4 ms·
To preface this complaint, I'm generally bullish on self driving and think it will be solved to a reasonable standard in not too many years. With that said, eve
by giobox 4y ago
To preface this complaint, I'm generally bullish on self driving and think it will be solved to a reasonable standard in not too many years. With that said, even if this solution drove flawlessly I'm not so sure I like idea of cars being driven by an optical system that is attached to the windshield with suction cups.
Much like we already mandate things like car lights cannot be on a moving piece of body work in the USA (to ensure lights visible even when boot or trunk open), I wonder if we should ensure that the critical sensors for self driving are hard mounted to the car securely?
There is inevitably going to be occasions this falls off mid-drive - these suction cups are rarely perfect in my experience.
I've always wondered if CarPlay/AndroidAuto one day might somehow just reuse existing sensor suites on vehicles to provide self driving - this would let the cellphone (which increasingly has ML acceleration hardware anyway) still be responsible for the driving with cameras that won't fall off.
- bko 4y agoI've never heard of this issue. I'm not sure what the system does, i imagine it disengages same as if the view were to suddenly to become obscured. They have a safety model that basically says it's not allowed to move the car more than you would be able to override. So it's limited which is why you have a lot of disengagemenets on curvy roads. I think it's a great safety model as you should always be paying attention. I don't think that problem is even in the top 5 risks of the system
- hattmall 4y agoWhat's really the point if you still have to be paying attention? Having a lane departure and forward collision detection is pretty standard now. Im curious what benefits this provides beyond that?
- gnicholas 4y agoThe system that comes on your car will likely never be updated (except Tesla and a couple other manufacturers). Comma allows you to keep using the same sensors, but get the benefit of continued learning — without having to upgrade your car. If I buy a $40k car and 3 years go by, I'd be happy to buy a system that gives me access to state-of-the-art driving intelligence, using my car's existing sensors.
- birken 4y agoYour skepticism is fine, but you are not really educated on Comma's product at all. Comma uses a very strong adhesive for the mount, and then the Comma housing slides into that mount very securely. I don't think it is any more likely to fall off than your rear view mirror is (which also uses an adhesive). Comma isn't a purely optical system, it also uses the car's forward radar information in addition to its cameras. Comma does not pretend to be a fully self-driving system (yet), and in fact it has a camera facing the driver and will warn you if you are not paying attention or disengage if you are not paying attention long enough. It's a tool to make driving easier and safer. I'm quite confident if you sat in my car while Comma was driving you would be shocked at how good it is.