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Is it just me, or have folks living in the bay area noticed a huge increase in the number of "self driving" cars driving around? I've even seen a minivan with w

Is it just me, or have folks living in the bay area noticed a huge increase in the number of "self driving" cars driving around? I've even seen a minivan with what looked to be a hastly assembled lidar driving around Sunnyvale. The space seems to be really heating up.

throwaway91111 10y ago
...in the heart of silicon valley.
username223 10y ago
It's tempting to strap random hardware to your roof to make other drivers fear you and give you more space.
- andai 10y ago
  hahahaha
  - andai 10y ago
    Since I can no longer delete this, I'll just say, I genuinely thought it was a joke! Is there a way to express appreciation of humor on HN without getting down voted? (Obviously 'lol' / 'haha' are looked down upon here)
    - username223 10y ago
      For what it's worth, it was intended as a joke, and I didn't vote on your comment either way. If I appreciate someone else's joke here, I'll usually just upvote it. PS -- If anyone actually does this, e.g. by strapping an old SGI Indy and its 90s webcam to their ride, please post photos here!
- dilap 10y ago
  i see them all the time skating, and they are already far less scary than normal drivers :)
- icanhackit 10y ago
  A cheaper trick would be to plaster signs on your car saying Self Driving Test Unit - Pre Alpha.
  - knodi123 10y ago
    dang, you mean I'm going to have to upgrade my "Student Driver" sign?
- gregschlom 10y ago
  It may result in the opposite effect though: pedestrians more willing to cross the street in front of you, and other cars trying to mess with you. (A friend of mine was telling me how he tried going really fast then braking hard behind a self driving car in front of him). The car swerved into the bike lane and almost hit a bicyclist before the driver regained manual control of the car)
  - WillPostForFood 10y ago
    The same irresponsible behavior likely would have a similar effect on a human driven car.
  - tsomctl 10y ago
    Good thing California requires license plates on the front of vehicles. That way, if the bicyclist was hurt/killed, the video recorded by the self driving car would show your friend was the one liable.
    - jacquesm 10y ago
      I'm not sure that's correct. The self driving car should have stayed in its lane because an accident between two cars is preferable to an accident between a cyclist and a car, especially if the cyclist is not otherwise involved. Self driving cars should protect the weaker traffic participants, not use their space as a 'get out of the way' option if that space is occupied.
      - jfoster 10y ago
        I think you're right about how the car should ideally respond, but I think most courts would find that aggressive or negligent driving that leads to an accident makes that driver responsible, even if another car makes an accidental breach of rules in response to the threat.
      - tsomctl 10y ago
        Not entirely sure, but my point was that the accelerating and sudden deacceleration was a dick move.
bobsil1 10y ago
Yep, seeing all kinds of redneck camera mods.
larkost 10y ago
There are a lot of startups in the area that work on some aspect needed for self driving cars. Some specialize in the mapping tools needed for current cars (they can only go down streets that have been pre-scanned for them). Others handle the sensors or software to turn that into a useable understanding of the world. My guess is that most of them are either being started, or funded, in hopes of being picked up by one of the big players in this area. I have seen quite a number in Mountain View.
beambot 10y ago
Of course! Add a $30k lidar to your vehicle and you can call yourself a $20M startup. ;-)
kylec 10y ago
Is it possible you saw an Apple Maps van? https://forums.macrumors.com/attachments/img_0059-jpg.565631/ https://forums.macrumors.com/attachments/img_0059-jpg.565631...

throwaway91111 10y ago

...in the heart of silicon valley.

username223 10y ago

It's tempting to strap random hardware to your roof to make other drivers fear you and give you more space.

andai 10y ago
hahahaha
- andai 10y ago
  Since I can no longer delete this, I'll just say, I genuinely thought it was a joke! Is there a way to express appreciation of humor on HN without getting down voted? (Obviously 'lol' / 'haha' are looked down upon here)
  - username223 10y ago
    For what it's worth, it was intended as a joke, and I didn't vote on your comment either way. If I appreciate someone else's joke here, I'll usually just upvote it. PS -- If anyone actually does this, e.g. by strapping an old SGI Indy and its 90s webcam to their ride, please post photos here!
dilap 10y ago
i see them all the time skating, and they are already far less scary than normal drivers :)
icanhackit 10y ago
A cheaper trick would be to plaster signs on your car saying Self Driving Test Unit - Pre Alpha.
- knodi123 10y ago
  dang, you mean I'm going to have to upgrade my "Student Driver" sign?
gregschlom 10y ago
It may result in the opposite effect though: pedestrians more willing to cross the street in front of you, and other cars trying to mess with you. (A friend of mine was telling me how he tried going really fast then braking hard behind a self driving car in front of him). The car swerved into the bike lane and almost hit a bicyclist before the driver regained manual control of the car)
- WillPostForFood 10y ago
  The same irresponsible behavior likely would have a similar effect on a human driven car.
- tsomctl 10y ago
  Good thing California requires license plates on the front of vehicles. That way, if the bicyclist was hurt/killed, the video recorded by the self driving car would show your friend was the one liable.
  - jacquesm 10y ago
    I'm not sure that's correct. The self driving car should have stayed in its lane because an accident between two cars is preferable to an accident between a cyclist and a car, especially if the cyclist is not otherwise involved. Self driving cars should protect the weaker traffic participants, not use their space as a 'get out of the way' option if that space is occupied.
    - jfoster 10y ago
      I think you're right about how the car should ideally respond, but I think most courts would find that aggressive or negligent driving that leads to an accident makes that driver responsible, even if another car makes an accidental breach of rules in response to the threat.
    - tsomctl 10y ago
      Not entirely sure, but my point was that the accelerating and sudden deacceleration was a dick move.

bobsil1 10y ago

Yep, seeing all kinds of redneck camera mods.

larkost 10y ago

There are a lot of startups in the area that work on some aspect needed for self driving cars. Some specialize in the mapping tools needed for current cars (they can only go down streets that have been pre-scanned for them). Others handle the sensors or software to turn that into a useable understanding of the world. My guess is that most of them are either being started, or funded, in hopes of being picked up by one of the big players in this area. I have seen quite a number in Mountain View.

beambot 10y ago

Of course! Add a $30k lidar to your vehicle and you can call yourself a $20M startup. ;-)

kylec 10y ago

Is it possible you saw an Apple Maps van? https://forums.macrumors.com/attachments/img_0059-jpg.565631/ https://forums.macrumors.com/attachments/img_0059-jpg.565631...