Friday, October 03, 2014

Almost Driverless Cars

Film poster for Speed 2: Cruise Control
Film poster for Speed 2: Cruise Control (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Someone pointed out that driverless cars are actually more complicated than they are made out to be. Therefore I think the goal ought be to put forth almost driverless cars. No major changes in laws and regulations necessary. These almost driverless cars could function in the existing framework.

They would be almost accident free. The cruise control would be much smarter. Cars would talk to each other to make sure they don't crash into each other.

Uber is taken for granted. Uber and uber-like services would take car pooling to a whole new level.

Town Built for Driverless Cars
The urban setting will be used to create situations that automated driving systems have struggled with, such as subtle driver-pedestrian interactions, unusual road surfaces, tunnels, and tree canopies, which can confuse sensors and obscure GPS signals..... Highway driving, which is less complex than city driving, has proved easy enough for self-driving cars, but busy downtown streets—where cars and pedestrians jockey for space and behave in confusing and surprising ways—are more problematic. ..... in some situations, the car’s Super Cruise system will take care of steering, braking, and accelerating.

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