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It's not a binary checkbox feature, though. I doubt any implementation will make it utterly impossible to hit a pedestrian - and that's fine, as long as they do

by mrec 12y ago

It's not a binary checkbox feature, though. I doubt any implementation will make it utterly impossible to hit a pedestrian - and that's fine, as long as they do better than meatbag drivers. A better detection/avoidance implementation is absolutely a differentiator, mostly via lower insurance premiums for operators.

JoeAltmaier 12y ago
That's not clear, in our litigenous society. I hit a pedestrian: I get in trouble. A driverless car hits a pedestrian: all driverless cars (of that manufacturer) are potentially 'at fault' and recalled. Its definitely a different bar to pass.
- mrec 12y ago
  But recalls happen already, for all sorts of reasons. They're expensive, and they can have a big impact on a manufacturer's reputation, but they don't mean that nobody can sell a car in the first place.
- josho 12y ago
  That's interesting. A computer hits a pedestrian, then presumably the algorithms are updated and the probability of that scenario playing out again drops to 0. While A human hits a pedestrian, and that scenario is likely to never occur for that driver again, but for all other drivers the probability remains the same.
  - krapp 12y ago
    Although you technically may be right (depending on how easy 'updating the algorithm' turns out to be - it being as easy as updating an app seems a bit on the crazy side to me) I don't know that the likelihood for all human drivers of hitting a pedestrian is necessarily high, though. It exists, obviously, but I think human drivers already come with the "don't hit pedestrians" firmware installed, and it mostly seems to work. To me it won't be demonstrable that driverless cars are vastly superior until there are a decent number of them on the streets, mixing it up with traffic in all kinds of weather, dealing with unexpected hazards and inaccurate maps, for an extended period of time.
    - icebraining 12y ago
      depending on how easy 'updating the algorithm' turns out to be - it being as easy as updating an app seems a bit on the crazy side to me Tesla is already updating the firmware of their cars over-the-air[1]. It seems likely that driverless cars will have the same feature. [1] http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/24/3385506/tesla-model-s-over-the-air-car-firmware-update http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/24/3385506/tesla-model-s-over...
      - krapp 12y ago
        Fair enough - just crazy enough to work, maybe. (but still crazy.)

by mrec 12y ago

JoeAltmaier 12y ago

That's not clear, in our litigenous society. I hit a pedestrian: I get in trouble. A driverless car hits a pedestrian: all driverless cars (of that manufacturer) are potentially 'at fault' and recalled. Its definitely a different bar to pass.

mrec 12y ago
But recalls happen already, for all sorts of reasons. They're expensive, and they can have a big impact on a manufacturer's reputation, but they don't mean that nobody can sell a car in the first place.
josho 12y ago
That's interesting. A computer hits a pedestrian, then presumably the algorithms are updated and the probability of that scenario playing out again drops to 0. While A human hits a pedestrian, and that scenario is likely to never occur for that driver again, but for all other drivers the probability remains the same.
- krapp 12y ago
  Although you technically may be right (depending on how easy 'updating the algorithm' turns out to be - it being as easy as updating an app seems a bit on the crazy side to me) I don't know that the likelihood for all human drivers of hitting a pedestrian is necessarily high, though. It exists, obviously, but I think human drivers already come with the "don't hit pedestrians" firmware installed, and it mostly seems to work. To me it won't be demonstrable that driverless cars are vastly superior until there are a decent number of them on the streets, mixing it up with traffic in all kinds of weather, dealing with unexpected hazards and inaccurate maps, for an extended period of time.
  - icebraining 12y ago
    depending on how easy 'updating the algorithm' turns out to be - it being as easy as updating an app seems a bit on the crazy side to me Tesla is already updating the firmware of their cars over-the-air[1]. It seems likely that driverless cars will have the same feature. [1] http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/24/3385506/tesla-model-s-over-the-air-car-firmware-update http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/24/3385506/tesla-model-s-over...
    - krapp 12y ago
      Fair enough - just crazy enough to work, maybe. (but still crazy.)