Cars of the Future ? Self Driving Cars?

Apparently a lot of car companies are believing that autonomous or self driving cars are the wave of the future. Many experts believe that these self driving technologies will lower traffic congestion, decrease casualties, and ultimately lower transportation costs. Has anyone else heard of any other technologies that may be in cars of future?

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reply to post by demonid011


Awesome looking car! I wouldn't have trouble with self-driving cars. It would take awhile getting used to (always worrying if the self-driving mechanism could fail). It would definitely cut down traffic congestion and eliminate accidents. What I like about it, on long trips you can just sit back, take a nap, read a book, play a game and presto before you know it, you're at your destination!

I would think if all cars were self-driving, they could increase the speed limits on highways to maybe 80-100 miles an hour! If they're all programmed to keep a safe distance between cars and are that reliable, than lets decrease the amount of time it takes to get from point A to point B! State Troopers and police can now spend more time fighting crime rather than giving people speeding tickets!

M.T. Keshe supposedly has a levitating (flying) car. HE keeps saying alot about his technology, but I see only a drip/drab about his plasma reactor.

With self driving cars, what I want to know is this:

If your self-driving car is driving you home after you'd been out drinking and it malfunctions...

Do you get a DUI. Technically, the car was driving and you were merely a passenger. Having that said, you are the owner of the self-driving car...

One of the issues here is liability. Self-driving cars may seem great to people, and there is no doubt the industry is moving that way, but what happens when one of these things screws up and kills someone? Unless you believe that perfect software and perfect execution will prevent such a thing. How can you hold a "driver" responsible of he doesn't have control of the vehicle? This issue came up over on Slashdot a few weeks ago, but people would not engage on this issue. They just thought self-driving cars were the perfect answer to life, the universe, and everything.

reply to post by demonid011

Here is a photo of GOOGLE's Self-driving car a few months ago.



And the Auto company I work for has a self-parking vehicle (parallel) as well.

If self driving cars become the norm imagine:

Only the country folk now how to really drive a car. No automation for gravel roads.

Automated racing pitting the Ferrari algorithm against the Google algorithm.

Never again having to park your car. It just drops you off at the door and then comes back to the door to pick you up.

Road trains drafting multiple cars for increased mileage for cross country trips.

Worst thoughts
Remote control of multiple cars as a terrorist ploy.

What happens when the controls fail. Will there be a good heaven forbid a manual mode that all of the automatons can use safely?

With a black box installed and with automated control how many less highway patrol would we need? Speed in the car manually and it gives you a fresh ticket right out of your dash. Takes the money out of your account , locks you in and takes you to jail.

reply to post by MystikMushroom


Well considering you can get a DUI for having your keys in your pocket when your drunk sitting in the car, I think that you would indeed get a DUI if the car was driving itself. It's still technically under your control.

The self driving car would have to have reduntant systems should the main systems fail. Its the only way to do it.

Secondly, it would have to have a "manual" feature for the situations that require you to take over and be "off" of the grid.

The self driving car would also NOT let itself be driven if it had system failures once it was at a destination. At its destination, it would call for a service person to fix it. The service would have to be free since it is part of the Safety Feature of the car. The service plan is in the original sticker price as well. No vehicles on the road that are in disrepair.

Domo1
reply to post by MystikMushroom

 

Well considering you can get a DUI for having your keys in your pocket when your drunk sitting in the car, I think that you would indeed get a DUI if the car was driving itself. It's still technically under your control.

That's the crucial issue. Technically, it's NOT under your control, any more than you can get a DUI for riding a bus while drunk. It's under the control of something/some person OTHER than you.

Kiss a very large chunk of your privacy goodbye. The nature of the technology that allows vehicles to drive themselves dictates that like with your cell phone, you're location will be known by the system in real time, recorded for all time and of course available to pretty much anybody for whatever reasons. Of course we could demand that proper privacy legislation be put into effec....hold on for a minute, Dancing With The Stars is on.

schuyler

Domo1
reply to post by MystikMushroom

 

Well considering you can get a DUI for having your keys in your pocket when your drunk sitting in the car, I think that you would indeed get a DUI if the car was driving itself. It's still technically under your control.

That's the crucial issue. Technically, it's NOT under your control, any more than you can get a DUI for riding a bus while drunk. It's under the control of something/some person OTHER than you.

I disagree, still completely under your control. You start it, if you slam the brakes it stops, if you want you can take over. Unless it is 100% autonomous (which I doubt it will be for 100 years) you are under control. Just the ability to gain control means you are in control. Like how sitting in your car drunk with the keys in your pocket can get you a DUI. These cars will allow the driver to take over, and just that ability is enough to say you are in control.

We can argue who is technically in control, but I am 99% sure in the eyes of the law you will be considered in control of the vehicle even if it's driving itself. Especially when drunk. That is unless you are able to completely lock out any driver input or ability to take control of the vehicle.

This is an interesting side discussion though. Who will the insurance companies consider at fault if the car messes up? I suppose the thing will be so full of monitoring equipment it would be rather obvious, but still. I'm all for my car driving me home when I'm drunk, but I don't think it's going to happen for a LOOOONG time. I need to go hug my car, I love her and don't want her knowing I talked about this.

We already kind of have those... There's an Audi and Ford that park themselves and can be programmed to drive and park through an Iphone. There's also cars that detect collisions and apply the break for you automatically. So.... yeah. It wouldn't be hard to create a fully functioning car that you dont even have to touch. It's in our grasp to produce one this very moment by all means. But as you know technology and corporations don't work that way, they want to work their way up by adding these technologically advanced features little by little for sustained profit margin.

...Just like they do with Iphone models

I suppose it is likely that self driven cars will take over.

I still believe that public transportation based on a rail system which provides the power would be the most ideal setup. I think cars for the most part should be eliminated.

MystikMushroom
With self driving cars, what I want to know is this:

If your self-driving car is driving you home after you'd been out drinking and it malfunctions...

Do you get a DUI. Technically, the car was driving and you were merely a passenger. Having that said, you are the owner of the self-driving car...

For the forseeable future the car will still need a "driver" even while self driving. That person will be responsible, so yes, you'd get a DUI.

deloreans are going to be equipped with time travelling fusion reactors, flux capacitors, and hover wheels

reply to post by schuyler


yeah im not really sure how that would work with liability, say your systems fail and you hit someone or something...I guess I could first see these systems being available on highways as opposed to residential streets. I believe CA has already legalized self driving cars believe it or not.

reply to post by demonid011


They aren't exactly legal. Basically they allowed companies to get permits to be used for testing, the average person can not own one. It's the future though. The same is happening in Europe.