Driverless cars now street legal

[Quicksand]

Interesting. Would you get into one, or send a family member off to work/school in one?

GET excited. The future is here.

Driverless cars are now street legal.

In California.

Google had been working with the Governer of California, Jerry Brown, to legally get its vehicles on the road.

Yesterday it became law.

Governor Brown signed a bill known as "SB1298" at Google's Mountain View headquarters which created "a legal framework and safety standards for autonomous vehicles on state roads and highways," Mashable reported.

Google co-founder, Sergey Brin said during a speech at its California headquarters - that self driving cars could "transform lives and communities - providing transportation to those not currently served, increasing safety on the road, reducing or eliminating congestion, and turning parking into parkland”.

Governer Brown added that the driverless cars demonstrated had turned "science fiction into tomorrow's reality".

Google has been testing its driverless cars for almost two years. The vehicles operate using sensors, computer navigation and radar. Rather than being the driver, the technology sees humans become the "back-up" option of last resort.

The cars have reportedly recorded more hours without accidents than the average US driver.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles (the US equivilent of the RTA) now has two years to figure out how to license the driverless cars.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers opposed the law because of concerns over whether carmakers would be held legally liable for cars that are made autonomous. Consumer groups also raised security concerns because the computers would be tracking the driverless cars' every movement.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/technology/dr...#ixzz27Yh8YxLy

[Fiesta_Man69]

Less accidents than the average American driver hey? That's not saying much.

[flappist]

Not news at all.

Cars have been driven in California by things that are dumber than a donkey for at least 100 years.......

[2011G6E]

Noooooo.....no no no no no...nooooo. Nope.

Listen, modern electronics-filled cars have glitches that are annoying at worst. If you have a "glitch" in a self-drive car, it won't be "annoying"...it'll be fatal.

[Nova 8]

My Gps told me to turn right off a bridge last week, so the driverless car just turns right i guess?

[mik]

how fool proof is the system i wonder?

[OffRoadFalcon]

If I can't drive my car, I'm going to use something else that I can drive myself!!

I wouldn't be on this forum if I wanted my car to drive itself!

(It's still amazing technology nevertheless, amazing to watch)

[blackf6]

The beginning of the end for all enthusiasts. I say burn the whichcraftery ! Um unless you have no arms or legs and need the technology.

[JC]

Should be OK, as long as it doesn't try using iPhone 5 maps....

[Trek]

Would NOT want one of these near me when driving on the road. Will prove to be nothing but trouble and it just looks like they're trying to reinvent the wheel here. Human intervention is absolutely necessary when a vehicle is in operation on the road.

[Charliewool]

Extract from a Yahoo article on the same topic....

"I think the self-driving car can really dramatically improve the quality of life for everyone," Google co-founder Sergey Brin said.

Autonomous cars can make roads safer, free commuters from the drudgery of driving, reduce congestion and provide transport to people who can't drive themselves, such as the blind, disabled, elderly and intoxicated, Brin said
"I expect that self-driving cars will be far safer than human-driven cars," Brin said.

A couple of questions..
Does this mean you can still "drive" when you lose your licence?
Can you strap your 9 yr old in and send him to the shop and back?
If you're on a night out, can you send for your car to come and pick you up?
The legal implications are huge, methinks?

[Sprint]

Am i the only one who see's this as stupid and potentually very dangerous.

And im a computer engineer.

[Mad_Pom]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

Noooooo.....no no no no no...nooooo. Nope.

Listen, modern electronics-filled cars have glitches that are annoying at worst. If you have a "glitch" in a self-drive car, it won't be "annoying"...it'll be fatal.

Hmmm what is worse - an electronic glitch, in a system that has redundancy or drivers that seem to believe being distracted by tasks other than driving is perfectly OK. You will not catch an automomous vehicle tuning the radio, making a phone call, texting, posting on twitter, updating facebook, eating it's breakfast, putting on make-up.
No it will be busy trying to perform it's primary function of navigating the roads and trying to avoid the distracted humans, which will of course be it's biggest risk.

[Falcman0o7]

There is no way in hell i would get into that!
AI would take over and destroy you as you could be a threat to its existence! LOL!

[Falcman0o7]

Originally Posted by Mad_Pom

Hmmm what is worse - an electronic glitch, in a system that has redundancy or drivers that seem to believe being distracted by tasks other than driving is perfectly OK. You will not catch an automomous vehicle tuning the radio, making a phone call, texting, posting on twitter, updating facebook, eating it's breakfast, putting on make-up.
No it will be busy trying to perform it's primary function of navigating the roads and trying to avoid the distracted humans, which will of course be it's biggest risk.

bahaha

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Mad_Pom

Hmmm what is worse - an electronic glitch, in a system that has redundancy or drivers that seem to believe being distracted by tasks other than driving is perfectly OK. You will not catch an automomous vehicle tuning the radio, making a phone call, texting, posting on twitter, updating facebook, eating it's breakfast, putting on make-up.
No it will be busy trying to perform it's primary function of navigating the roads and trying to avoid the distracted humans, which will of course be it's biggest risk.

Dunno, why not ask all the people who have been killed in the various airbus prangs caused by computer glitches over the years.

Or maybe Jimi Heselden. He could tell you how safe the computer controlled Segway scooters made by his company are with all that redundancy. Well except that one killed him by driving off a cliff.....

[Fireblade]

I would use it for those times I go get drunk with my mates and get it to drive me home, saves the angst from the wife when I don't come because I have drank too much.

On a humorous note, Would be kind of funny to see two driverless cars have a street light race.

Speed limits could be raised to, as a computer driven car would be safer at speed than one being driven by a human.

[superpursuit83]

I like the idea of coming to pick me up at the pub

[HULK EF]

Driverless cars? yeah right! like im ever geting into one.. "remembers "Johnny cab" in original "Total recall" tries to run over fare evader..Swarzenegger.. hahahahaha..

[2011G6E]

The biggest issue is the part where they say it's guided by GPS...the one in our G6E is very good...however, there are a few glitches, even quite serious omissions of roads, in what is a very up-to-date map system. I wouldn't want that linked to a computer telling the steering and brakes where I was, thank you.

[mik]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

The biggest issue is the part where they say it's guided by GPS...the one in our G6E is very good...however, there are a few glitches, even quite serious omissions of roads, in what is a very up-to-date map system. I wouldn't want that linked to a computer telling the steering and brakes where I was, thank you.

yes the old GPS has a bit of fine tuning needed, i can`t count the times mines tried to send me out into a paddock or one time it tried to do a right turn off a cliff

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by mik

how fool proof is the system i wonder?

They had a show on Discovery Science they were competing in an autonomous vehicle challenge through an urban environment. Some of the cars got 'confused' and just stopped. only one crashed (minor bingle at that).

[big_landau]

when the battery starts going flat this would be more dangerous than a person eating a hot microwaved pie who is also not wearing there prescription driving glasses while they are listening to there ipod while trying to text with there new lover in the passengers seat who isnt wearing any panties.

[H.G]

the ORIGINAL version of TRON will soon be the reality.. mwahahahahahaha..
as will sharks with frikken lasers