News - Google self-driving car gets a driving licence

[HEXUS]

Nevada allows autonomous vehicles on their busy freeways.

Read more.

[g8ina]

Obvs a lot fewer driver eejits in Nevada than, say, England ?

(ducks, runs)

[Noxvayl]

lol g8ina

I think round-a-bouts will be significantly more difficult to navigate than simple traffic lights and surprised to here that a round-a-bout exists in Nevada.

As for doing more interesting things in the car... if I'm not looking out the window of the car I get motion sickness so I doubt that will be something I look forward to. Perhaps being able to call your car to come pick you up when you've gone shopping and ended up the other side of town or being able to take you to and pick you up from parties.

[Roobubba]

lol g8ina
or being able to take you to and pick you up from parties.

This!

[Biscuit]

I just think once its proven and approved it will be better for everyone. Police will see a sharp decline in their income from traffic offence fines!

[aidanjt]

I just think once its proven and approved it will be better for everyone. Police will see a sharp decline in their income from traffic offence fines!

And accidents, drunk driving. The whole road traffic division will have to be shut down.

Bring it on!

[Smudger]

And accidents, drunk driving. The whole road traffic division will have to be shut down.

Bring it on!

and 'Crash, Bang Wallop, what a video'-type TV series on every channel...

[Flash477]

I'd be interested to understand how it copes with the following (which I can see blocking the sensors):

1. Heavy Rain
2. Snow (it builds up)
3. Mud (think country lanes)

Also would fog be a problem?

Can it detect potholes? Plenty of them about over here!

[Noxvayl]

I'd be interested to understand how it copes with the following (which I can see blocking the sensors):

1. Heavy Rain
2. Snow (it builds up)
3. Mud (think country lanes)

Also would fog be a problem?

Can it detect potholes? Plenty of them about over here!

Good questions, from an engineering standpoint I don't think they are difficult to solve though; a little bit of pressurized air could easily get rid of any interference with reasonable reliability. As for fog the sensors don't have the same limitations our eyes do, I suspect they will be far more accurate.

[miniyazz]

I'm afraid I can't see these helping you at parties. You'll still be drunk in charge of a vehicle!

Pretty cool stuff though.. it's the future.

[Lord Midas]

The built in radar and frickin' laser beams will solve fog and rain. But really, this is some impressive tech. I hate the 'droopy eyelid' effect when doing a long drive to my folks. M4,M40,M5,M6,M53,etc is a dull as you like journey and would so like the car to do it for me. However, in town and country lanes you ought to be able to switch off the the autopilot and take over. A bit like in Demolition Man. Full autonomous would be more like Minority Report.

[aidanjt]

The built in radar and frickin' laser beams will solve fog and rain. But really, this is some impressive tech. I hate the 'droopy eyelid' effect when doing a long drive to my folks. M4,M40,M5,M6,M53,etc is a dull as you like journey and would so like the car to do it for me. However, in town and country lanes you ought to be able to switch off the the autopilot and take over. A bit like in Demolition Man. Full autonomous would be more like Minority Report.

You're thinking of it too much like a smarter cruse control. It isn't, it's a human driver replacement, which already has a far better track record than wetware vehicle operation on a scale of 2-0 on human screwups.

[Biscuit]

There would definitely have to be a transitional period though and i think what Lord Midas is suggesting would be the first stage of that transition.

[aidanjt]

There would definitely have to be a transitional period though and i think what Lord Midas is suggesting would be the first stage of that transition.

Oh I have no doubt that there would be a control freak period where people ignorant of the technology would go disable it out of fear for their safety, and then go barrel into another car. It just defeats the purpose of it in the first place.

[Noxvayl]

Oh I have no doubt that there would be a control freak period where people ignorant of the technology would go disable it out of fear for their safety, and then go barrel into another car. It just defeats the purpose of it in the first place.

What about people who enjoy driving?

I don't think technology like this will be widely adopted if it becomes impossible for people to drive cars. I think this technology will be used in the same manner auto-pilot is used on planes; auto-pilot can manage everything to do with flying a plane yet is only ever used for cruising. In the same way self driving cars will predominantly be used for commuting while driver control will be available for when people would like to enjoy the experience of driving. You'll meet massive resistance if you try to prevent people from driving all together.

[aidanjt]

What about people who enjoy driving?

That's what race tracks are for.

I don't think technology like this will be widely adopted if it becomes impossible for people to drive cars. I think this technology will be used in the same manner auto-pilot is used on planes; auto-pilot can manage everything to do with flying a plane yet is only ever used for cruising. In the same way self driving cars will predominantly be used for commuting while driver control will be available for when people would like to enjoy the experience of driving. You'll meet massive resistance if you try to prevent people from driving all together.

As I said, people are stupid.