driverless car

Discussion in 'Free Thoughts' started by sculptor, Feb 28, 2018.

  1. sculptor Valued Senior Member

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    If you called Lyft or Uber or any ride company and a driverless car showed up for you; would you get in?
     
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  3. Bowser Namaste Valued Senior Member

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    No. As much as I love technology, I'm not certain I could trust it to drive me to work.
     
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  5. spidergoat pubic diorama Valued Senior Member

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    I'd set it on fire.
     
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  7. sculptor Valued Senior Member

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    OK
    That's a tad rad dad
     
  8. spidergoat pubic diorama Valued Senior Member

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    Victimless crime. Robots can't feel pain.
     
  9. billvon Valued Senior Member

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    Like burning down someone's house! (when they are not home, of course.)
     
  10. iceaura Valued Senior Member

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    Somebody lives in those cars?
    Y'know, that's intriguing.
     
  11. billvon Valued Senior Member

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    Nope. Just listing another victimless crime by SG's standards. No one was hurt.
     
  12. iceaura Valued Senior Member

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    The idea of the driverless option, though - that has aspects I hadn't considered. Never pay for parking again - your car drops you off, and takes care of itself out on the road until sent for; your autodrive camper just motors itself from rest stop to rest stop, hanging out for whatever time limit is allowed and moving on, while you snooze or enjoy the scenery - you don't even need a parking spot. The trouble with the wandering life was that you were sleeping when parked - so it turned into a life of driving; with autodrive the driving and sleeping happen at the same time, and you get to enjoy the parked hours.

    Small house, but the biggest back yard imaginable.
     
  13. mmatt9876 Registered Senior Member

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    846
    I believe that driverless cars could be a big bonus for people who work on their computer because you could get some work done on your computer while you are on your way to the office or running errands. You could also put on some relaxing music and nap or play a guided meditation and meditate on you way to the office or running errands too.
     
  14. RainbowSingularity Valued Senior Member

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    what would be the direct physical benefit ?

    25% cheaper ?
    25% faster ?
     
  15. billvon Valued Senior Member

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    25% safer?
     
  16. sculptor Valued Senior Member

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    for now:
    One can only hope.
    .............
    When the technology is perfected, I will happily take advantage of it.
     
  17. billvon Valued Senior Member

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    Agree that they have more work to do. However, even now the fatality rate for autonomous vehicles is .2 per million miles, and the fatality rate for human drivers is 1.8 per million miles.
     
  18. iceaura Valued Senior Member

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    30,994
    Apples to oranges. The fatality rate among human drivers in similar circumstances - not drunk, tired, unfamiliar with situation, driving in bad weather, on the phone, in a mechanically unsound vehicle, committing suicide (either purposeful or nihilistic) etc - is much lower than 1.8.

    And those best case drivers are the proper comparison, if comparing autocar uses such as Uber, cab, or limousine passenger service.

    The diversion of resources involved will need justification, as well. This project is absorbing a lot of talent and money.
     
  19. billvon Valued Senior Member

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    Agreed. However, since Uber drivers sometimes are drunk, tired, unfamiliar with the area, driving in bad weather, playing with their phone etc - the odds you are ACTUALLY seeing are close to 1.8 when you get in that (non-autonomous) Uber.
    Of course, because they think the payoff is huge. That's why so many companies are pursuing this.
     
  20. iceaura Valued Senior Member

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    30,994
    Not that often. And limo, cab, etc, even less often.
    Comparing the overall human rate to the coddled, supervised, limited AI rate misleads.
    I mistrust the destination of the payoff, and regret what seems likely to be a squandering of resources.
    On the horizon, a shadow of a road system and driving regulations modified and a long list of other changes - at my risk and expense - for the convenience of computers. And some loss of a cultural skill - a form of wealth often unappreciated until it "suddenly" goes missing.

    But hey - maybe this will turn out to have been one of the exceptions, with a substantial net payoff for the communities affected. I'm willing to switch - driving lost whatever low-grade thrill it ever had for me long ago.
     
  21. gamelord Registered Senior Member

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    673
    The day videogames stop having bugs and glitches is the day I will trust my life to a robotic driver.

    The advantage of a designated human driver is that if my driver is acting drunk or senile I can hijack the steering wheel from him and control the car to safety. Which I have actually had to do before.

    Not so the case with steeringwheel-less, brakepedal-less cars.

    Not sure if UBER allows front seat passengers or not because my friend was an employee of UBER and allowed me in the front seat.
     

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