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Cars underground is a great idea but you'd need to find a way to make GPS work, especially since GPS is necessary for autonomous cars which are obviously a thin
by simonswords82 10y ago
Cars underground is a great idea but you'd need to find a way to make GPS work, especially since GPS is necessary for autonomous cars which are obviously a thing of the future.
- collyw 10y agoCars and tunnels existed for a lot longer than GPS.
- freehunter 10y agoYes, and no one wants to go back to the pre-GPS days.
- collyw 10y agoI got the map out the last time I was in the car. Far quicker than waiting for my phone to get a GPS lock.
- freehunter 10y agoI don't even want to know what kind of phone you have if unfolding a map, tracing and memorizing your route, and folding it back up is quicker than a GPS lock. On any phone I've had since 2009, GPS lock has been instant.
- collyw 10y agoAll I needed to do was look up the number of a junction. The rest of the route was pretty straightforward. And it was not a foldable map, just a big book. Way less faff than getting the phone out of my pocket, unlocking the screen farting about looking for a map app, waiting for it to load then get a GPS lock.
- hx87 10y agoGPS repeaters have existed for at least a decade.
- simonswords82 10y agoInteresting, I didn't know that was a thing.
- Jtsummers 10y agoGPS is helpful, and key, to autonomous cars. But let's not forget the various ways GPS can be hacked. We need multiple methods of navigation (visual/radar/lidar to stay within lines and avoid obstacles, inertial/GPS like aircraft use to sanity check your inputs, ground-based authenticated systems to identify current location (imagine being able to poll an intersection for its identity, we already have computers at every intersection with traffic lights)). If we rely too strongly on GPS, we eliminate many existing roadways with tunnels, and many convenient constructs like parking decks, or new tunnels where they make sense.
- rtkwe 10y agoGPS is more key for long term navigation and knowing when the car should look for a turn. Simple road following through LIDAR and other local sensors is enough for 90-99% of tunnels today since they are mostly just single roads from point A to B without required turns.
- Vexs 10y agoI mean GPS repeaters are a thing, but there's even better options, you could install small radio beacons in the tunnels and triangulate using those. Much more precise, and cheaper than GPS repeaters.
- dclowd9901 10y agoI'm sorry: what is it about cars underground that is a terrific idea when it costs more than the moon to build a tunnel these days?
- joshontheweb 10y agoI think he means more like madrid for instance. All the traffic is underneath the walkway level in the downtown area. It is really great to not have any cars. Because of this they have room for giant plazas everywhere and it makes for a much more pleasant experience.