5 ms·

I'm guessing this is a tongue in the cheek response to this: [1]. I think that clever people always run a risk of trying to be "too clever" and self driving car

I'm guessing this is a tongue in the cheek response to this: [1]. I think that clever people always run a risk of trying to be "too clever" and self driving cars is the prime example of our generation. A simpler solution would be to install electronic wiring on the roads themselves to guide the cars and I daresay we would have self-driving cars within a month of installation. Now, I am not saying we should do this (South Africa, I'm scolding you for thuggery and vandalism) but it does support my argument about "clever people" having collective detrimental group think. [1] https://arstechnica.com/cars/2019/04/elon-musk-says-tesla-is-vastly-ahead-on-self-driving/ https://arstechnica.com/cars/2019/04/elon-musk-says-tesla-is...

speedplane 8y ago
> A simpler solution would be to install electronic wiring on the roads themselves to guide the cars and I daresay we would have self-driving cars within a month of installation. Many billions of dollars have gone into developing self-driving car tech. But carving up our entire road network to install signaling equipment? That would cost trillions.
- dragontamer 8y ago
  Whoever said that we need to do the entire road network? A few geofenced areas, like a dozen-blocks in Manhattan, would probably be profitable. Start with the densest cities, 90% of the profits with only 10% of the effort. Write an Uber-like app so that people would know whether or not their starting-location + destination are within the fence, and you're basically done.
  - agildehaus 8y ago
    Why? Self-driving cars can already do those dozen blocks in Manhattan. And a lot more than that. The wait currently is to ensure every reasonable edge case is handled, and to understand the degree of safety. And how does a wire in the road help avoiding pedestrians, bad human drivers, construction, etc? You still have to build intelligence into the car.
thatoneuser 8y ago
Idk how you envision this system working for millions of vehicles. In all sorts of weather. What about pedestrians? What robust connection would allow this wire to do its job? Honestly I think developing the technology for cars to drive themselves as is currently being developed is a much more elegant and feasible solution than what you're proposing.
- mikorym 8y ago
  > Idk how you envision this system working Trams already work.
  - thatoneuser 8y ago
    And trams don't do what we need done. They go in small straight lines, mostly in low speed areas, still require a driver, cost a ton, and as I said - don't avoid running over humans.
  - agildehaus 8y ago
    Trams have a human at the wheel at all times.
eesmith 8y ago
For examples: "Look Ma, No Hands! Automated Bus Steers Itself" - https://www.wired.com/2008/09/look-ma-no-hand/ https://www.wired.com/2008/09/look-ma-no-hand/ "Volvo Thinks Magnetic Roads Will Guide Tomorrow's Autonomous Cars" - https://www.wired.com/2014/03/volvo-magnets-autonomous/ https://www.wired.com/2014/03/volvo-magnets-autonomous/ Guided vehicles on factory floors have been around for a while, see https://patents.google.com/?q=guided&q=vehicle&oq=guided+vehicle https://patents.google.com/?q=guided&q=vehicle&oq=guided+veh... . Since these have been around for decades (I think I saw a video from the 1960s about a future world of self-driving cars with such sort of system), it's likely not so easy to do.
- eesmith 8y ago
  Bit late, but found that https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_self-driving_cars https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_self-driving_cars says : > In 1957, a full size system was successfully demonstrated by RCA Labs and the State of Nebraska on a 400-foot strip of public highway at the intersection of U.S. Route 77 and Nebraska Highway 2, then just outside Lincoln, Nebraska. A series of experimental detector circuits buried in the pavement were a series of lights along the edge of the road. The detector circuits were able to send impulses to guide the car and determine the presence and velocity of any metallic vehicle on its surface. A previous test installation of the system in September 1954 along U.S. Route 73 and U.S. Route 75 in Cass County, Nebraska was utilized as an experimental traffic counter. It was developed in collaboration with General Motors, who paired two standard models with equipment consisting of special radio receivers and audible and visual warning devices that were able to simulate automatic steering, accelerating and brake control.[27][28][29]

speedplane 8y ago

> A simpler solution would be to install electronic wiring on the roads themselves to guide the cars and I daresay we would have self-driving cars within a month of installation. Many billions of dollars have gone into developing self-driving car tech. But carving up our entire road network to install signaling equipment? That would cost trillions.

dragontamer 8y ago
Whoever said that we need to do the entire road network? A few geofenced areas, like a dozen-blocks in Manhattan, would probably be profitable. Start with the densest cities, 90% of the profits with only 10% of the effort. Write an Uber-like app so that people would know whether or not their starting-location + destination are within the fence, and you're basically done.
- agildehaus 8y ago
  Why? Self-driving cars can already do those dozen blocks in Manhattan. And a lot more than that. The wait currently is to ensure every reasonable edge case is handled, and to understand the degree of safety. And how does a wire in the road help avoiding pedestrians, bad human drivers, construction, etc? You still have to build intelligence into the car.

thatoneuser 8y ago

Idk how you envision this system working for millions of vehicles. In all sorts of weather. What about pedestrians? What robust connection would allow this wire to do its job? Honestly I think developing the technology for cars to drive themselves as is currently being developed is a much more elegant and feasible solution than what you're proposing.

mikorym 8y ago
> Idk how you envision this system working Trams already work.
- thatoneuser 8y ago
  And trams don't do what we need done. They go in small straight lines, mostly in low speed areas, still require a driver, cost a ton, and as I said - don't avoid running over humans.
- agildehaus 8y ago
  Trams have a human at the wheel at all times.

eesmith 8y ago

For examples: "Look Ma, No Hands! Automated Bus Steers Itself" - https://www.wired.com/2008/09/look-ma-no-hand/ https://www.wired.com/2008/09/look-ma-no-hand/ "Volvo Thinks Magnetic Roads Will Guide Tomorrow's Autonomous Cars" - https://www.wired.com/2014/03/volvo-magnets-autonomous/ https://www.wired.com/2014/03/volvo-magnets-autonomous/ Guided vehicles on factory floors have been around for a while, see https://patents.google.com/?q=guided&q=vehicle&oq=guided+vehicle https://patents.google.com/?q=guided&q=vehicle&oq=guided+veh... . Since these have been around for decades (I think I saw a video from the 1960s about a future world of self-driving cars with such sort of system), it's likely not so easy to do.

eesmith 8y ago
Bit late, but found that https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_self-driving_cars https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_self-driving_cars says : > In 1957, a full size system was successfully demonstrated by RCA Labs and the State of Nebraska on a 400-foot strip of public highway at the intersection of U.S. Route 77 and Nebraska Highway 2, then just outside Lincoln, Nebraska. A series of experimental detector circuits buried in the pavement were a series of lights along the edge of the road. The detector circuits were able to send impulses to guide the car and determine the presence and velocity of any metallic vehicle on its surface. A previous test installation of the system in September 1954 along U.S. Route 73 and U.S. Route 75 in Cass County, Nebraska was utilized as an experimental traffic counter. It was developed in collaboration with General Motors, who paired two standard models with equipment consisting of special radio receivers and audible and visual warning devices that were able to simulate automatic steering, accelerating and brake control.[27][28][29]