Illegal for "Human" to Drive

[stugray]

Originally Posted by Special_K

I'm with you there. I've always maintained that the US should follow Europe's lead for getting your license. In most of the EU countries it takes 2 years to be fully licensed and costs well over $1000. Plus driving school is mandatory and the only way to get certified... TBH my driving test was a joke, showed up at the DMV, drove around the block, paid $30, walked out with my license... Took all of ten minutes, and I dread knowing that there are other drivers on the road that probably did the same thing.

But yea, driverless cars have a long way to go to be viable, but the technology is always interesting. I really hope they don't rely on current gps like that article says, because we're going to be fishing cars out of lakes/deserts/cliffs left and right!

It's not so easy anymore.
In CO you MUST have your permit for ~1 year even if you are 16.
And you must complete something like 50 hours of driving in various conditions and keep a log before they even let you take the driving test.

I'd like to take it one step further.
I would like to see: you can have your license at 16 IF you are in high school (or have already graduated).
IF you drop out of high school, you lose your license until you are 21.
I bet that would keep some kids in school....

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Special_K

I've always lusted after that iRobot Audi

Only 20 more years to wait if you stick to the movie canon!

[Eski]

however if the world goes the way the movie "idiocracy" portrays it, were all doomed.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Eski

however if the world goes the way the movie "idiocracy" portrays it, were all doomed.

Well ya there is that aspect!

[rice_classic]

It'll be a combination of Idiocracy and Wall-E

[SVTSHC]

I hope to never see the day...

[themadscientist]

I could see major highways having lanes only for autonomous cars and a requirements for new cars to be equipped.

[stugray]

Originally Posted by themadscientist

I could see major highways having lanes only for autonomous cars and a requirements for new cars to be equipped.

Or an increasing number of "commuter lanes" where only autonomous cars are allowed.

[jvincent]

Time for me to chime in on this thread.

IMHO self driving cars are not going to happen in my lifetime. I'm 49 as a reference. One or two controlled environment tests don't count BTW.

Why do I say that? Because the cost of writing and certifying the software required to safely drive cars will be GIGANTIC. If you have ever worked in the aerospace S/W development industry you will know the costs associated with the development of S/W for commercial airliners. It is crazy. And those S/W systems are "only" for the instrumentation and fly by wire controls of an aircraft which still has pilots behind the stick.

The sheer complexity of having a car drive itself in varying weather, road, and traffic conditions is mind boggling.

Not to mention the fact that the liability car companies will face when self-driving cars start to get into accidents will make them want to stay far, far away.

So, while it looks good in movies, no way this happens before I kick it. And I plan on living a while.

[Special_K]

The variables that go into creating technology like this are massive and incredibly extensive. You can't just build a self driving car, you would also need to make a ton of changes to all the other systems correlating to travel (gps, road surface, lights, etc.). As much as we have imagined self driving cars in the past, it may behoove us to instead come up with a completely new form of personal transportation.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Special_K

The variables that go into creating technology like this are massive and incredibly extensive. You can't just build a self driving car, you would also need to make a ton of changes to all the other systems correlating to travel (gps, road surface, lights, etc.). As much as we have imagined self driving cars in the past, it may behoove us to instead come up with a completely new form of personal transportation.

[gramicci101]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

The Jetsons

Most people can't drive well in two dimensions, and you want to give them a third?

[Hoosier Daddy]

Originally Posted by jvincent

...no way this happens before I kick it. And I plan on living a while.

Just compare the electronic systems that drive cars today compared to how cars were driven 30 years ago. In 1985 any type of electronics wasn't widely used.

What would Moore's Law say about this? That computing power will change by the same amount in then next 3 years as all the increase from 1985 up to 2015! By 2045 we'll have 1000 times more computing power than we have today!

[Special_K]

Originally Posted by Hoosier Daddy

Just compare the electronic systems that drive cars today compared to how cars were driven 30 years ago. In 1985 any type of electronics wasn't widely used.

What would Moore's Law say about this? That computing power will change by the same amount in then next 3 years as all the increase from 1985 up to 2015! By 2045 we'll have 1000 times more computing power than we have today!

The problem is that Moore's law has already slowed down, and we would need new technology to jump start it again. Our circuitry isn't getting smaller anymore as we have practically reached our usable limit until we create a new standard like carbon nano-tubes or something. We can't always keep improving existing tech, eventually we come to a crevasse, and must jump the gap instead of bridging it.

Originally Posted by Tcoat

I vote futurama style vacuum tubes!