RE: Google: Driverless Car Could Save A Million Lives
Monday 11th April 2011
Sebastian Thrun, leader of Google's driverless car project has said that the embryonic technology could save a million lives a year should it entirely replace human-operated vehicles
Google: Driverless Car Could Save A Million Lives
Is the driverless car close to reality? Google's Sebastian Thrun thinks so
We all know Google is going to rule the world one day, but Thrun's claim is pretty ambitious even for Google. Still, the search engine's driverless test cars (Toyota Priuses) have covered more than 140,000 miles so far. On public roads.
The driverless Prius's feats so far include negotiating busy city streets, motorways, country roads and even a San Francisco to LA road trip along the famous Highway 1 coastal route.
Thrun, a professor at Stanford university, reckons that future generations "will look back at us and say how ridiculous it was that humans were driving cars." Which, we suppose, is all right if you see driving as a chore. But what if you happen to actually like it?
Discussion
Like this! Be good to have the best of both worlds (which I think might be likely).
Lane control and distance control are relatively easily solvable (or already solved), so shleps along motorways and 3 lane A roads can be got on with by the car while dozing.
Most suburban roads and country lanes will be more difficult to instrument and for cars to negotiate automatically (think how much your parking sensors freak when near bushes/trees), so we'll still be able to play, and be more fresh from not having to concentrate on the boring bits.
High streets with lots of pedestrians (also less fun to drive down) will also be more controlled which is fine by me, giving me a better chance to see how cool I look in my car in the shop windows :-)
Lane control and distance control are relatively easily solvable (or already solved), so shleps along motorways and 3 lane A roads can be got on with by the car while dozing.
Most suburban roads and country lanes will be more difficult to instrument and for cars to negotiate automatically (think how much your parking sensors freak when near bushes/trees), so we'll still be able to play, and be more fresh from not having to concentrate on the boring bits.
High streets with lots of pedestrians (also less fun to drive down) will also be more controlled which is fine by me, giving me a better chance to see how cool I look in my car in the shop windows :-)
I really hope people start to stand behind this. it would make my commute so much cheaper (practically zero insurance cost) the car could have less power be smaller and be cheaper to run and i can use my driving in to work time productively.
These factors together would mean i would probably have an extra 2-3k / year to shove into the track day toy.
They will however need to make sure they have factored car trailers into their programming
These factors together would mean i would probably have an extra 2-3k / year to shove into the track day toy.
They will however need to make sure they have factored car trailers into their programming
DeadMeat_UK said:
Like this! Be good to have the best of both worlds (which I think might be likely).
Lane control and distance control are relatively easily solvable (or already solved), so shleps along motorways and 3 lane A roads can be got on with by the car while dozing.
Most suburban roads and country lanes will be more difficult to instrument and for cars to negotiate automatically (think how much your parking sensors freak when near bushes/trees), so we'll still be able to play, and be more fresh from not having to concentrate on the boring bits.
High streets with lots of pedestrians (also less fun to drive down) will also be more controlled which is fine by me, giving me a better chance to see how cool I look in my car in the shop windows :-)
...and judging by the frequency at which my sensors fail/get cranky there'd need to be a number of fail-safes. Litigation for accidents that will inevitably still occur could get interesting where a vehicle has been properly maintained.Lane control and distance control are relatively easily solvable (or already solved), so shleps along motorways and 3 lane A roads can be got on with by the car while dozing.
Most suburban roads and country lanes will be more difficult to instrument and for cars to negotiate automatically (think how much your parking sensors freak when near bushes/trees), so we'll still be able to play, and be more fresh from not having to concentrate on the boring bits.
High streets with lots of pedestrians (also less fun to drive down) will also be more controlled which is fine by me, giving me a better chance to see how cool I look in my car in the shop windows :-)
Agreed, beguining of the end. Has anyone seen the film Wall E? Thats how we will all end up, just drones who have had all the excitement of life taken away.
For one i actually enjoy driving and do not ever want a car that can drive or park its self!
life is frought with danger and yes accidents do happen! its just a fact. A million peoples lives could be saved if they just looked when crossing the road? used their mirrors when manouvering!
Why do these stupid idiots want cars that can drive themselves? its just lazy, pushing those pedals is the most exercise some people get!!! and if you want animated transport, stick to a bus or a train dont ruin it for the rest of us.
angry.
For one i actually enjoy driving and do not ever want a car that can drive or park its self!
life is frought with danger and yes accidents do happen! its just a fact. A million peoples lives could be saved if they just looked when crossing the road? used their mirrors when manouvering!
Why do these stupid idiots want cars that can drive themselves? its just lazy, pushing those pedals is the most exercise some people get!!! and if you want animated transport, stick to a bus or a train dont ruin it for the rest of us.
angry.
jpp said:
...and judging by the frequency at which my sensors fail/get cranky there'd need to be a number of fail-safes. Litigation for accidents that will inevitably still occur could get interesting where a vehicle has been properly maintained.
You could have written the same thing about tyres
ABS
traction control
clutches
headlights
active suspension
at given points in the last decade or two.
But who is responsible in an accident? We all know parking sensors and computers do fail from time to time and they are no where near as complex as something like this. So who would be responsible for a death? The driver? The car company? The garage who maintained it?
I for one would not feel very relaxed in a car driving itself if I knew I was still responsible for its actions.
I for one would not feel very relaxed in a car driving itself if I knew I was still responsible for its actions.
Why is this a great idea?????????????????????
I bought a subaru impreza to drive it! <---- once this come in we will never have cars like subaru, ferrari 458, aston martin dbs, lamborghini, ariel atom, lancia delta intergrali. do you people really want this!!!!! call your self piston heads!
I bought a subaru impreza to drive it! <---- once this come in we will never have cars like subaru, ferrari 458, aston martin dbs, lamborghini, ariel atom, lancia delta intergrali. do you people really want this!!!!! call your self piston heads!
Snoggledog said:
As much as I hate the idea of a computer doing all the driving for me this type of system will probably happen in the next few years 
Totally agree! Going by history alone, take Stanford and Palo Alto out of the equation and the world would be a very different place! Facebook, HP, Apple, Tesla, etc etc, it'l probably be on our streets in 2, maybe 3 years!! Oh, and everyone will love it too!
DeadMeat_UK said:
jpp said:
...and judging by the frequency at which my sensors fail/get cranky there'd need to be a number of fail-safes. Litigation for accidents that will inevitably still occur could get interesting where a vehicle has been properly maintained.
You could have written the same thing about tyres
ABS
traction control
clutches
headlights
active suspension
at given points in the last decade or two.
This is the same question the AI people have been asking for decades - if you built a robot with AI and it killed someone would you still be responsible for it? But what if you sold that robot to someone else? Would they be responsible for it? Or is it the robot that is responsible? Does that mean the robot is dangerous and should be banned? But if you then made another you could kill people without retribution...
I think it is fantastic but a bit too focused his own perspective.
He only used the example of commuting and traffic jams, in this particular instance; yes, the self driving car would be incredibly valuable, but why does that have anything to do with the use of other energy sources? Just whack it on a petrol car and it makes no difference. What if people also drive for pleasure? The expression "going for a drive" would be redundant as you would just end up at best plotting a route nearby... spontanious much?
So a large percentage of accidents happen due to driver fault. Why not have the self driving system as an "Autopilot feature" should you want it? If it's so clever that it can drive while other cars without it are on the road then (as they have proven) that shouldn't be a problem. I think it is being advertised the wrong way, he shouldn't advertise it as "safety technology", but instead as a luxury for those who don't like driving but like their own vehicle while a full time chauffer isn't necessary.
With fuel prices and traffic monitoring becoming more and more of an issue, I can't help but feel that car enthusiasts are being outcasted further and further every day.
He only used the example of commuting and traffic jams, in this particular instance; yes, the self driving car would be incredibly valuable, but why does that have anything to do with the use of other energy sources? Just whack it on a petrol car and it makes no difference. What if people also drive for pleasure? The expression "going for a drive" would be redundant as you would just end up at best plotting a route nearby... spontanious much?
So a large percentage of accidents happen due to driver fault. Why not have the self driving system as an "Autopilot feature" should you want it? If it's so clever that it can drive while other cars without it are on the road then (as they have proven) that shouldn't be a problem. I think it is being advertised the wrong way, he shouldn't advertise it as "safety technology", but instead as a luxury for those who don't like driving but like their own vehicle while a full time chauffer isn't necessary.
With fuel prices and traffic monitoring becoming more and more of an issue, I can't help but feel that car enthusiasts are being outcasted further and further every day.
renrut said:
But ultimately the driver is still responsible for the vehicle in all those cases. And all of those systems are known to fail without 100% accurate prediction. This would take the driver out of the responsibility of driving but would they 'driver' still be responsible for the cars actions?
This is the same question the AI people have been asking for decades - if you built a robot with AI and it killed someone would you still be responsible for it? But what if you sold that robot to someone else? Would they be responsible for it? Or is it the robot that is responsible? Does that mean the robot is dangerous and should be banned? But if you then made another you could kill people without retribution...
Fair points. So the lawyers gain again This is the same question the AI people have been asking for decades - if you built a robot with AI and it killed someone would you still be responsible for it? But what if you sold that robot to someone else? Would they be responsible for it? Or is it the robot that is responsible? Does that mean the robot is dangerous and should be banned? But if you then made another you could kill people without retribution...
I think looking at the big picture and aiming high is always good way to progress, however what you eventually end up with in these big schemes is usually flawed and compromised. I can see this system operating on motorways quite well. This though is the safest format of road where the benefits will be modest (though I will welcome a 4 hour kip in the car as it speeds me from York to London at 70). Most crashes are at modest speeds so start selling your body shop shares now. Most fatalities are on faster A & B type roads where the most fun is to be had. I do believe the fly by wire Airbus with 3 computer systems controlling it so that could not crash killed all on board is a good example of not quite living up to the hype. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EM0hDchVlY.
Let’s say we as a planet all jump in to our squillion crash less cars an off we go down the a/b road together. Now I'm sure the wonderful technology will do a good job for most of us and overall lives will be saved on the whole. But whilst relaxing in your seat your mind may wonder back to the airbus and possibly the lottery (It could be you!) are you going to leave it in auto....or switch to manual?
As Bob Monkhouse said....I want to die like my father, peacefully in his sleep.....not screaming like his passengers!
Let’s say we as a planet all jump in to our squillion crash less cars an off we go down the a/b road together. Now I'm sure the wonderful technology will do a good job for most of us and overall lives will be saved on the whole. But whilst relaxing in your seat your mind may wonder back to the airbus and possibly the lottery (It could be you!) are you going to leave it in auto....or switch to manual?
As Bob Monkhouse said....I want to die like my father, peacefully in his sleep.....not screaming like his passengers!
It is great saving lives but it removes personal responsibility from people so they then just stop looking out for each other and rely on the technology only….Folk who need this shouldn't be driving.
Also the change over will be interesting as you can see some challenging an autonomous car to avoid them!!!
Bad idea
Also the change over will be interesting as you can see some challenging an autonomous car to avoid them!!!
Bad idea
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