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Beacons is a great idea -- have some standardized beacon system, and a public map of autopilot-approved roads. Following the beacons safely would be a vastly e
by iainmerrick 9y ago
Beacons is a great idea -- have some standardized beacon system, and a public map of autopilot-approved roads.
Following the beacons safely would be a vastly easier problem than trying to completely replace a human driver in all situations, but it would still give you about 90% of the benefits.
- tqkxzugoaupvwqr 9y agoLines fade away because there is little money for maintenance but beacons that cost multiples are the solution? The first thing I thought when I read beacons: Hackers are going to have a field day with them. Add malicious beacons to streets and cars will drive off road at high speeds.
- iainmerrick 9y agoWell, look at cat’s eyes (sometimes called Botts’ dots in the US, I think?) I assume they’re more expensive to install than just painting a few lines, but they’re very robust and long-lasting, and they’re fantastic for human drivers. It’s not a stretch to imagine something similarly useful for computerized cars, that links to a standard road database. Hacking is a risk, sure. I envisage you’d lock it down by having a cryptographically signed master map; if the observed beacons diverge from the map, the autopilot system would refuse to proceed. (OK, I guess that allows a DoS attack at least.)