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I use “Pilot Assist” in a 2018 Volvo V90CC, and on the one hand, it has all kinds of “issues” that require my active attention, including confusion about constr

by a4isms 5y ago

I use “Pilot Assist” in a 2018 Volvo V90CC, and on the one hand, it has all kinds of “issues” that require my active attention, including confusion about construction areas, or even just a general wandering when I’m in the RH lane of a highway passing an offramp, and it takes a moment to figure out how to keep going straight. On the other hand, I have no expectation that it is doing anything autonomous, and this is backed up by the way it gets upset if I take my hands of the steering wheel. And unlike most other cars I hear about, it isn’t content to simply touch the wheel, it wants a hand on either “ten” or “two” specifically. For my n=1 needs, it’s fantastic: When I commute during rush hour, it handles stop-and-go traffic for me, and lets me sit back and enjoy an audiobook. It does that so well that I’ve completely lost the anxiety/aggression that formerly would have had me trying to figure out which lane is moving faster and so on. Now I just relax. Yes, I am ‘still “driving,” my hands stay on the wheel and my eyes stay on the road. But I’m more relaxed, and that is more important to me right now than whether I’m relaxed while driving or relaxed while being driven. Yes, for things like construction (and a few other cases I’ve learned to handle) I disengage it or simply override its choices with the steering wheel, accelerator, or brake. But it’s a big win over old-fashioned cruise control. I never felt like cruise control lowered the stress of highway driving the way Pilot Assist does. Mind you, none of my experience changes the fact that “Pilot Assist" is nowhere close to autonomous driving. I wouldn’t even look at it and say it’s something you can iterate on until it’s autonomous. It is what it says on the tin: Something that makes my drive easier, but doesn’t replace me as a driver.

antiterra 5y ago
> it wants a hand on either “ten” or “two” specifically. In the airbag era, shouldn’t this be nine and three?
- a4isms 5y ago
  I can’t speak to that, but I can tell you that the steering wheel is shaped to make it easy to hold at ten and two.
  - chromatin 5y ago
    Respectfully, “you’re doing it wrong.” Volvo steering wheels are set up for 9 and 3, but you are supposed to hook your thumbs (9 and 3), not rest your lateral palms (10 and 2). See the diagram here: https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a9343/forget-10-and-2-drive-with-your-hands-at-9-and-3-15851738/ https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a9343/forget-10-and-2-...
    - a4isms 5y ago
      There are some flat bulges at 10 and 2, and while I cannot hook my thumbs on them in any way, I can rest my thumbs on them if I put my hands at 9:30 and 2:30, instead of resting my hands on them at 10 and 2. If I put my hands right on 9 and 3, those bumps don’t come into play at all, but I suppose I could hook my thumbs around the wheel while resting my fingers on the backs of the button-festooned spokes, which are at 9 and 3 themselves. So yes, I can put my hands at 9 and 3 and ignore the bulges at 10 and 2. Or I can put them at 9:30 and 2:30 and rest my thumbs on the bulges. We’ll see how it goes unlearning 10 and 2.
    - antiterra 5y ago
      hooking thumbs fully around the wheel increases chance of wrist breaks does it not?

by a4isms 5y ago

antiterra 5y ago

> it wants a hand on either “ten” or “two” specifically. In the airbag era, shouldn’t this be nine and three?

a4isms 5y ago
I can’t speak to that, but I can tell you that the steering wheel is shaped to make it easy to hold at ten and two.
- chromatin 5y ago
  Respectfully, “you’re doing it wrong.” Volvo steering wheels are set up for 9 and 3, but you are supposed to hook your thumbs (9 and 3), not rest your lateral palms (10 and 2). See the diagram here: https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a9343/forget-10-and-2-drive-with-your-hands-at-9-and-3-15851738/ https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a9343/forget-10-and-2-...
  - a4isms 5y ago
    There are some flat bulges at 10 and 2, and while I cannot hook my thumbs on them in any way, I can rest my thumbs on them if I put my hands at 9:30 and 2:30, instead of resting my hands on them at 10 and 2. If I put my hands right on 9 and 3, those bumps don’t come into play at all, but I suppose I could hook my thumbs around the wheel while resting my fingers on the backs of the button-festooned spokes, which are at 9 and 3 themselves. So yes, I can put my hands at 9 and 3 and ignore the bulges at 10 and 2. Or I can put them at 9:30 and 2:30 and rest my thumbs on the bulges. We’ll see how it goes unlearning 10 and 2.
  - antiterra 5y ago
    hooking thumbs fully around the wheel increases chance of wrist breaks does it not?