DocAndersen
There are times when, as a technologist, I move beyond the horizon you see in the cover picture. Beyond what most people even think about. In part, that is because I am in a role that forces me to think that way. In part because that is an expansion of the way I grew up. I enjoy seeing just what technology can do. But I also know that technology is a guide and an aide for people, not a replacement. It is why I consider robotics carefully. I don’t agree with the goals similar to Issac Asimov’s three laws of robotics (originally published in the Novel I Robt, but republished and reused many times since then. The first law is a robot cannot allow hard to come to a human being.
It is the primary argument against driverless cars. The scenario being a group of motorcyclists wipe out on the other side of a sharp curve. As your driverless car comes around the curve, its function would be to preserve the five people that had a bee on the monitor cycles and are now on the road. Your car would swerve off the road. It is slowing hopefully before hitting something. It is the moral dilemma of one, you, versus many, cyclists on the ground. The car’s AI would choose the many. But the problem with that scenario is that it doesn’t include AI. You see, a computer can work in the space a human would need to hit the brakes, evaluate, brake, and see if there are other options.
It is conceivable that a car, traveling at a rate of speed normally reserved for highways, can come to a stop by simply using some of the concepts often associated with drifting. Brakes on a car, use friction. Applied equally to four tires, or more with a bigger vehicle, the brakes attempt to stop the car in time. But if the car suddenly turns to parallel its momentum remains forward (now away from the bikers), and friction (four tires now being stopped horizontally) might result in both the AI car driver being ok (needing four new tries but who cares at that point) and the motorcyclists being ok. There are patterns we as humans wouldn’t have time to process that the AI of a driverless car could.
It becomes an interesting future state question.
(ps, driverless doesn’t mean nobody in the driver’s seat of the car, just that for most situations the computer is driving the human is watching!)
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Question of
Are you scared by the concept of a driver-less car?
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Yes
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No
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Question of
It is ok to be upset by things that are coming, right?
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Yes
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Question of
The value of driverless cars isn’t clear to me?
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Yes
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No
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Question of
I wish people would focus more on clean energy than driverless cars?
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Yes
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No
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My daughter has a friend who is legally blind and she wants a driverless car so that she can be more independent. I totally get that. But somehow the thought of her being in a driverless car and not being able to see that well and my daughter also being in the car with her because they are friends … that just doesn’t sit well with me. IT’ S SCARY!!
I pinned this one too, I would love one fr when I feel tired and wanted to be taken care of. But then other times I want to press that gas to the floor and leave someone in my dust.
with an AI system, you would be able to do both, the only proviso being in heavy traffic you would not be allowed to drive.
I prefer to control things when I travel.
do you often drive to where you are going when you travel?
Maybe there would be less accidents. Very interesting information.
that is the goal, so far, driverless cars as an experiment have much fewer accidents.
I would love a car to park for me. I can handle the rest.
the newest systems do park your car for yoU!!!
I get so dizzy going back and forth or simply backing up. The doctor says I will always be that way.
i am so sorry to hear that. The new Hyundai ad talks about their self-parking car.
He says “We should just get her that car and something that will stop her from getting dizzy. she has always been that way.”
it is available now (hyundai!
There will be situation whereby AI can make better decisions. At least I know they won’t be playing Pokemon Go will driving LOL
or texting, or holding a phone to their ear. I do think there is a middle ground where AI can make difficult driving better, and still allow people to drive the car when the road is clear!
It’ll be a challenge when the AI should take over …
It will be, hopefully people will let the AI help them!
Q: ARE YOU SCARED BY THE CONCEPT OF A DRIVER-LESS CAR?
Yes (6 votes) – 55%
No (5 votes) – 45%
Q: IT IS OK TO BE UPSET BY THINGS THAT ARE COMING, RIGHT?
Yes (7 votes) – 100%
Q: THE VALUE OF DRIVERLESS CARS ISN’T CLEAR TO ME?
Yes (5 votes) – 56%
No (4 votes) – 44%
Q: I WISH PEOPLE WOULD FOCUS MORE ON CLEAN ENERGY THAN DRIVERLESS CARS?
Yes (9 votes) – 90%
No (1 votes) – 10%
I am not a driver myself so I don’t know what my take on this.
that is very fair. I suspect many are in a same situation. thanks for commenting!!!
I feel that the best use of this technonolgy would be during rush hour when there is bumper to bumper traffic like I had to drive when I lived in Los Angeles. Then the AI would take over and drive instead of me. But on the clear highway like on a typical Sunday I would take control of the car.
that is the beauty of the AI, you just described exactly what could happen. Thank you!!!
The art of driving is going to be lost.
will it? I know you are not a big fan of technology taking over. But in this case, the art of driving.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle_fatality_rate_in_U.S._by_year
Please note this is US only. The reduction in the fatality numbers would be huge.
I am a fan of Asimov and I, Robot was the first of his novels that I had read. I am interested in the driverless car and the AI. It is the for the good of mankind.
I love I Robot! I do agree completely pal, thanks for commenting!!!
Except for the fact that I would never be able to afford such a car, it would be ideal for me because I have gotten too nervous to drive myself and I cannot afford a car at the moment so I am on my own two feet
the value for tomorrow might be Uber/Lyft having humanly supervised and completely AI drive cabs reducing the cost overall.
The cost of car insurance drives the cost of cab rides way up.
But buying one of the cars today, they are very expensive.
For one thing, I can’t even imagine, dear friend … if that ever happens, but I sure won’t experience it
that is possible my friend. Although Google does have driverless cars in Europe today. You may see one and not realize it!
I am convinced that it is not yet … possible in Germany or some other European country
i’ve heard they have covered the majority of the EU with driverless cars as of today. I will check and verify that.
Maybe they also tested it on some kind of car range … but I don’t remember that
They in fact did – LeMans was used extensively for initial testing. But they are testing on real roads now!
I can hardly imagine something I have never seen. I don’t know what that will look like. I’m a little skeptical.
Google has one in Europe (several actually) you may have seen one and not even noticed.
Maybe I really saw him. It depends where they have it
that is true. So what I’ve heard is that google has 4 or 5 cars driving around Europe right now. that may be a wrong number, it may be more cars now!
People tend to think driverless cars are often good for other people, who are poor drivers. But not so effective for themselves, because they are good drivers.
every driver in DC feels that way! until they get a ticket for reckless driving.
It is an interesting future state the tipping point is probably safety, but safety isn’t assured until more than 1/2 the cars are using AI
I warrant that even after an arrest, more than a few drivers would argue the toss. I’ve seen it happen; someone blaming the driver he ran into the back of for causing the accident, rather than admitting he was driving too fast and too close.
i suspect the interesting path forward involves the legality of cars.
I am hesitant not to have complete control over the car I am driving. But I know the technology is coming.
i think you will have the ability to seize control going forward.
I honestly have no opinion as I am not a driver myself. It may be better in some aspects, and it will probably come with their own challenges.
i suspect it will have many other issues! But we will have fewer and fewer accidents. Insurance costs will go down. it will be safer to travel by car.
I really hope the safety part is true.
10 million miles driven so far by driverless cars, only 3 accidents. One the fatality, was the human’s fault.
While all that is true and the fact that there will be lesser accidents with driverless cars, I somehow worry that AI really lacks common sense. The accidents Tesla has had seem to show that.
But Tesla isn’t a driverless car! it is a driver assist system not driverless. The vast majority of the accidents came from people using it as an AI when it really isn’t’
I love new technologies, but nature is before all that we embrace to cure the planet that is our home
that is the joy of new tech! I am curious what will come to pass in the next few years.