well it's not a flying car, but sounds pretty sweet anyway.
http://techcrunch.com/2010/10/09/google-automated-cars/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
(http://tctechcrunch.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/hoff.jpg?w=300&h=225)
The New York Times... says a total of seven cars have driven 1,000 miles without any human intervention (the 140,000 mile number includes occasional human control, apparently). These cars are a modified version of the Toyota Prius — and there is one Audi TT, as well.
So how does this work? The automated cars use video cameras, radar sensors, and a laser range finder to locate everything around them (these are mounted on the roof). And, of course, they use Google's own maps. But the key?
This is all made possible by Google's data centers, which can process the enormous amounts of information gathered by our cars when mapping their terrain.
SOURCE at google blog: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-were-driving-at.html
That's pretty neat - I'd love a car that you could just chill in. More props to Google, too, it seems their devteam can do little wrong.
Sounds like a good solution to drunk driving
Quote from: BDS on October 20, 2010, 03:45:06 PMMore props to Google, too, it seems their devteam can do little wrong.
:lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz:
Quote from: Triple Zero on October 20, 2010, 04:28:56 PM
Quote from: BDS on October 20, 2010, 03:45:06 PMMore props to Google, too, it seems their devteam can do little wrong.
:lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz: :lulz:
Yeah I know you have your personal little vendetta against them, but I'm pretty sure the rest of the world likes their products just fine, thanks.
I hope we can come up with cars that have the added gear without sacrificing too much fuel efficiency.
Does the car automatically stop at a gas station if it's low on fuel? That would be cool.
I am SO excited for the opportunity to get in the car for some long haul or road trip, start up the ignition, crack open a good book, and relax.
Hell yeah. Actually I take it back. I would shell out for more gas if I had to, for that.
After that, all I'd need was a way to make useful the time I spent sleeping.
This is a fucking abomination. :tgrr:
DRIVING a car is part of what makes this unholy shithole worth hanging around for. Now we're going to have our CARS drive for us? Would Johnny fucking Cash let his pickup take him to town? Would James Goddamn Dean let his hotrod do the driving (Actually, he tried that, and look what happened).
Welcome to the new century. It ain't American Grafitti, it's Driving Ms Daisy.
This shit makes me want to fucking puke blood all over an automotive engineer, and jam his slide rule Blackberry up his arse.
GAH.
Driving for pleasure's sake is something I do enjoy at times. But still, it'd be nice if it was more...optional?
Quote from: Sigmatic on October 20, 2010, 08:08:03 PM
Driving for pleasure's sake is something I do enjoy at times. But still, it'd be nice if it was more...optional?
Ask yourself how long it would be before you never used the controls again.
You just get it, and it takes you where you're supposed to be.
ETA: And how long would manual driving remain LEGAL?
If I could teach it to carouse, that might be an acceptable fate.
Quote from: Sigmatic on October 20, 2010, 08:14:02 PM
If I could teach it to carouse, that might be an acceptable fate.
They can have my steering wheel when they peel it from my cold, dead hands.
out here in new york, driving is frustrating, tense, and often emotional. We're in the top 5 cities for road rage (http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2006/05/16/006847.html) and you can totally see why. Everybody around here drives like it's competition. They're not going to let you in because the you'd be ahead of them. If you're sitting at a red light that turns green and you're not zooming off within 1.25 seconds, people start honking and shouting. When my new york friends visit connecticut, they almost always comment on how much more relaxing the roads are because people aren't freaking out all the time.
I enjoy a leisurely sunday drive now and then, but I'd gladly buy this laser steering device if I never had to drive again.
too bad it'll be like 8 years before it's ready.
Manual driving will never be illegal. There will always be places that aren't mapped, or don't have an address. And you might simply want to drive without a destination in mind.
The legislation would never even get written. Not even stupid people would want that.
Although i think these advances are fantastic, and i can't wait for the changes they will bring, i think Dok is right that there will be a push to have driving manually banned. at least within municipalities.
there's a pretty emotional argument, around 10000 lives annually in the states, i believe to be made there.
i don't agree with the premise, but i'm sure it would be made. just like gun control.
on a separate note, imagine what this would do for the collective happiness of the nation? they say that the morning commute factors as one of the largest items determining a persons day to day happiness. the closer you live to work, the happier you are. well, i can't imagine that correlation would hold true if you could spend the commute time reading, or whatever other relaxing activity you want to do.
relatedly, what would it do to sprawl? i would think it would reinforce the trend to 'exurbs'. hell, i'd live further out, if the morning commute could be spent doing something useful...
So, I have 8 years and 3 months before they say that it's too unsafe for us to drive ourselves.
I LIKE the competition (Yeah, I'm THAT guy). I like screaming obscenities at other drivers, flipping people off, and dodging stupid fucking snowbirds that stop for no Goddamn reason in the road. I truly ENJOY screaming down the highway at idiotic speeds, blasting Let It Bleed on the mp3 player I finally caved in and bought.
These are a few of my favorite things.
And now the Safety Nazis will have a practical way to take them away from me.
Quote from: Iptuous on October 20, 2010, 08:27:05 PM
hell, i'd live further out, if the morning commute could be spent doing something useful...
YES, THERE'LL BE MORE TIME TO BE PRODUCTIVE!
HAHAHAHAHAHAICAN'TSTANDIT!
Quote from: Sigmatic on October 20, 2010, 08:17:43 PM
Manual driving will never be illegal. There will always be places that aren't mapped, or don't have an address. And you might simply want to drive without a destination in mind.
The legislation would never even get written. Not even stupid people would want that.
You really don't understand America™, Siggie. No offense.
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 20, 2010, 08:29:40 PM
Quote from: Iptuous on October 20, 2010, 08:27:05 PM
hell, i'd live further out, if the morning commute could be spent doing something useful...
YES, THERE'LL BE MORE TIME TO BE PRODUCTIVE!
HAHAHAHAHAHAICAN'TSTANDIT!
yeah. :?
i'd
love to have more time to read these days...
i'm not talking about teleconferencing, or something.
Quote from: Iptuous on October 20, 2010, 08:34:49 PM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 20, 2010, 08:29:40 PM
Quote from: Iptuous on October 20, 2010, 08:27:05 PM
hell, i'd live further out, if the morning commute could be spent doing something useful...
YES, THERE'LL BE MORE TIME TO BE PRODUCTIVE!
HAHAHAHAHAHAICAN'TSTANDIT!
yeah. :?
i'd love to have more time to read these days...
i'm not talking about teleconferencing, or something.
But that's what will happen. 169% guaranteed.
My name is Doktor Howl, and I
know the face of degeneracy.
...yeah. i thought about that right after i posted.
what's to keep them from expecting you to be punched in while riding? hell the onstar will have a punchcard clock molded to it...
but, take heart! im sure there will be opportunities for creative fun available in resisting the change though, Dok...
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 20, 2010, 08:30:48 PM
Quote from: Sigmatic on October 20, 2010, 08:17:43 PM
Manual driving will never be illegal. There will always be places that aren't mapped, or don't have an address. And you might simply want to drive without a destination in mind.
The legislation would never even get written. Not even stupid people would want that.
You really don't understand America™, Siggie. No offense.
Oh, none taken. For me, that's high praise.
Quote from: Iptuous on October 20, 2010, 08:46:40 PM
...yeah. i thought about that right after i posted.
what's to keep them from expecting you to be punched in while riding? hell the onstar will have a punchcard clock molded to it...
but, take heart! im sure there will be opportunities for creative fun available in resisting the change though, Dok...
Yeah, but it's a losing battle. And I grow weary of losing battles.
Quote from: Sigmatic on October 20, 2010, 08:47:11 PM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 20, 2010, 08:30:48 PM
Quote from: Sigmatic on October 20, 2010, 08:17:43 PM
Manual driving will never be illegal. There will always be places that aren't mapped, or don't have an address. And you might simply want to drive without a destination in mind.
The legislation would never even get written. Not even stupid people would want that.
You really don't understand America™, Siggie. No offense.
Oh, none taken. For me, that's high praise.
Sure.
But you're going to get ground into hamburger anyway.
Yanno, commercial airplanes mostly drive themselves. Autopilot is pretty sophisticated these days. Nothing terrible about that.
Quote from: Sigmatic on October 20, 2010, 08:55:04 PM
Yanno, commercial airplanes mostly drive themselves. Autopilot is pretty sophisticated these days. Nothing terrible about that.
So do trains and space shuttles (when we had them). I'm not sure I get what you're saying, here.
Just that it's more a part of daily life than you might think. So are robots. They're just part of normality, so nothing seems amiss.
I guess I'm just saying that either it will become a normal thing that nobody particularly cares about, or faze out as an interesting fad that people get tired of.
Quote from: Sigmatic on October 20, 2010, 09:07:37 PM
Just that it's more a part of daily life than you might think. So are robots. They're just part of normality, so nothing seems amiss.
I guess I'm just saying that either it will become a normal thing that nobody particularly cares about, or faze out as an interesting fad that people get tired of.
I've never driven a 757, a train, or a space shuttle.
I like driving a car. That will be just one more thing taken away from me, alongside public nudity and irresponsible firearm use.
:crankey:
:lol: Taken from you? Like those were ever legal?
Wait, since when does legality hinder you?
Quote from: Sigmatic on October 20, 2010, 09:11:26 PM
:lol: Taken from you? Like those were ever legal?
Wait, since when does legality hinder you?
It's the PRINCIPLE of the thing, Siggie!
Alright, sure.
But even still, there are so many practical issues with illegalizing manual driving that it won't even be on the table until long after I have died of stupendously old age.
Quote from: Sigmatic on October 20, 2010, 09:11:26 PM
:lol: Taken from you? Like those were ever legal?
Well, they were for Ollie North, who was once found naked and carrying a firearm around a suburban area, IIRC.
I don't think he was even charged, either.
Quote from: Sigmatic on October 20, 2010, 09:26:38 PM
Alright, sure.
But even still, there are so many practical issues with illegalizing manual driving that it won't even be on the table until long after I have died of stupendously old age.
They'll discover age extension, just so you can live to see it.
Well if it takes banning manual driving, just to invent age extension OUT OF SHEER SPITE just so Sig can live to see it ...
well DAMN.
fuck cars. besides, America already practically banned manual gear transmission don't they? :lol:
Quote from: Triple Zero on October 20, 2010, 11:08:54 PM
...
besides, America already practically banned manual gear transmission don't they? :lol:
:?
what is this in reference to?
because everybody in America drives automatic. this is well known fact taught in European public schools worldwide.
Unlike geography.
the excellent thing about being it being a prius is that the breaks dont work anyway. so even though you thought you had no control, you have no idea. and because its google maps you'll crash into a wall miles from your chosen destination. if you get the choice that is. i think i'll just walk.
I'm with Roger on this one. It would save lives, it would probably intelligently reduce traffic jams (no more rubbernecking fucks, controlled merging, etc), and reduce road rage. And I would not fucking have it.
There's something in R&D called degenerative breaking. I think it's related.
Are you fucking kidding?
"Oh, it was just a system crash that led to all those deaths. We 'are looking into it' and a report will be forthcoming."
Whoops. :)