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Automated vehicles also potentially means automated plowing/sanding vehicles. Roombas for the roads basically.
by Goronmon 13y ago
Automated vehicles also potentially means automated plowing/sanding vehicles. Roombas for the roads basically.
- protomyth 13y agoNot unless sensors get a lot better, as starring into white and finding the road is a rather large problem[1]. Nevermind the actual skill of those drivers, it is not an easy job. 1) GPS + Maps is not the answer as it wrong sometimes.
- 3JPLW 13y ago[1] will surely improve greatly with a fleet of millions of data gathering machines. No, it still won't be absolutely 100%, but that's what Kalman filters are for.
- Aloisius 13y agoSince roads where it snows are always getting torn up and repaved, if automated cars do become widespread, it seems entirely feasible and realistic to line major roads on each side with radio reflectors or some other cheap system that can keep automated plows from driving off the road. The real problem is the cost of the automated plow itself. A 10-wheel plow with salt feeder isn't exactly cheap to run with or without a driver.
- protomyth 13y agoSince they haven't been real successful at automating a combine (a bit of a simpler problem), I figure the plow and the expertise needed to drive one is a ways off.
- freehunter 13y agoI'm not sure if that means more plow trucks taking out my mailbox or fewer...
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]