4 ms·
On the other hand highways are much simpler and could be completely self-driven with today's technology, probably much more safely than a human driver. This ta
by bsdetector 12y ago
On the other hand highways are much simpler and could be completely self-driven with today's technology, probably much more safely than a human driver. This takes people out of high-stakes boring driving where the vast majority of fatalities take place and give them an easier, safer commute.
I can't react to debris in the road, a pothole, or a deer crossing the road in 1 ms like an automated driver can and at 80 MPH that's where it really matters. A 25 MPH collision is basically just a matter of money, as with today's cars there's almost no mortal danger. Hitting a deer at highway speeds is a life-threatening problem.
You can make a flatbed-type powered sled that people drive their cars onto and it drives you from exit A to exit B. It can enclose and lock the wheels of your car for safety. This can even be electric or hybrid to reduce costs with a long, flat Tesla-like battery under the flatbed. If I could drive my car onto a system like this and take a nap for 5 hours on the highway I would do this in a heartbeat because I have confidence that today's technology can drive a restricted access road better than I can in good conditions.
- ghaff 12y agoI don't think you need to assume switching driving modes to a flatbed which would introduce bottlenecks and reduce flexibility compared to individually autonomous vehicles. >I can't react to debris in the road, a pothole, or a deer crossing the road in 1 ms like an automated driver can and at 80 MPH that's where it really matters. The laws of physics still apply but, yes, in general a computer could do a better job--at least on average--than a person. (Although I suspect there will be some things a computer is very good at and a few where it tends to make errors that a human might avoid.) I agree with your basic point though that autonomous driving on significant sections of highway is by itself a big win even though it doesn't fundamentally change how most people own and drive cars.
- bsdetector 12y agoI'd heard that the actual reliable sensors that can see through rain and such are like $50k+ so are not affordable in private cars, but a service that uses it all the time could. I wouldn't want to fall asleep with today's consumer-grade hardware, but you're right that even an autopilot that has to be supervised still has most of the safety benefits.