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Re:Tiny Trains: Neat Narrow-Gauge Rail Connects German Islan... by riazrizvi on Thursday May 17, 2018 @03:35PM (#17094723)
Can't this inspire the future of automated driving? Paint strips on the freeway optimized for visual-recognition systems, to serve as super cheap railway tracks. Super cheap because painted strips are far cheaper than laying tracks, and they would lower the cost of the visual recognition systems in cars. These automated driving sections would satisfy my principal pain point with driving, which is long commutes or drives on the freeway.
Re:Tiny Trains: Neat Narrow-Gauge Rail Connects German Islan... by alorimer on Thursday May 17, 2018 @05:37PM (#17096163)
Existing lane markings serve the same purpose, just with a slight offset. They're actually a lot better because there are usually two. But of course driving is a lot more complicated than just staying in your lane.
Re:Tiny Trains: Neat Narrow-Gauge Rail Connects German Islan... by twic on Thursday May 17, 2018 @04:17PM (#17095232)
MINITRAM!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfIZOElSgOE

(attention UK nerds of a certain age: this opens with the brilliant late '80s Tomorrow's World theme - despite the fact that this segment was on Tomorrow's World in 2003!)

EDIT: Oh, apparently they switched back to that version in 2002. Good.

Re:Tiny Trains: Neat Narrow-Gauge Rail Connects German Islan... by RandallBrown on Thursday May 17, 2018 @04:23PM (#17095294)
They tried something like this in the 90s.

https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/01/automobiles/a-smart-road-...