Re:Unexpected Consequences of Self-Driving Cars
by annnnd on Tuesday January 24, 2017 @07:57AM
(#13470923)
I would buy a self-driving car (even if it only works on normal roads and refuses to drive anywhere else) in a heartbeat. Can't drive some road in Poland? I'll manage. But if it takes the driving out of my daily commute I would pay good money for it.
On a separate note, try replacing "self-driving cars / normal cars" with "cars / carriages and horses" in such discussions. It make many answers obvious. (Hint: I am sure there were people who pointed out that the cars couldn't drive over narrow winding paths where horses ruled)
Re:Unexpected Consequences of Self-Driving Cars
by obastani on Tuesday January 24, 2017 @09:17AM
(#13471430)
How is the self driving car going to know it can't drive on that road? I imagine the argument is that the self driving car won't notice that the signs don't make sense (like a human would) and causes an accident.
Re:Unexpected Consequences of Self-Driving Cars
by baddox on Tuesday January 24, 2017 @10:58AM
(#13472355)
That seems like one of the easiest problems, much easier than actually navigating a well-organized road system like in the USA. If the car can follow a lane then it can certainly know when it detects no discernible lane. If the car can avoid obstacles like a pedestrian or a car crossing its lane, then it can certainly know when there is a chaotic mess of obstacles crossing its lane.
Re:Unexpected Consequences of Self-Driving Cars
by mulletbum on Tuesday January 24, 2017 @10:02AM
(#13471805)
By writing code that makes sure it can identify and understand the road ahead? If not, then stop and give an error to the user.
Secondary to this, it can be handled by GPS and history imaging. I think GM is doing this to handle snow conditions if I am not mistaken.
Re:Unexpected Consequences of Self-Driving Cars
by morgante on Tuesday January 24, 2017 @09:57AM
(#13471751)
You're making the mistake of assuming people designing self-driving cars are idiots. Being able to detect scenarios where overwhelming signage makes driving impossible would be a basic problem. Even I could do it today.
Re:Unexpected Consequences of Self-Driving Cars
by celticninja on Tuesday January 24, 2017 @07:22AM
(#13470747)
>and yet a person from a very rich western country(say UK or Germany) can drive over there in few hours driving time.
And experience the same issues that a self driving car could. But at least on the journey there and back they would be considerably safer.
Signage is absolutely atrocious, there's too many signs, some of them wrong, some of the rules are implied(speed limit ends at any intersection, but if a road is going to a private property, then it's not an intersection, so good luck knowing where a speed limit ends), people drive like crazy, there's loads of unpaved roads.....and yet a person from a very rich western country(say UK or Germany) can drive over there in few hours driving time.
Every time someone makes an argument for self driving cars, I keep thinking if they would work back home - the answer is, they wouldn't.