DocAndersen
The amazing ability of cars today, to sense via lidar that there is another vehicle in the space you are attempting to enter makes us all a little safer. I do, however, wonder, if in 20 years before will even look. The good news for many of us is that the use of this technology requires now, the use of the indicators. I have a couple of friends that call them the use of the idiot stick. They call it the idiot stick because,it is right there, and if you don’t use it you are an idiot. I do, however, understand that not everyone likes, uses or finds turn signals relevant. Perhaps the addition of lidar to cars, requiring the use turn signals may make them more valuable going forward.
The interesting component of this is the technology being used. Lidar is controlled like Radar and creates a field around the car. The better the field is tuned, the less false alarm you will get. A false alarm is when a car is far enough behind or ahead of you that you don’t have to worry. You see the first time, and the 10th time you hear the beeping, there is a chance you will overcorrect. So having a warning system that is tuned to the most effective distance is critical. The other side of this lane protection system is that it helps reduce both front end and rear end collisions. As we move into the new age of car safety, we will hopefully be to see a reduction in those types of accidents.
The last component is the interesting problem of dash cams. A dashboard camera isn’t a new idea, they have been in police cars for the past ten to fifteen years. The reality of the system is how much you can record. Memory cards have expanded in the past five years, and have gotten so much cheaper. Still, the better the video you are taking, the more memory you need. Luckily most of the dash cam systems have good software that allows you only to record the events you need to record. Some of them allow you to run them off a battery, so you can watch your car while it is parked! Will this change the reality of car thieves would be the interesting question?
When it comes to LIDAR, a false positive is bad but a false negative is potentially disastrous
Alex, your view on the world is always interesting. This one made me laugh, and then realizing what that impact would be, it made me sad. Congrats, you made me laugh and cry with one sentence.
You can take the boy out of QA but you can’t take the QA out of the boy…
Not sure if we really need to see our car parked. But you can never be too safe these days.
Cool photos.
I would argue, in an area with lots of car break-ins, it would be valuable. But they are also useful in case of accidents, your video ends, he said, she said conversations.
You are right, I have gotten spoiled with a garage and living just outside the city.
I have a garage, but only one car fits (in a two-car garage) the other side if filled with stuff (bikes, etc).