Motoring Discussion > Autonomous Vehicles	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: SteelSpark	Replies: 17

Mon 14 May 12 14:02   Autonomous Vehicles - SteelSpark

Just been reading an BBC article about them. m.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18012812 On the one hand they say that they won't tailgate, but then they envision a time when they are driving bumper to bumper. Presumably this will be when all cars are autonomous, so they can instantaneously inform the whole line of traffic to stop. I suppose then if somebody stepped out in front of the first one, all the rest would break at the same time, given 2,000 people whiplash, rather than just 2. Much is said about how attentive the vehicles are, but I can't help but feel that there are just some situations that people can anticipate/understand, in which computers would struggle, regardless of how many fancy sensors they had. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 14 May 12 14:13   Autonomous Vehicles - Armel Coussine

Quite SS. That's why they will mimse from the start and be subject to frequent embarrassing glitches. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 14 May 12 14:32   Autonomous Vehicles - diddy1234

oh dear. If Microsoft made cars ......... Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 14 May 12 14:42   Autonomous Vehicles - L'escargot

Many years ago I saw a van which had on the back a sign which said "A blind man drives this van." Can you come up with an explanation? Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 14 May 12 14:44   Autonomous Vehicles - diddy1234

The pet dog tells him to steer ? Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 14 May 12 14:47   Autonomous Vehicles - SteelSpark

>> Many years ago I saw a van which had on the back a sign which >> said "A blind man drives this van." >> Can you come up with an explanation? He was probably on the way back from dropping off a set of Venetians. Reply to this message | Report message       1

Tue 15 May 12 10:21   Autonomous Vehicles - L'escargot

>> >> Many years ago I saw a van which had on the back a sign >> which >> >> said "A blind man drives this van." >> >> Can you come up with an explanation? >> >> He was probably on the way back from dropping off a set of Venetians. >> You've got it. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 14 May 12 14:47   Autonomous Vehicles - crocks

Was he Venetian? Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 14 May 12 15:41   Autonomous Vehicles - Focusless

Some previous discussion (and a link to the article) here: www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=10554 Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 14 May 12 17:36   Autonomous Vehicles - jc2

You can be registered blind and still drive!! Extreme "tunnel vision" is a form of blindness but it doesn't stop you passing the "number plate" test. Reply to this message | Report message       1

Tue 15 May 12 10:24   Autonomous Vehicles - L'escargot

tinyurl.com/cntpmep Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 14 May 12 20:04   Autonomous Vehicles - swiss tony

OK... Quiz for you all. Which motor manufacturer had a (semi?) Autonomous car on the road in the 90's? No cheating, people! Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 14 May 12 20:41   Autonomous Vehicles - Bagpuss

>> OK... Quiz for you all. >> Which motor manufacturer had a (semi?) Autonomous car on the road in the 90's? I know of several. BMW, Mercedes and VW had autonomous prototypes in the 90s hurtling up and down early morning empty autobahns in the 90s. BMW also have autonomous prototypes worrying the early morning traffic around Munich. Fortunately German traffic laws mean the cars have to be accompanied by someone in the driver's seat for when the software blue screens. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 15 May 12 07:48   Autonomous Vehicles - Londoner

If the German for a car is "Das Auto", would an automatic car be "Das Auto Auto"? In that case, wouldn't the best place to test it be Baden Baden. Err . . . . Ich hole meinen Mantel. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 15 May 12 18:54   Autonomous Vehicles - swiss tony

youtu.be/xlVx4Dhglkg Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 15 May 12 07:42   Autonomous Vehicles - L'escargot

Autonomous? tinyurl.com/cmra2hs Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 15 May 12 08:09   Autonomous Vehicles - Cliff Pope

I remember autonomous milk floats in the 1960s. The horse was programmed with the route and customer addresses, leaving the milkman free to carry the bottles to the next doorstep. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 15 May 12 09:24   Autonomous Vehicles - IJWS14

There was an item about the Google car on TV a few months ago. Far more impressive thant the groups of cars blasting along the autobahn nose to tail - you give it the destination and it does the rest, including handling slip roads and merging traffic all on tis own. Reply to this message | Report message