Infrastructure is the Enemy of the Autonomous Car

Aug 18 2015

It’s not that the technology isn’t here, we already drive semi-autonomous cars.

It’s coming, but not as soon as presented.

Why?

– laws and regulations must be established, a precedent set
– roads must be modified
– which means a city will need to establish a new division within their transportation department
– new maps created
– ensure the cell network can handle a massive increase in capacity, since autonomous cars hoover data
– new training courses and licensing, since the psychology of piloting an autonomous car is quite different than a regular vehicle. This is huge… to re-train a mind not to grab at the thing we’ve been trained to keep both hands on at all times…

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

Who is going to pay for the the above list?

Automakers? Not likely. Our already-stretched tax dollars? Same answer. Does our Ministry of Transportation have a dedicated department to deal with this yet?

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Back to ‘Keri on Driving’ – Index

Parallel Parking – Me VS Machine

Feb 9 2015

I first tried a self-parking system about 3 years ago, thought it was neat but un-nerving, and I declared it too slow to be helpful.

3 years later – and coincidentally in another Ford Focus – I test the system again.

Test Results – the new system is slick, and now both the speed and quality of its parking is better than a human.

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

Still, though, I think that if you can’t parallel park, and are too scared to practice and improve, you should get off the road.

Sonar works similar to radar, and here’s how that works.

Back to ‘Keri on Driving’ – Index

Questions to Think about Autonomous Cars

Jun 13 2014

When it comes to auntomous cars, I’d like to see these topics discussed more often, especially the algorithm one below.

Questions to ponder:

will parking spots become extinct?
what about securing something that is more computer than car? Protect the privacy of the vehicle’s whereabouts… or the car’s software from attack, because think that nightmare through.
will map-range anxiety replace spontaneous exploration and adventure?

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

Go get lost this coming weekend, while you still can.

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I had a paragraph in there, about the ethics of programming the crash-avoidance algorithm, but it got cut.

What I said:

In an imminent crash involving two vehicles, what are the ethics behind the crash-avoidance algorithm? Aim for the larger object? Now all SUV drivers feel targeted, because they are, so will their insurance increase then? What if it’s programmed to hit the car best known for safety? Volvo owners won’t be happy about that.

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Above Photo

That’s an Audi TTS.

Google gets a lot of press about their autonomous car, but back in 2010 Audi sent the roadster up a 14,000 foot mountain, “Pikes Peak”.

It was even able to register negative obstacles, as in, stuff that wasn’t there, like a cliff without a guard-rail.