Driverless Cars

[Mups]

These were on the tea time news again tonight.

I have some quite serious doubts about these silly inventions,  don't know about anyone else?

Firstly,  if you were driving along minding your own business,  and one of these things hit you,  who would you sue?   Would the driverless driver who wasn't even driving,  be insured?

Starmer is trying to get us oldies off the roads,  with increasing insurance hideously,  starting spot checks to do eyesight tests, etc.   So would we be able to go driverless I wonder,  or would there be age-limits?

Again, I wonder about the insurance.   I bet it extortionate.

Would there be a driving test for beginners,  or would L-plates be done away with?

And lastly . . . . WHY?   What's the idea behind it?   
Why are they even making them - apart from making them loads of dosh, of course.

[klondike]

If ALL cars were driverless and people not allowed to venture across the roads they use then I don't doubt it would work and probably well. The reason bring that those electric cars would be able to communicate amongst themselves and there wouldn't be unpredictable things like people getting in their way and injured or killed.

What doesn't work and won't for quite a while or maybe ever is a mix of autonomous cars and human driven vehicles.

If all cars were autonomous it may even make electric cars work. Nobody need actually own one or have the inconvenience of having to charge one. There would be a big pool of cars either government or company owned.  You want to go somewhere then an app on your phone calls a vehicle to you in very short order, it takes you where you need to go, you pay and off you go. Want to go somewhere else? Just call another. Some people already do it with Uber taxis and own no car. Car needs fuel? It goes and refuels. Car needs servicing? It goes and gets sorted. Car breaks down? You just call another.

To my mind it's the only way a society with only electric cars can work as without it so many properties will not support home charging and using public charging is just too inconvenient as well as being too expensive.

[Mups]

I reckon they will just be another toy for the rich and famous to show off with.

[klondike]

They already are to a degree. Teslas don't come cheap and they have very advanced driver assist features. All electric cars do to some extent and all modern ones have umpteen nag features by law as they are considered to improve safety.

[Mups]

It's all too much for my feeble brain to take in.  

Would you go on a pilot-less aeroplane?

[dextrous63]

It's all too much for my feeble brain to take in. 

Would you go on a pilot-less aeroplane?

If the alternative was to have Starmer as the pilot, absolutely.  I'd rather have an AI control it than someone who doesn't even realise he's heading straight towards a cliff face.

[klondike]

It's all too much for my feeble brain to take in. 

Would you go on a pilot-less aeroplane?

The bulk of commercial flight time is already autonomous with oversight.
From you know where...

On a typical commercial flight, autopilot is used for the majority of the flight time. While the exact percentage can vary based on factors like the airline, the aircraft, and the specific flight, here's a general breakdown:

• Pre-Takeoff and Climb:
  
  • Autopilot is generally not engaged during takeoff, as the pilots manually control the aircraft. However, shortly after takeoff, once the aircraft reaches a safe altitude, autopilot is typically engaged to assist with climbing and maintaining course.
• Cruise:
  
  • The majority of the flight, especially during the cruising phase, is flown using autopilot. The autopilot system maintains the aircraft's altitude, heading, speed, and navigation based on the flight plan. During this phase, pilots still monitor systems, communicate with air traffic control, and are prepared to take over if necessary.
• Descent and Approach:
  
  • As the aircraft approaches its destination, autopilot is usually used to manage the descent and approach, but pilots often take over manual control in the final stages of the approach and landing, especially in more complex or busy airports. Autopilot can help during this phase, but the final moments of landing typically require a pilot's intervention.
• Landing:
  
  • The final stage of a commercial flight—landing—is generally done manually by the pilots, although in some cases, such as with advanced autopilot systems and in favorable weather conditions, the aircraft may be able to land autonomously or with minimal pilot input (known as autoland).

In summary, autopilot is typically engaged for about 80-90% of a commercial flight, with manual control primarily used during takeoff and landing, and in certain phases of descent and approach. However, pilots are always in charge, monitoring the systems and ready to take control when needed.

[Mups]

So do you think the time will ever come when the drivers and pilots don't even need to be present?
These vehicles will be controlled from some anonymous person on a control board miles away?

[klondike]

Computers and sensors are getting ever smarter. Trains could be entirely computer controlled now. 

Planes eventually - cruise missiles have no pilots but I suppose they aren't required to land safely. There won't be anybody at a control board miles away either. When computers take planes over it will be pretty much just them in control of the entire flight. All humans will be involved with is selecting when and where to.

The problem with cars is being able to cope with interactions with humans who are often unpredictable. If people were kept out of vehicles and unable to wander or stagger across vehicle routes then autonomous vehicles would probably be possible with current technology.

[Mups]

Computers and sensors are getting ever smarter. Trains could be entirely computer controlled now.

Planes eventually - cruise missiles have no pilots but I suppose they aren't required to land safely. There won't be anybody at a control board miles away either. When computers take planes over it will be pretty much just them in control of the entire flight. All humans will be involved with is selecting when and where to.

The problem with cars is being able to cope with interactions with humans who are often unpredictable. If people were kept out of vehicles and unable to wander or stagger across vehicle routes then autonomous vehicles would probably be possible with current technology.

You mean like kids dashing out into the road after a ball,  or dogs loose, or even just people trying to cross over?     Well I don't see how they could ever stop people walking on pavements and wanting to cross the road.

Ah well,  let's hope all this super technology doesn't happen in my  life time, because I'd never cope.

[klondike]

If they want autonomous cars then the vehicles need keeping separate from people. People aren't encouraged to go for a stroll along railway tracks are they?

The biggest problem though would be other cars driven by people. They wouldn't be under control of the system that kept traffic flowing and crashing with anything.

[Mups]

If they want autonomous cars then the vehicles need keeping separate from people. People aren't encouraged to go for a stroll along railway tracks are they?

The biggest problem though would be other cars driven by people. They wouldn't be under control of the system that kept traffic flowing and crashing with anything.

That wouldn't work either, though.   

If I wanted to go to M & S for example,  what use would it be for the 'taxi'   if stopped a mile away from the shops on some railway track?    Then I would need to find another taxi to get me to the shops  -  unless there was a driverless bus route nearby. 

Nah,  its like these electric cars nowadays,  the mad scientists don't think things through, they are only interested on churning out the product to get some dosh in the pot.

[klondike]

The whole infrastructure would need to be changed somehow. The roads would still need to go past houses and shops and there should also be footpaths but they would need to be segregated from the roadway. Maybe pickup and drop off points that were only opened to people when a vehicle was present. I don't really know but it isn't my job to design or specify it. All I can do is point out that if it is going to be safe autonomous cars and people can't mix freely.

[Scrumpy]

Everything will change..
 No cars on driveways or parked in the road..
People will travel in cars/trams that are controlled by central operations..
Hop on hop off transport... The trams will cover every road and will appear every few mins..
By doing this there will still be fewer vehicles on the road..
One can summon a car for any journey.. any length of miles and it will be there on time.. 
More reliable than a taxi..
Voice commands will be in operation.. 
No driver required.. 

It all sounds like something out of a sci fi film.. But.. It is the future..
And, in time, they will travel above the ground.. at different heights..

[JBR]

If the alternative was to have Starmer as the pilot, absolutely.  I'd rather have an AI control it than someone who doesn't even realise he's heading straight towards a cliff face.

Poor Two-tier!

Actually, I read somewhere yesterday that he is planning for being in power for the next TEN years!
I'm sure he lives in Cloud Cuckoo land, but seeing the continuing Third World invasion, perhaps he might just do that!