do we want driverless cars?

[Cd]

Originally Posted by HydroJim

But, on the other hand, it may further turn us into mindless bodies and put us under more control.

I think we are already there

[sheepdog 44]

Well, it would be great for teenagers who text, drive reckless, old people with bad vision, or people who drink. It could save more lives than just the occupants!

But then again, when would people ever learn to drive safe by themselves? Less skilled drivers would become dependent on it.

[niky]

I think two or three parallel systems might minimize downtime or hang-time. Have it as autopilot by consensus. If one system says danger, prime the brakes and re-evaluate. If two say danger, take action.

Heck. That's probably how they'll do it, anyway. Many automotive systems have built in redundancy for safety reasons.

[Christ]

Originally Posted by niky

I think two or three parallel systems might minimize downtime or hang-time. Have it as autopilot by consensus. If one system says danger, prime the brakes and re-evaluate. If two say danger, take action.

Heck. That's probably how they'll do it, anyway. Many automotive systems have built in redundancy for safety reasons.

Great, more stuff for me to have to work-around/deactivate when I feel like having fun with my car in empty parking lots or taking it to an auto-x event.

[niky]

Most sports cars come with an off-button for the nannies, anyway.

And if they don't, you can be pretty sure some owners' club somewhere will have a "hacks" thread on it within months of the car's release.

[Christ]

Originally Posted by niky

Most sports cars come with an off-button for the nannies, anyway.

And if they don't, you can be pretty sure some owners' club somewhere will have a "hacks" thread on it within months of the car's release.

Of course they will... that doesn't mean I actually want to do that stuff, risk warranties, etc. to modify a car so that I can drive the hell out of it for fun when I want to.

And the "off" button rarely does everything necessary to make a street car suitable at it's highest performance level for any kind of racing or track driving.

[euromodder]

Revisit the DARPA challenge on Discovery to see many of the issues with automated automobiles.

Driving is more of a challenge than we think it is

Malfunction of say the lane-keeping or distance keeping instruments can / will have fatal consequences.

[niky]

Something Mercedes found out, to its dismay, when it demonstrated its radar-equipped automatic safety system inside a steel structure and...

[gone-ot]

A quote of note: "...the best laid plans of mice and men..."

[Xist]

Originally Posted by Flakbadger

Fair enough, I guess I was just assuming cars could run at a consistent speed and close together, eliminating human error. Even if the traffic only drove at 20 MPH it would be much more efficient than the current stop-and-go.

Honestly, a steady 2 MPH would be an improvement.

People have asked me many times if I would trust computers to drive for me. I respond "Why not?! I do not trust other drivers!"

I have been hearing about this technology for many years and it always seems like we do not have it because people fear unknown technologies--not that I welcome a two-ton projectile to drive at me at 100MPH. There will be problems, but there are problems with human drivers, too. Humans cannot be "hacked," but we have a tendency to drink, text, and do other inadvisable activities while driving.

I guess that it comes down to when computers will be better drivers on average than humans.

Cd, yes, if this technology is worthwhile, the poor will be at a disadvantage. I see two trends in government:

1. Making cars (and industry) safer, cleaner, and less economical.
2. Subsidizing the poor.

Anyway, I need to get back to my anatomy. Right now I have my computer reading my anatomy notes. That technology is decades old and continues to disappoint me!