9 ms·

This is one of those cases where the engineers aren't going to be able to cheat and force the world to conform to their model of reality. I await the "falsehood

by hyperion2010 11y ago

This is one of those cases where the engineers aren't going to be able to cheat and force the world to conform to their model of reality. I await the "falsehoods programmers believe about roads." If you actually want to build autonomous cars there are a whole host of assumptions that you have to throw out. To give only one example: are all roads paved?

timClicks 11y ago
Well, in New Zealand we have some beaches that are legally classed as roads so I guess the answer is no.
- leemailll 11y ago
  Ninety mile beach? Then we have to wish automatic cars have a Jeremy Clarkson mode
  - timClicks 11y ago
    That's the most well known one. Point Road, Nelson was the one that really caught me out though. It looks significantly different between Satellite and Map modes: https://www.google.co.nz/maps/place/Point+Rd,+Monaco,+Nelson+7011/@-41.3054633,173.2082118,349m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x6d3b9373f8202f37:0x6625601c7e1b927e https://www.google.co.nz/maps/place/Point+Rd,+Monaco,+Nelson...
- arethuza 11y ago
  On the subject of transport uses for beaches - there is an airport here in Scotland that uses a beach as a runway: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barra_Airport_%28Scotland%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barra_Airport_%28Scotland%29 It does have scheduled flights - but the schedule has to take account of the tides.
- yread 11y ago
  There are also plenty of ice roads https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_road https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_road
akira2501 11y ago
It would also imply that anyone with access to road marking paint can fool autonomous vehicles into misbehavior.
- knodi123 11y ago
  Such tricks could fool a significant percentage of humans, too.
  - philipov 11y ago
    And road construction crews love to play those tricks. There's a spot on the FDR highway around NYC where for years the road was redirected to swerve, but the lane markings remained straight. If you were not paying full attention and just followed the lines, you'd drive straight into the wall.
    - mirimir 11y ago
      Hey, in Mexico, they dig holes in the road, and don't mark them ;)
    - fapjacks 11y ago
      That seems like a ripe... opportunity for lawsuit.
    - jonnathanson 11y ago
      That seems less like a fun prank and more like sociopathy. I'm really surprised nobody got sued. (I'm not a lawyer, but "We created an optical illusion directing people to crash into a wall, so those victims should have been paying attention and figuring it out" doesn't strike me as a robust defense in court.)
- Shivetya 11y ago
  I am still trying to understand the logic of cars that follow other cars, as if you can trust them. How much deviance from the lane can the car you are following take before the autopilot just says, hell no. the state of the roads isn't what is stopping self driving cars. considering the amount of road construction going on at any one time no amount of markings are going to help, then toss in rain, bad lighting, and snow. No, what is holding them back is the programming and processing power that cars are expected to mount. As humans can drive with on their sense of sight cars will have the advantage of sight that see in conditions people cannot plus also have maps available at all times which should give guidance on where the roads really are. The roads are deteriorating foil is typical election year crying. the bridges and roads are much improved since the 90s and the key fact most writers and readers of these articles don't understand is, the federal government does not have domain over many of the roads that need maintenance.

timClicks 11y ago

Well, in New Zealand we have some beaches that are legally classed as roads so I guess the answer is no.

leemailll 11y ago
Ninety mile beach? Then we have to wish automatic cars have a Jeremy Clarkson mode
- timClicks 11y ago
  That's the most well known one. Point Road, Nelson was the one that really caught me out though. It looks significantly different between Satellite and Map modes: https://www.google.co.nz/maps/place/Point+Rd,+Monaco,+Nelson+7011/@-41.3054633,173.2082118,349m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x6d3b9373f8202f37:0x6625601c7e1b927e https://www.google.co.nz/maps/place/Point+Rd,+Monaco,+Nelson...
arethuza 11y ago
On the subject of transport uses for beaches - there is an airport here in Scotland that uses a beach as a runway: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barra_Airport_%28Scotland%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barra_Airport_%28Scotland%29 It does have scheduled flights - but the schedule has to take account of the tides.
yread 11y ago
There are also plenty of ice roads https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_road https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_road

akira2501 11y ago

It would also imply that anyone with access to road marking paint can fool autonomous vehicles into misbehavior.

knodi123 11y ago
Such tricks could fool a significant percentage of humans, too.
- philipov 11y ago
  And road construction crews love to play those tricks. There's a spot on the FDR highway around NYC where for years the road was redirected to swerve, but the lane markings remained straight. If you were not paying full attention and just followed the lines, you'd drive straight into the wall.
  - mirimir 11y ago
    Hey, in Mexico, they dig holes in the road, and don't mark them ;)
  - fapjacks 11y ago
    That seems like a ripe... opportunity for lawsuit.
  - jonnathanson 11y ago
    That seems less like a fun prank and more like sociopathy. I'm really surprised nobody got sued. (I'm not a lawyer, but "We created an optical illusion directing people to crash into a wall, so those victims should have been paying attention and figuring it out" doesn't strike me as a robust defense in court.)
Shivetya 11y ago
I am still trying to understand the logic of cars that follow other cars, as if you can trust them. How much deviance from the lane can the car you are following take before the autopilot just says, hell no. the state of the roads isn't what is stopping self driving cars. considering the amount of road construction going on at any one time no amount of markings are going to help, then toss in rain, bad lighting, and snow. No, what is holding them back is the programming and processing power that cars are expected to mount. As humans can drive with on their sense of sight cars will have the advantage of sight that see in conditions people cannot plus also have maps available at all times which should give guidance on where the roads really are. The roads are deteriorating foil is typical election year crying. the bridges and roads are much improved since the 90s and the key fact most writers and readers of these articles don't understand is, the federal government does not have domain over many of the roads that need maintenance.