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The arguments the article lays out in favor of testing early autonomous vehicles as campus shuttles are compelling, and the reasons against not nearly so. We e

The arguments the article lays out in favor of testing early autonomous vehicles as campus shuttles are compelling, and the reasons against not nearly so. We expect a driver to provide certain services only because they happen to be there; like an elevator operator, toll booth operator, or person directing traffic, there's really no problem operating without them. You could easily put a "Call" button in an autonomous shuttle (as is seen in elevators) to cover most of the corner cases that need human intervention. I think this test market is a great plan.

ams6110 11y ago
One thing a driver does is monitor the vehicle for trouble. Fights, vandalism, etc. I think particularly on a college campus you're still going to need some kind of authority figure on board who can at least call for help if something inappropriate or criminal is happening.
- jzwinck 11y ago
  Then perhaps the autonomous shuttles should be deployed in some country where university students do not vandalize vehicles nor fight on them. Such places do exist, and perhaps they deserve to reap the benefits.
  - mc32 11y ago
    It's not always the student body who do the robing, but outsiders; on the other hand, drunk students do occasionally make very poor choices when it comes to showing romantic interest. Multiple video (with anti-vandalism hardening) lenses as well as two way radio (and speaker) should be able to handle most troubling cases with some central office dispatching campus police if things go downhill quick.
- mudetroit 11y ago
  Not necessarily wrong, but interesting test case for whether insuring the autonomous vehicle is cheaper then driving the poorly trained driver. Might still have a supervisor, but now they can put their undivided attention on the occupants.
- sdrothrock 11y ago
  There could be a combination of the two. Say, six shuttles with one human watching camera feeds and monitoring for problems so they can contact the right people. That would help deal with corner situations like crime/vandalism and also service issues ("Hey dude, this guy is sick and just threw up" or "hey I think you ran over something the tire is flat").

ams6110 11y ago

One thing a driver does is monitor the vehicle for trouble. Fights, vandalism, etc. I think particularly on a college campus you're still going to need some kind of authority figure on board who can at least call for help if something inappropriate or criminal is happening.

jzwinck 11y ago
Then perhaps the autonomous shuttles should be deployed in some country where university students do not vandalize vehicles nor fight on them. Such places do exist, and perhaps they deserve to reap the benefits.
- mc32 11y ago
  It's not always the student body who do the robing, but outsiders; on the other hand, drunk students do occasionally make very poor choices when it comes to showing romantic interest. Multiple video (with anti-vandalism hardening) lenses as well as two way radio (and speaker) should be able to handle most troubling cases with some central office dispatching campus police if things go downhill quick.
mudetroit 11y ago
Not necessarily wrong, but interesting test case for whether insuring the autonomous vehicle is cheaper then driving the poorly trained driver. Might still have a supervisor, but now they can put their undivided attention on the occupants.
sdrothrock 11y ago
There could be a combination of the two. Say, six shuttles with one human watching camera feeds and monitoring for problems so they can contact the right people. That would help deal with corner situations like crime/vandalism and also service issues ("Hey dude, this guy is sick and just threw up" or "hey I think you ran over something the tire is flat").