Now, This Would Be Cool !!!

[ZarPrime]

Wow, would this be cool to have or what?  Yesterday morning, Good Morning America did a report on the Google Self Driving Car.  Obviously, the research is just at the beginning but Google claims that their small fleet of 7 or 8 cars has been tested on about 140,000 miles of roads in California without any accidents.  Well, there was one accident, someone rear-ended one of the cars I guess.  Anyway, I know that I could get into having one of these despite the fact that the technology won't be available to the public for at least 8 years.  Here's the news article about it and the GMA video is about halfway down the page.  The video is a little more that 3 minutes long, after the commercial at the beginning of course.  You'll probably be about as impressed as I was --> http://erictric.com/2010/10/12/googles-self-driving-car-featured-on-good-morning-america/

Here's a litle more about the self driving car --> http://erictric.com/2010/10/09/google-secretly-develops-tests-automated-cars/

ZarPrime

[IchBin]

Very cool. Would be great to see that in the market I think. Reminds me of that movie with Tom Cruise Minority Report.

[Lord Anubis]

I just wonder if they are still efficient at detecting (pedestrians, cars, etc) when it is raining... due to it having the "eye" at the top

[ed_m2]

the technology for doing this kind of thing has been around for quiet a while, maybe only matured over the last 10years tho.
the problem is one of legislation & liability, i don't think you'd be allowed to homologate & sell a car like this and no one is going to want to be first to market with it and be the one setting legal precedent when the first 'accidents' happen.


(not least to add.. lidars are prohibitively expensive, gps & radar readily available to automotive spec.... i expect the inertial sensors are spec'd to a fairly expensive level too)

[ZarPrime]

I just wonder if they are still efficient at detecting (pedestrians, cars, etc) when it is raining... due to it having the "eye" at the top

LA,

Just a guess here but I got the idea that the scanning laser on top is not for this purpose.  It sounds like the radar sensors on the front and rear bumpers and the video camera in the front window are used for detecting pedestrians, bicycles, etc.

ZarPrime

[Lord Anubis]

On a second watch I got that impression too 

[Maxx1]

Just kidding here, but what about road rage, what if the car took on it's own persona?

But on a serious note, I would consider, judgment calls and road traction during bad weather an snow, black ice and so on! And although technology is 10 thumbs up for me, we are getting too dependent on it at times... it seems! and for some driving a car is the only workout they get!

For me I like parking far from the store, just to get an extra walk! most want the car at the front door!

But your are correct very Kool!

regards,
Maxx