500mph. And yet the idea of being in a driverless car seems uneasy to me

Kids don't run in front of airplanes, though.

[l5gcw0b]

Kids don't run in front of airplanes, though.

The bag of goo behind the wheel will never react as fast as a computer.

[1.8Tquattro]

Are DARPAs projects geared towards actual populated surface street travel though,, taking into account other traffic, road signs/markings and pedestrians? Honest question, I'm not sure.

They started out in the desert and moved into more urban environments.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARPA_G...allenge_(2007))

[TM87]

This cant come soon enough... i can see a day where there will be:

- less traffic accidents because you take dumb people out of the equation
- much faster speed limits because a computer can react instantly and detect problems much further ahead
- less bad traffic because a computer doesn’t do all the things that contribute to bad traffic (slow drivers, frequent lane changes, hesitation, slow reactions)
- You'll be able to call you car to come pick you up from wherever you end up
- You'll be able to get out of you car and have the car go find a parking spot for itself
- You'll be able to send a car to pickup something for you like groceries or drop off kids on its own
- You car will be able to go fill up on gas on its own when its convenient for you (at 2am) or drive to get serviced while you are at work

I would give up driving if I could have the above

Except it will be EV, and no need for gas. Since EV reminds us of Volt, Republicans will never allow it to prosper, so this will never work.

[TM87]

In a world of driverless cars, anybody speeding or driving themselves is going to be a huge target.

Also, pretty much any accident they are in will be their fault which will lead to higher insurance.

Computer driver can not choose to sacrifice himself to save others, swerve the driver's side into accident to save woman and baby passengers etc.

Hopefully one of these cars will run over some kids playing in the road and the whole idea will be outlawed.

Been watching I,Robot much???


I'm sure technology will improve and it will be able to miss a random pregnant woman walking in the street. Since all the cars will be automatic, there will be no suden moves, no crazy short stops,no distraction drivers and you wouldn't have to worry about the car reacting to suden changes in traffic.
I'm sure it won't be any more dangerous then current drivers on the road. You want to tell me that average American driver has great driving skills??
If it comes, cool, and we will evolve w it. Just like we did w first cars,planes,trains, internet,cellphones,Facebook and many other things that we can't live w out.

[delrio]

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

That is all.

[bherman13]

I'm slightly uneasy about it, but that got me wondering where the uneasyness comes from with this. Is it from lack of control, even though the owner would be sitting behind the wheel, ready to take over at any moment?

Does anyone mind when an airline pilot flicks on autopilot? Seems similar to me. Even when I do fly I'm not really bothered by lack of control, because I realize the pilot or even autopilot are better than I could be, in the same way a Google car could react and analyze traffic faster than I could. Except cars don't carry 100-300 passengers and travel at 500mph. And yet the idea of being in a driverless car seems uneasy to me

Somebody who actually knows, please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure autopilot only keeps the plane on the correct trajectory at the specified height at the specified speed. It doesn't take off or land by itself, it's just a glorified cruise control. That way the pilot doesn't have to do everything all at once all the time.

[kimilein]

Somebody who actually knows, please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure autopilot only keeps the plane on the correct trajectory at the specified height at the specified speed. It doesn't take off or land by itself, it's just a glorified cruise control. That way the pilot doesn't have to do everything all at once all the time.

You are wrong.

Modern autopilots can do everything from take-off to straight and level flight to approach to the actual landing. I think the only thing that an autopilot cannot do is taxi.

Autopilots in commercial liners are basically giant computers and you can program them to do just about anything as long as you have equipment feeding it the needed information.

If you've flown on a modern airliner recently into a major airport, chances are the take-off and landing may have been done by the autopilot.

[jettagli1991]

I'm doubting this will be mainstream in our lifetimes. The technology is brand new in terms of operating on public roads with traffic and everything else. When it does get more advanced, I can see it being use to drive those who can't drive themselves. The blind, the elderly, etc. I agree that this would be a great way for them to keep independence, and it would likely take a lot of dangerous old folks off the road. Maybe it would take off to replace cab drivers too. Why it will be hard to take off on a large scale:
-People won't want to give up their freedom to drive the way they do, even if they drive a Camry.
-Liability. If I cause an accident and get sued, my insurance pays. It's spread out enough where insurance is still affordable. If my Ford malfunctions and causes a major wreck, now I'm suing Ford, the other driver is suing Ford, and that's happening over and over. Plus Ford has deep pockets, and most insurance policies are limited (and getting money from someone who's broke is a bit tough), so people would be more likely to go after the big money.
-Loss of control. Everyone likes being in control, thinking they're good drivers, even if statistically the self-driving car was much safer. Why do you think so many people fear airplanes to the point of refusing to fly? One plane crash on the news and people freak out, even though it's much safer.
-They still can't make a car that doesn't malfunction. These glitches will carry over to the systems that drive your car. Not to beat a dead horse, but remember the Toyota fiasco?
-Police. Where are their funds coming from? Outside of the inner city most officers spend a majority of time on traffic and parking tickets, and they need that revenue.

I'd say privacy, but most sheep have already given that up. Make sure everyone on Facebook knows where you are and what you've read, and don't forget to let Progressive track your every move for a measly discount. I'm surprised at the number of (newer) posters that would fully support roads with nothing but self-driving cars. Umm, why are you on a car forum again? /end rant for the night.

[stascom]

Meh, call me when AI starts trolling.

[kimilein]

Meh, call me when AI starts trolling.

“Don’t worry, I only forget to recycle the Normandy’s oxygen when I’ve found something truly interesting.”

[stascom]

“Don’t worry, I only forget to recycle the Normandy’s oxygen when I’ve found something truly interesting.”

Which reminds me - I still haven't played the 3rd one

[dieselraver]

I'm doubting this will be mainstream in our lifetimes. The technology is brand new in terms of operating on public roads with traffic and everything else. When it does get more advanced, I can see it being use to drive those who can't drive themselves. The blind, the elderly, etc. I agree that this would be a great way for them to keep independence, and it would likely take a lot of dangerous old folks off the road. Maybe it would take off to replace cab drivers too. Why it will be hard to take off on a large scale:
-People won't want to give up their freedom to drive the way they do, even if they drive a Camry.
-Liability. If I cause an accident and get sued, my insurance pays. It's spread out enough where insurance is still affordable. If my Ford malfunctions and causes a major wreck, now I'm suing Ford, the other driver is suing Ford, and that's happening over and over. Plus Ford has deep pockets, and most insurance policies are limited (and getting money from someone who's broke is a bit tough), so people would be more likely to go after the big money.
-Loss of control. Everyone likes being in control, thinking they're good drivers, even if statistically the self-driving car was much safer. Why do you think so many people fear airplanes to the point of refusing to fly? One plane crash on the news and people freak out, even though it's much safer.
-They still can't make a car that doesn't malfunction. These glitches will carry over to the systems that drive your car. Not to beat a dead horse, but remember the Toyota fiasco?
-Police. Where are their funds coming from? Outside of the inner city most officers spend a majority of time on traffic and parking tickets, and they need that revenue.

I'd say privacy, but most sheep have already given that up. Make sure everyone on Facebook knows where you are and what you've read, and don't forget to let Progressive track your every move for a measly discount. I'm surprised at the number of (newer) posters that would fully support roads with nothing but self-driving cars. Umm, why are you on a car forum again? /end rant for the night.

maybe not in our lifetimes but look at the modern day car, within about 50-80 years cars and technology have exploded multiple fold. computers that were the size of rooms can be described by our parents, now the same processing speed is the BUS memory on CPUS's best of all its constantly evolving.

[Old Windy]

Yes but I wonder if how much Gigabytes it does one quarter of mile at a time. Throwing some age over here but I was expecting a Corey Haim and Corey Feldman reference.....

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095519/

[Brett92]

Thats pretty amazing, but I personally don't care for it much. Would hit CNN lady. That is all.

Yeah, she's hot to me (I always love watching CNN midday), but she's not pretty if that makes sense.

-sorry for lowering the conversation.

[RabbitsKin]

My first thought was how much fun it would be to mess with a driverless car....

Flatten tires, tip it over, decorate it with flamingos.....

[kiznarsh]

Yeah, she's hot to me...but she's not pretty if that makes sense.

So what you're saying is, she's attractive, but you're not attracted to her. Am I right, or am I right?

[l5gcw0b]

I'm doubting this will be mainstream in our lifetimes. The technology is brand new in terms of operating on public roads with traffic and everything else. When it does get more advanced, I can see it being use to drive those who can't drive themselves. The blind, the elderly, etc. I agree that this would be a great way for them to keep independence, and it would likely take a lot of dangerous old folks off the road. Maybe it would take off to replace cab drivers too. Why it will be hard to take off on a large scale:
-People won't want to give up their freedom to drive the way they do, even if they drive a Camry.
-Liability. If I cause an accident and get sued, my insurance pays. It's spread out enough where insurance is still affordable. If my Ford malfunctions and causes a major wreck, now I'm suing Ford, the other driver is suing Ford, and that's happening over and over. Plus Ford has deep pockets, and most insurance policies are limited (and getting money from someone who's broke is a bit tough), so people would be more likely to go after the big money.
-Loss of control. Everyone likes being in control, thinking they're good drivers, even if statistically the self-driving car was much safer. Why do you think so many people fear airplanes to the point of refusing to fly? One plane crash on the news and people freak out, even though it's much safer.
-They still can't make a car that doesn't malfunction. These glitches will carry over to the systems that drive your car. Not to beat a dead horse, but remember the Toyota fiasco?
-Police. Where are their funds coming from? Outside of the inner city most officers spend a majority of time on traffic and parking tickets, and they need that revenue.

I'd say privacy, but most sheep have already given that up. Make sure everyone on Facebook knows where you are and what you've read, and don't forget to let Progressive track your every move for a measly discount. I'm surprised at the number of (newer) posters that would fully support roads with nothing but self-driving cars. Umm, why are you on a car forum again? /end rant for the night.

I'm a car enthusiast. I also hate the driving habits of 99% of the drivers on the road. Having fun on public roads is done imo. It is just not worth the risk and cost if a cop decides to harass you for taking a corner too fast or driving too fast, so I would rather get work done when commuting and running errands.

If more cars are programmed to obey all traffic laws, then less police personnel will be needed to patrol.

[lonewolf]

Sorry Google. BMW beat you to it by a few years.

Not really. BMW is telly-tubby ****e.
The real deal was done by DARPA .. read up on it. Also VW was much closer to this whole thing with Google and Stanford guys. They donated a T-Reg and other things for the Darpa challenge and ultimately won.

[RacerrRex]

The end of the world has begun!

[Brett92]

So what you're saying is, she's attractive, but you're not attracted to her. Am I right, or am I right?

Yeah, I should've included a picture of that thinking raptor because this is deep...

I don't know how to explain it. I guess it's like Katy Perry & Rosie O'Donnell. In no way would I ever say Rosie O'Donnell is attractive, but Katy Perry is. However, they have some similarities.



Maybe it's more of bang-it vs. marry-it issue.

I feel like I'm 16 writing this post.

[|AutoManiac]

Self-driving cars could allow for 12 lane intersections with no stoplights (I know probably not in our lifetime)
http://player.vimeo.com/video/37751380

Won't be long before it'll be on the autox course as well.

[Air and water do mix]

I don't know how to explain it. I guess it's like Katy Perry & Rosie O'Donnell. In no way would I ever say Rosie O'Donnell is attractive, but Katy Perry is. However, they have some similarities.



Maybe it's more of bang-it vs. marry-it issue.

I feel like I'm 16 writing this post.

You're saying you'd bang Rosie? Whaaaaaaaaaat?

[FACTORYBOOST]

How Google has made road head easier.

1. get in car and input destination
2. Recline seat and unzip pants.
3. Enjoy your car ride.

It's like a chauffeur without being able to see inside the car

[Newbie16ver]

I'm doubting this will be mainstream in our lifetimes. The technology is brand new in terms of operating on public roads with traffic and everything else. When it does get more advanced, I can see it being use to drive those who can't drive themselves. The blind, the elderly, etc. I agree that this would be a great way for them to keep independence, and it would likely take a lot of dangerous old folks off the road. Maybe it would take off to replace cab drivers too. Why it will be hard to take off on a large scale:
-People won't want to give up their freedom to drive the way they do, even if they drive a Camry.
-Liability. If I cause an accident and get sued, my insurance pays. It's spread out enough where insurance is still affordable. If my Ford malfunctions and causes a major wreck, now I'm suing Ford, the other driver is suing Ford, and that's happening over and over. Plus Ford has deep pockets, and most insurance policies are limited (and getting money from someone who's broke is a bit tough), so people would be more likely to go after the big money.
-Loss of control. Everyone likes being in control, thinking they're good drivers, even if statistically the self-driving car was much safer. Why do you think so many people fear airplanes to the point of refusing to fly? One plane crash on the news and people freak out, even though it's much safer.
-They still can't make a car that doesn't malfunction. These glitches will carry over to the systems that drive your car. Not to beat a dead horse, but remember the Toyota fiasco?
-Police. Where are their funds coming from? Outside of the inner city most officers spend a majority of time on traffic and parking tickets, and they need that revenue.

I'd say privacy, but most sheep have already given that up. Make sure everyone on Facebook knows where you are and what you've read, and don't forget to let Progressive track your every move for a measly discount. I'm surprised at the number of (newer) posters that would fully support roads with nothing but self-driving cars. Umm, why are you on a car forum again? /end rant for the night.

I'm doubting this will be mainstream in our lifetimes.

It won’t happen overnight, but within our lifetime for sure. Humanity went from a measly few meters of flight in a cloth and wood airplane to passenger airline travel, all within 30 short years. Automated driving is already starting to creep into our lives. Luxury brands offer cruise control that monitors the speed of vehicles in front of you and adjusts speed accordingly. Some cars can park themselves. Some cars come with collision avoidance systems which yank the steering wheel away from a collision. The next step (I’d say within 5 years) is fully automated highway driving where your car will steer for you during cruise control. Somewhere down the line, cars will communicate with each other to optimize traffic. For example, you could have a chain of slipstreaming cars traveling down a highway at 200 km/h inches apart if they are sharing information between each other.

-People won't want to give up their freedom to drive the way they do, even if they drive a Camry.

There is no freedom in mashing the gas and break during a one hour gridlock commute to work. The freedom of owning a car comes from being able to go wherever you want, whenever you want, not the actual process of operating a car. Very few people will chose to operate a car when they realize they can spend that hour reading, surfing on an iPad, getting some extra work done or just sleeping while their car drives them to work.


-Liability. If I cause an accident and get sued, my insurance pays. It's spread out enough where insurance is still affordable. If my Ford malfunctions and causes a major wreck, now I'm suing Ford, the other driver is suing Ford, and that's happening over and over.

There will be virtually no accidents. If the car in front of you blows a tire, it will send out a signal to the cars around it, the car in your blind spot will instantly react by breaking so that your car will have just enough room to slip in infront of it. Seamlessly, every car around the blown tire will have reacted with safety measures well before the sound waves of the blown tire hit your ear. Even if there were accidents, you could just have a liability-less system of people paying a monthly fee into a fund that covers rare cases where loss does occur. No liability, all loss automatically covered.


Loss of control. Everyone likes being in control, thinking they're good drivers, even if statistically the self-driving car was much safer. Why do you think so many people fear airplanes to the point of refusing to fly?

I don’t know how many people fear airplanes to the point of refusing to fly, but last I checked the Lucetania wasn’t sailing back and forth between the Europe and the U.S. People give up control when it’s no longer convenient to retain control.

They still can't make a car that doesn't malfunction. These glitches will carry over to the systems that drive your car. Not to beat a dead horse, but remember the Toyota fiasco?

The Toyota fiasco was human error. YES, it was caused by a malfunctioning part, but it was drivers who were either too scared or too dumb to put their cars into neutral. It’s much easier to design fail safe systems with many layers of backups when you remove the human error from the equation.

[RabbitsKin]

I hope it happens, so I can keep my car on manual control while all you other putzes are zombie-ing along in your transportation pods

[Air and water do mix]

The Toyota fiasco was human error. YES, it was caused by a malfunctioning part, but it was drivers who were either too scared or too dumb to put their cars into neutral. It’s much easier to design fail safe systems with many layers of backups when you remove the human error from the equation.

Not so fast there, partner. There was a problem with the Toyotas and there's a video on the internet of a guy who nursed his car to a dealership by shifting it to neutral to slow down, putting it back into gear to move it, shifting back to neutral etc. If I remember correctly, it had happened before to that particular car, but after he switched it off, he couldn't duplicate the condition and there was nothing in the car's memory to tell the dealer that there was a problem at all. After getting it to the dealer with the engine screaming, the video shows the service writer saying he didn't know what the problem was. None of the floor mat issues or driver error problems were to blame.

This is not to say that the vast majority* of the "problems" weren't driver error and floor mat interference, but there is a problem, however minute.

*99% or more? Probably something like that, but there's no way to know.

[roadtripper]

katie perry looks like a thin odonnell because she IS a thin odonnell. are there any grown men who find katy perry attractive? her face is quite unpretty. same as those girls you mention who manage to be hot but not pretty. most of them look a little starved and a lot crazy, and you might not like the results when they get "comfy" in their "own skin." (death of traditional family structure)

driverless cars IS the end of the world. google is skynet. bill gates hides a swarm of locusts in his waistcoat. the speed with which the overlords have dumbed and emasculated society down to the level that is necessary to perpetrate this fantastical sch!t in broad daylight is astounding. (death of journalism, self-sufficiency, and education)

they'll be after our egos next. making driverless cars seem less like a slippery slope and more like a coup de grace. (death of self)

[McBanagon]

"What is the matter with you? Traffic Ops tells me you're driving your car manually. You ran two trucks off the road!"

[Bonanza]

Not one person yet has mentioned cost as roadblock to this. That is the main reason this wont be big for another 20-30 years.