Will our cars be driving us?

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20 Jan 2009, 5:24 pm

Will our cars be driving us? I hear of cars that are supposed to come out in the future that provide a taxi-like experience for their users.

pakled
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20 Jan 2009, 5:34 pm

a ways away, I hope, from some of the drivers around these parts. I think theirs are programmed for 'demolition derby'...

garyww
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20 Jan 2009, 9:01 pm

Have you been in a NYC taxi? That is not a good thing to say they will be providing.

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t0
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21 Jan 2009, 12:39 pm

I seriously doubt it. If the technology was there and worth the financial expense, they'd already be doing it with trains. Automating trains would be so much easier due to the fixed tracks. But we still have humans driving them and still have wrecks due to human error.

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21 Jan 2009, 2:40 pm

On the other hand, planes take off and land just fine on their own. Pilots are there for exceptional events.

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21 Jan 2009, 3:24 pm

I'm sure it will happen in the future sometime. I wouldnt buy one, though, I like driving!

twoshots
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21 Jan 2009, 10:59 pm

DeLoreanDude wrote:

I'm sure it will happen in the future sometime. I wouldnt buy one, though, I like driving!

Well, I would hope it isn't going to force you to let it drive.

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22 Jan 2009, 8:01 am

there are some self-driving cars out there, of course they have to recognise the road, amongst other things, and aren't particularly viable

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Tim_Tex
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22 Jan 2009, 2:02 pm

I hope not, I enjoy driving.

Flismflop
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22 Jan 2009, 3:16 pm

I wish that was available right now. Driving uses up time that I'd rather spend doing other activities, not to mention that collisions and other mishaps would be reduced if the vehicles and roads were all synced together. I don't know how it could be possible though, since there's always pedestrian traffic to watch out for (some of it non-human). We can't be sure that all wildlife would be wearing beacons.

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DentArthurDent
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23 Jan 2009, 2:08 am

I think it will happen in a relatively short period of time, Mercedes already have system that on cruise control maintains the distance from cars in front and brings the car to a controlled stop in traffic without the drivers input. combine this with improvements to GPS and I would say that we are not far away 15 - 20 years at most.

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garyww
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23 Jan 2009, 11:41 am

Any of you guys remember the 'runaway' Audi's from about 10 years ago?

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t0
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23 Jan 2009, 1:19 pm

Fuzzy wrote:

On the other hand, planes take off and land just fine on their own. Pilots are there for exceptional events.

Planes do not schedule their time on the runway nor avoid other planes in the air. Yes, you can run the program to take off and land the plane, but there's more going on before you could automate it completely.

The same goes for cars. You can detect obstacles and stop to avoid them. You can use GPS to determine if you're on a road. But the systems aren't good enough to tell you which lane you're in or what the computerized cars around you are doing. Or where there is construction or potholes or animals in the road.

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23 Jan 2009, 1:55 pm

t0 wrote:

Fuzzy wrote:

You can use GPS to determine if you're on a road. But the systems aren't good enough to tell you which lane you're in or what the computerized cars around you are doing. Or where there is construction or potholes or animals in the road.

And GPS road data is only as good as the data entry. Recently a van load of people ended up driving straight into a lake at night because their GPS didn't know the road had been closed and a new reservoir opened there.
Engine in gear. Check.
Brain out of gear. Check.
GPS on. Check.
Eyes off. Check.

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