Our ‘sister’ organisation in the USA, Consumer Reports, on Tesla’s glitchy Smart Summon feature ( via Engadget ):
6 Likes
2 Likes
You can bet your life on that.
3 Likes
At what point does driverless technology crash into the error prone digital maps? The driver and his/her responsibility is far from being replaced as I see it regardless of what technology might enable or make possible.
5 Likes
MIT researchers have developed a system to assist autonomous vehicles to “see” around corners.
1 Like
Toyota has indicated that fully autonomous cars are still a long way off.
Eton Musk has a habit of making bold commitments or predictions (possibly to ensure ongoing investor support/bankrolling or reduce likelihood of short-selling of Telsa stock), but in reality they are never achieved/come true. Musk had previously forecast that his cars would be fully self-driving by 2018…still waiting.
4 Likes
Really!
Almost worthy of an Ig Nobel prize. Certainly deserving of an entry. There are so many circumstances where there will be no shadows, or shadows that are totally irrelevant to the safe operation of a vehicle. A perfect solution that relies on alignment of so many circumstances and conditions. Most likely useless or ineffective 99% of the time. Perhaps a useful demonstration of optical scanning that is sensitive and accurate, along side the image processing in millisecond time frames!
Shadows are not always representative of their source. Ask any three year old to make a rabbit on the wall.
Not the first great idea for seeing around corners that was intended to protect the user.
But what about when the robotaxi fleet becomes self-aware? 
Looks like we are into social re-engineering?
FacePlant and Goggle can do it without complaint? 
Getting Aussies to give up driving, owning a car and relying on a pooled vehicle to turn up on whim as needed will be a ‘walk in the park’?
I still wonder if the Autonomous system design outcome for driverless vehicles will be more like MS vs Apple. One system to rule them all, because two different solutions cannot work in the same space. There can only be one?
Or will there be a universal IEEE standard in American standard imperial units to enable a free for all? 
1 Like
Hopefully a standard rather than a singular option. Must achieve x,y, & z requirements before it will be allowed in a vehicle, if you want to option it up further so it as an example changes the music depending on where the sun is you can do so.
1 Like
I don’t think so. If a man’s home is his castle then his car is his chariot-charger. The freedom to head off at a whim seems fundamental to satisfaction with life. Then there is the pride of ownership, my chariot is better than yours, attitude that is exploited so well by car brand names. The tribalism of feeling good about the power underneath you (even if that feeling is manufactured by a ad campaign) is undeniable and sadly almost sexual.
Any ability to plan ahead and get things done collectively was destroyed by the mobile phone. Today events take on a kind of organic growth pattern with little or no forward planning as the details are continuously re-negotiated via dozens of round-robin phone calls and media posts.
And you want this crowd to share vehicles? To plan their trips and be content with less service in peak periods? Tell him he’s dreaming.
3 Likes
Which is kind of the point. One proposal is that vehicles be summoned via mobile 'phone app. The app would show what vehicles are available and the user makes their choice. The deciding factor will be pricing. One idea is that robo-taxis are cheaper at certain times of day and/or in given areas.
More semi-autonomous (as in autonomous semi? Maybe next up).
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/bhp-robot-trucks-to-haul-goonyella-river-coal-from-2020/news-story/ddaa9f32d7fc653cd2ac838344f9c509
2 Likes
It’s fairly clear from the evidence on YouTube that even in the future they haven’t got it right …
2 Likes
A report regarding a crash of an autonomous vehicle.
It appears that if someone has to “ride shotgun” 24/7, then we are still a long way off from safe autonomous vehicles.
2 Likes
Actually a report on an accident in which a USA Uber Autonomous test vehicle collided with a pedestrian walking a vehicle across the road, killing the pedestrian earlier this year. Just not a crash.
The Uber AI failed to detect the hazard until it was too late.
The Uber backup safety driver was too busy watching The Voice on their smart phone and failed to notice what was going on.
Uber also failed to ensure their test program had an appropriate safety culture.
The NTSB who provided the report is the same NTSB responsible for air safety and air crash investigations.
Despite the best efforts of manufacturers such as Boeing and Airbus to improve and automate aircraft, we still have pilots up front. Aircraft operate in a controlled and relatively predictable environment. At least compared to driving on a freeway with close proximity to hundreds of other hazards, or urban streets with kids and bicycles and …? Perhaps the NTSB knows something about safety, and Uber are still a bunch of cowboys.
2 Likes
But as a result it is noted from the same article "In the aftermath of the crash, Uber suspended all testing of self-driving vehicles.
It resumed testing last December in Pennsylvania with revised software and significant new restrictions and safeguards" .
I think the failure was that the Backup Driver failed to adhere to the safety needs of a test environment, the changes made hopefully have progressed the development of a safer autonomous system. A long way off? Perhaps, but progress is much swifter these days than we have ever seen previously and so we may only be a few years away from a relatively safe autonomous vehicle (compared to human drivers).
3 Likes
Pedestrians and bikes aren’t allowed on expressways, so segregation is a possible solution (I guess).
1 Like
I see a slightly different version in the pattern of the dry lemon myrtle leaves falling in the front garden. 
Install the Uber Smart App on your phone. Enable shared GPS tracking so that Uber can bring you a better and improved customer service, ‘WITH THAT’!
A Great marketing opportunity?
Would you like our Uber combined pedestrian and accident insurance policy add on?
Are you more valuable to Uber dead or alive when it comes to those critical last second decisions?
Amex Uber 5G Personal Communications Device and insurance, all you will ever need for everything, “never leave home without it”. 
It does seem reasonable that there will be some form of segregation on higher speed roadways or in high pedestrian activity areas. Elsewhere it might be 20kph or less?
2 Likes
