Comments on: Let the Robots Take the Wheel

By: Boris

Boris — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 14:26:08 +0000

I might be a pessimist about this… Maybe the robotic car would work better without unpredictable cyclists on the road. Ergo, cycling will be banned on the roads, where the man wants to put robotic cars.

Another thought: any car, or set of cars, that can be programmed to avoid collision, can also be hacked to seek collision.

By: Eric

Eric — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 02:08:53 +0000

As stated above, we are far from fully automated cars but a combo of human and robot awareness will make driving safer, especially when cars can communicate with each other to create efficient traffic flow, which is ideal on a freeway. As for cycling in the city, we need our own space not shared space with cars, but a car with sensors to warn the driver of an “obstacle” is better than a car w/o sensors that veers into the bike lane while the driver digs for a dropped Cheeto. We are ALWAYS going to be a carcentric culture, if we can decrease fatalities for peds and bikes by making cars “smart” then lets do it.

By: kristin

kristin — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 23:40:44 +0000

Thanks Greg. MTE.

By: Joel

Joel — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 03:13:31 +0000

I can’t wait for this. I drive once a month and hate it; I just see ways to die all around me. Self-driving cars could be a great compromise for people who won’t give up the personal freedom of having their own automobile. If the cars are self-driving than surely they could be networked to allow them to communicate and to form long, tight pace lines for greatly increased fuel efficiency and speed.

By: Greg

Greg — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 19:18:05 +0000

Scott, having relied on mass transit in Tokyo, I can say I have never done more walking since. Mass transit does not deliver you right to your garage nor does it take you through the drive-thru at your favorite burger bucket. It forces you to plan your day. You can’t just come and go willy nilly burning gas all the while.

By: Scott

Scott — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 10:55:04 +0000

Kristin, for the sake of argument how does faster, cleaner, better public transit make people not lazier, fatter, and dumber. Public transit is automated transportation, just like these cars. That argument just doesn’t work.

By: kristin

kristin — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 21:06:36 +0000

Because investing all of this money in faster, cleaner, better public transit just doesn’t make as much sense as something that lets people be lazier, fatter and dumber.

By: Scott N

Scott N — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 20:15:24 +0000

Worst. Thing. Ever.

By: Dan

Dan — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 17:40:48 +0000

You’re going to see much wailing and moaning, much “the sky is falling” craziness in the years to come. Professional drivers (Teamsters, taxi drivers, bus drivers) will oppose this due to loss of jobs (that were never good to begin with). Perhaps our best bet is the Baby Boomers — an aging population that is kinda technically savvy and doesn’t want to be put in the old folks home…imagine Grandma and Grandpa, both 97 years old, driving to see the grand-kids! That’s the spin we need on this — freedom, fewer accidents, etc.

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 17:13:00 +0000

That’s a good question. Given our legal system and liability concerns, I suspect that testing for self-driving cars will be extremely rigorous, so your trust may be well placed. I can see it working on interstates a lot sooner than in residential areas, however.