Self-driving car bombs?

Posted by oldmancoyote on Wednesday July 18, 2018 @01:01AM
from the self-post dept.

Are we looking at a future where any hateful person could easily convert a self-driving vehicle into a car bomb? In an America that is becoming increasingly factionalized and hateful, wouldn't this threaten to destabilize society? Should self-driving vehicles be banned? Think about a self-driving tractor-trailer loaded with ammonium nitrate soaked with fuel oil. I am certain there are people in America who would find detonating one attractive. What sort of targets would be attractive to such people? Even a SUV could be devastating.

( 3 comments | 2 points | on HN )

Re:Self-driving car bombs? by flukus on Wednesday July 18, 2018 @01:21AM (#17555732)

Why would they get an expensive self driving car when they can buy a much cheaper drone that's much easier to program a flight path for and doesn't come with pesky pedestrian avoidance algorithms? A shrapnel bomb above a crowd could be much better at killing people because it's got a line of site path to much more of the crowd.

They could do this for the last several years but rarely (or never) do, so I'm not anticipating an upsurge.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Self-driving car bombs? by ToFab123 on Wednesday July 18, 2018 @12:30PM (#17559787)

You can pack more explosive into a car and have it to drive to a target far away, keeping you out of sight.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Self-driving car bombs? by banterfoil on Thursday July 19, 2018 @11:46AM (#17567391)

You have certainly described a grim future. But if you want to be pessimistic, I feel like drone warfare is far more effective, stealthy, and cheaper.

[ Parent | on HN ]