Google Driverless Cars

[bigmack]

A state bill with new rules for self-driving cars just passed, allowing Google's fleet of hybrid vehicles to hit the road in Nevada soon.


As Google explains it, its automated cars use video cameras, radar sensors and a laser range finder to "see" other traffic and detailed maps to navigate the road ahead. The Google advantage comes from its data centers, which can process enormous amounts of information gathered by its cars when mapping their terrain.

Google modestly believes it may have achieved "a first in robotics research," but if the claims it makes are true, it has achieved a once-in-a-generation breakthrough. Its automated cars have driven from Mountain View in northern California to Santa Monica and Hollywood Boulevard in southern California, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, navigated the Pacific Coast Highway, and circumnavigated Lake Tahoe. In all, its fleet of seven self-driving cars has covered over 140,000 miles -- presumably without incident.
http://money.cnn.com/2011/05/23/autos/google_driverless_cars.fortune/index.htm

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[PaceAdvantage]

Gotta love Google's innovative spirit here. I just can't see people accepting this sort of thing anytime soon.

[BillW]

Hell, I see them all the time around here (LOL OMG!) :lol:

[mostpost]

Gotta love Google's innovative spirit here. I just can't see people accepting this sort of thing anytime soon.
Almost thirty years younger than me and you're the one whose thinking has fossilized. If we can dream it, we can do it.

People didn't want to accept the horseless carriage at one time. We'll just have to drag them kicking and screaming into the future.

[chickenhead]

100's of thousands of people die and are maimed in car accidents, and billions in damages every year. That's a heavy price we pay for our crappy driving skills. When the robot cars do fail, even though it will be at a dramatically lower rate than we humans fail, they will be demonized of course. Each accident will be front page news.

The Google cars did have one accident over their 140K miles...someone not paying attention rear ended one of their cars at a stoplight.

That said, I like driving and don't plan on turning things over to a robot any time soon. But I hope everyone else does.

[PaceAdvantage]

Almost thirty years younger than me and you're the one whose thinking has fossilized. If we can dream it, we can do it.

People didn't want to accept the horseless carriage at one time. We'll just have to drag them kicking and screaming into the future.Huh? Your reply was to your perception of me, not to what I actually wrote.

I never stated we shouldn't embrace technology. I stated people are going to have a hard time embracing THIS, a DRIVERLESS car.

People inherently don't trust robots. :lol:

[JustRalph]

100's of thousands of people die and are maimed in car accidents, and billions in damages every year.

It's more like 35,000 and the numbers go down every year for the last 30. Way down. Like 40% less since 1980.

[Tom]

Driverless cars, or, as we call it, the 70's! :eek:

[chickenhead]

It's more like 35,000 and the numbers go down every year for the last 30. Way down. Like 40% less since 1980.

Globally.

[JustRalph]

Globally.

Well, that's a horse of a different color!!

No way you get driverless cars to work globally anyway. Bad roads, unimproved roads etc would probably stop any google driverless initiative dead in its tracks.

Hell, google can't even get permission to run their "streetview" cars in Europe. I can imagine what the government would say about driverless google mobiles.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LYi2NAi8zE

[chickenhead]

Well, that's a horse of a different color!!

No way you get driverless cars to work globally anyway. Bad roads, unimproved roads etc would probably stop any google driverless initiative dead in its tracks.

Hell, google can't even get permission to run their "streetview" cars in Europe. I can imagine what the government would say about driverless google mobiles.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LYi2NAi8zE

Well, there are a few things there I don't agree with.

Every cell phone around enables location tracking by cell tower hits -- that rubicon was passed long ago, in Europe, here, everywhere. People (in Europe and here) get upset about Streetview because its *publicly* not-private, anyone can see it, and its not opt-in -- the people get pictured whether they want to be or not (not really, but anyway)

Alternatively -- People don't care much about their privacy when they are explicitly choosing to share something with a third party in return for a useful service.

This falls into the latter example -- it's something you choose to do/have, and its not public data. It's not really comparable to Streetview, and doesn't have any of the components that make people angry about Streetview.

This type of technology also wont be limited to Google, in any case.

As to the rest of the world -- this isn't a next 15 minutes type of project, its a next 30 years project. I wouldn't be too concerned about potholes.

30 years ago you could have said that cars, themselves aren't ever going to fly due to lack of roads. As countries get wealthier, they consume more cars, and they build more roads. Exactly like we did. Exactly like Europe did. Exactly like China and Brazil and Japan and Russia and whoevers next do and have done.

It wasn't that long ago the telecom infrastructure sucked everywhere but here -- it took about 20 years and we are now in no way exceptional. The world never stands still.

Technological innovation spreading is always a pretty safe bet if you extend your timeline to a reasonable number. It addresses a market of probably 1.5 billion people today, and that number grows every year.

[sammy the sage]

Big Brother will KNOW your EVERY move...simple as that :kiss:

[JustRalph]

Every cell phone around enables location tracking by cell tower hits -- that rubicon was passed long ago, in Europe, here, everywhere.

Chicken, I don't exactly disagree with you. But you should know that in regards to the above statement, it works like crap.

Many many holes in the system. The towers also mis-report on a regular basis and there is a problem with "multi-tower" reports. Basically it doesn't work as good as they portray it. I have much experience with it and it's unreliable much more often than the carriers let on.

[bigmack]

The infrastructure of the technology might help a Vegas cabbie company operate a fully functional cab with an roi of 82 years.

Point being. It gonna be s'pensive.

I's a believer. Bring it on.

[chickenhead]

IChicken, I don't exactly disagree with you. But you should know that in regards to the above statement, it works like crap.

Many many holes in the system. The towers also mis-report on a regular basis and there is a problem with "multi-tower" reports. Basically it doesn't work as good as they portray it. I have much experience with it and it's unreliable much more often than the carriers let on.

I'm sure you're right...but I'm still taking out my battery if I ever have to go dump a body : )