Automated cars. The future?

[BaBaBlacksheep]

So most of you have probably heard by now that Uber is getting into the automated (no driver) car business. They're field testing a small fleet of these cars in Pittsburg at the moment. (There is for now a driver ready to take over if the system fails) But cars that completely drive themselves look to be the future. Other companies are heavily researching this technology for trucks.

What's everyone's thoughts on this? Would you purchase a car in the future that drove for you? Would you feel safe? Personally you'll have to pry the steering wheel out of my cold dead hands. I'm never going to buy or ride in a "robo car." And if I see one of things driving next to me my ass is pulling over. The idea of taking a long road trip with the car driving for me is appealing.... but I can't see myself ever trusting the tech enough to let it happen.

One of the ethical issues I've read about is if it looks like a deadly crash is unavoidable.... do you program the car to save the driver's life? Or do you program the car to save the most people's lives? For instance, if the car could avoid running into a crowd of people (and save many lives) do you program the car to run off the road, (killing the driver) but saving the crowd of people? Or do you program it to always prioritize saving the driver even if it means more people may die? We may soon have computers making life or death decisions like this for us.

On a larger level, this level of automation scares the shit out of me. We could end up living in a time where all truckers and taxi/Uber drivers are put out of business. I'm sure other technologies will replace other workers in other businesses. Say fast food workers. Or pilots is one I've heard thrown around. What's the end game here? Do we live in a society 100 years from now where most jobs are replaced by technology? Why not hire robot teachers? They'll never get tired, are cheaper, and don't have those pesky retirement plans to worry about. Robot surgeons? Much more accurate than a human being.... And yes, I'm being overly dramatic on purpose.... but I think we're entering an interesting phase.

 

[airtime143]

So most of you have probably heard by now that Uber is getting into the automated (no driver) car business. They're field testing a small fleet of these cars in Pittsburg at the moment. (There is for now a driver ready to take over if the system fails) But cars that completely drive themselves look to be the future. Other companies are heavily researching this technology for trucks.

What's everyone's thoughts on this? Would you purchase a car in the future that drove for you? Would you feel safe? Personally you'll have to pry the steering wheel out of my cold dead hands. I'm never going to buy or ride in a "robo car." And if I see one of things driving next to me my ass is pulling over. The idea of taking a long road trip with the car driving for me is appealing.... but I can't see myself ever trusting the tech enough to let it happen.

One of the ethical issues I've read about is if it looks like a deadly crash is unavoidable.... do you program the car to save the driver's life? Or do you program the car to save the most people's lives? For instance, if the car could avoid running into a crowd of people (and save many lives) do you program the car to run off the road, (killing the driver) but saving the crowd of people? Or do you program it to always prioritize saving the driver even if it means more people may die? We may soon have computers making life or death decisions like this for us.

On a larger level, this level of automation scares the shit out of me. We could end up living in a time where all truckers and taxi/Uber drivers are put out of business. I'm sure other technologies will replace other workers in other businesses. Say fast food workers. Or pilots is one I've heard thrown around. What's the end game here? Do we live in a society 100 years from now where most jobs are replaced by technology? Why not hire robot teachers? They'll never get tired, are cheaper, and don't have those pesky retirement plans to worry about. Robot surgeons? Much more accurate than a human being.... And yes, I'm being overly dramatic on purpose.... but I think we're entering an interesting phase.

My lady was at a technology seminar with Michio Kiku, and got a chance to talk to him about technological advancements coming down the pipe- and he believes that there are people living now who may never drive a car themselves if they choose not to- He believes the technology will be widely used within 16-20 years.

 

[airtime143]

As far as ethics in a no win situation... I would imagine deceleration with limited swerving would be the protocal.

I would imagine that self driving freight would still require a failsafe (person).

People will still be needed for manufacture, repair and maintenance for all the machines.

Looking FAAAAR ahead, you can only hope that society will evolve to the point where money is not the endgame- a star trek style quest for knowledge being the ultimate goal.


Interesting conversational topic.

 

[BaBaBlacksheep]

How is this news?

[video=youtube;eQvb_mFMbHw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQvb_mFMbHw[/video]

I loved that show as a kid.

 

[BaBaBlacksheep]

As far as ethics in a no win situation... I would imagine deceleration with limited swerving would be the protocal.

I would imagine that self driving freight would still require a failsafe (person).

People will still be needed for manufacture, repair and maintenance for all the machines.

Looking FAAAAR ahead, you can only hope that society will evolve to the point where money is not the endgame- a star trek style quest for knowledge being the ultimate goal.


Interesting conversational topic.

I think the end goal is to eliminate the driver entirely. (reducing costs substantially) They're also throwing around statistics that this will actually be much safer since computers are better drivers than people.

 

[Hawkeye OG]

I think the end goal is to eliminate the driver entirely. (reducing costs substantially) They're also throwing around statistics that this will actually be much safer since computers are better drivers than people.

But in that instance, I think you need to have EVERY car being driven by a computer. You can't half ass it and have some human drivers and some computer drivers. That would never work. People are to sporadic when they drive. Unless there are lanes strictly for Computers and lanes strictly for humans. :shrug:

 

[Ares]

But in that instance, I think you need to have EVERY car being driven by a computer. You can't half ass it and have some human drivers and some computer drivers. That would never work. People are to sporadic when they drive. Unless there are lanes strictly for Computers and lanes strictly for humans. :shrug:

I think they have no choice but to go for a hybrid model..... computer driven cars will need to be able to drive alongside humans..... my guess is they will all drive like slow/careful old people.... they will make traffic worse at first.... but the more they take over, the better it will become.

Imagine being at a stoplight behind 12 cars right now..... it turns green and every driver's reaction time creates a lag to traffic movement.... so depending on the light you might not even make it thru... if all 12 cars are computer controlled.... car 1 goes, car 2 reacts in an exact timeframe, car 3 reacts in an exact timeframe, etc.... so long as they all begin moving within say 2 seconds of the car in front of them moving you might get double the traffic thru that light than you would with human drivers.


I think it is an interesting future..... old people who can't drive can still be mobile and safe with their own vehicle if a computer can drive for them.

 

[airtime143]

I think they have no choice but to go for a hybrid model..... computer driven cars will need to be able to drive alongside humans..... my guess is they will all drive like slow/careful old people.... they will make traffic worse at first.... but the more they take over, the better it will become.

Imagine being at a stoplight behind 12 cars right now..... it turns green and every driver's reaction time creates a lag to traffic movement.... so depending on the light you might not even make it thru... if all 12 cars are computer controlled.... car 1 goes, car 2 reacts in an exact timeframe, car 3 reacts in an exact timeframe, etc.... so long as they all begin moving within say 2 seconds of the car in front of them moving you might get double the traffic thru that light than you would with human drivers.

To that point, I recently read an article where traffic delays could be reduced by up to 30% with one simple addition- a countdown timer to the green at stoplights.
People fiddling around with phones or looking for crap in their glove boxes or on the floor at stops would have a better idea of when to knock it off and get ready to drive.

I think it is an interesting future..... old people who can't drive can still be mobile and safe with their own vehicle if a computer can drive for them.

That would be a life saver for me- My mom is too rickety and drunk to drive, so I am her chauffer when she needs to go shopping- I would absolutely buy her a self driving car if it would get her engaged with the world more.

 

[Urblock]

I think the end goal is to eliminate the driver entirely. (reducing costs substantially) They're also throwing around statistics that this will actually be much safer since computers are better drivers than people.

Computers never fuckup.

 

[Burque]

I personally think we will see a huge switch to this in the next 5-10 years. people are going to stop owning cars entirely, and just use a service like uber to get around. It will be overall less expensive than paying gas insurance and maintenance.

I do not think the Millennials will be the ones to give up driving, but the generation or two after will have almost no manual drivers.


Edit: I own at least one vehicle that has a manual transmission, and I am thinking about adding one that has no computer and points and plugs. Sometimes old faithful will outlast technology.

 

[airtime143]

Computers never fuckup.

Sorry bout the delay in thanking your post... my computer locked up.

 

[Ares]

Computers never fuckup.

Cause humans don't? Lol think about the point ur making

 

[airtime143]

I personally think we will see a huge switch to this in the next 5-10 years. people are going to stop owning cars entirely, and just use a service like uber to get around. It will be overall less expensive than paying gas insurance and maintenance.

I do not think the Millennials will be the ones to give up driving, but the generation or two after will have almost no manual drivers.

That would be cool as hell if it did take off... Imagine the car mods that could be done if the interior of a vehicle was changed from a cockpit to a waiting room.
A mobile stabbin cabin.

 

[airtime143]

What's everyone's thoughts on this? Would you purchase a car in the future that drove for you? Would you feel safe? Personally you'll have to pry the steering wheel out of my cold dead hands. I'm never going to buy or ride in a "robo car." And if I see one of things driving next to me my ass is pulling over. The idea of taking a long road trip with the car driving for me is appealing.... but I can't see myself ever trusting the tech enough to let it happen.
.

To the bolded- I believe my drive/fly demarcation point would extend much further- with the time invested in getting to the airport and going through all the BS, I might be willing to let my car drive me up to 12-16 hours and sleep along the way.

 

[xer0h0ur]

LOLWUT? Uber is beating Apple at their own game? I don't know how Uber is managing to more successfully make self-driving cars than the most profitable tech company on the planet.

 

[Tater]

If somehow the GPS signals were blocked or disabled, everything would shut down.

 

[Monster]

If somehow the GPS signals were blocked or disabled, everything would shut down.

If all GPS goes encripted hug your family.
You got about 17 minutes.

 

[Urblock]

Cause humans don't? Lol think about the point ur making

I'm a better driver than 95% of people that get behind the wheel. I scan things a mile ahead and notice things before most people. We have too many drivers that suck but I will never turn it over to a machine. It would be easier to start killing bad drivers. After a couple of years this policy would make the roads safer.

 

[Crystallas]

LOLWUT? Uber is beating Apple at their own game? I don't know how Uber is managing to more successfully make self-driving cars than the most profitable tech company on the planet.

Because Apple has never made anything from scratch. They buy or steal from others, and call it their own development. This isn't meant to be a jab at apple, but how they truly opperate. Designers don't create, they pick and choose.

 

[Hawkeye OG]

I'm a better driver than 95% of people that get behind the wheel. I scan things a mile ahead and notice things before most people. We have too many drivers that suck but I will never turn it over to a machine. It would be easier to start killing bad drivers. After a couple of years this policy would make the roads safer.

I fully expect automated cars to take off and in 30 years, I will still be the old **** driving myself around.