Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

My wife's car already drives itSelf.
Ok kinda.

Background: Wanted to get my wife the safest car. So last year I bought her a brand new model that supposedly had the best safety tech. We already knew that it had this Distronic feature that would keep it a fixed distance from the car in front of it. We also knew (and had inadvertently tested) that the feature could actually automatically bring the car to a complete stop if the car in front came to a stop. Then, a few months ago we found that the car would resist the steering wheel from being turned and would apply the brakes on the opposite site (to counter rotate the car) if we tried to change lanes with another car in the blind spot.

But last weekend, when I was driving my wife's car on a longer trip, I noticed that, when the Distronic cruise control was on, there was a green 'steering wheel' icon that would pop up on the dash whenever I would let up on handling the steering wheel. Then whenever I would change lanes or actively steer the car the icon would disappear. So (as men would tend to do), I did the stupid thing and just let go of the steering wheel - and I found that the car steered itself even through significant corners.

Now, I know Google etc. have already built self-driving cars, but to experience this first hand was amazing (or maybe, being somewhat of an older guy, I'm just easily amazed with newer tech).

The only thing is, with ours, even though it continues to steer itself under CC, an alarm still goes off if I let go of the wheel for more than 10 seconds.

Still at least I feel much better that there's a good chance that, even if my wife were to somehow lose consciousness while driving, the car might save her on its own. I used to think that self driving cars would be just a huge accident waiting to happen but no more.

Talk about Machine Spirit (40K), lol.

Edit - changed the title to make it more topical per Badrukk's comment.

This feels more like personal blog or somewhere else than OT forum...

That is amazing. For all those that say fully automated cars have too many legal and practical obstacles to hurtle to reach consumers any time soon, I think your experience might say other wise.

Technology amazes me...and kinda scares me too..

Fully automated cars are the future, despite a far one, and it would be a godsend to have.

And it could certainly help with traffic if they could all communicate. Probably more than half of traffic stoppages are do to drivers being idiots.

 Co'tor Shas wrote:
And it could certainly help with traffic if they could all communicate. Probably more than half of traffic stoppages are do to drivers being idiots.

Yep. Accidents suddenly down to almost zero. No more speed racer idiots thinking the street is a racing area. I can't wait.

 Sigvatr wrote:

 Co'tor Shas wrote:
And it could certainly help with traffic if they could all communicate. Probably more than half of traffic stoppages are do to drivers being idiots.

Yep. Accidents suddenly down to almost zero. No more speed racer idiots thinking the street is a racing area. I can't wait.

Also: The death of police departments everywhere in the US.

 Sigvatr wrote:

 Co'tor Shas wrote:
And it could certainly help with traffic if they could all communicate. Probably more than half of traffic stoppages are do to drivers being idiots.

Yep. Accidents suddenly down to almost zero. No more speed racer idiots thinking the street is a racing area. I can't wait.

Most traffic is the result of people being very inefficient as well. All it takes are a couple people cutting others off, or slamming on the brakes, or so on and suddenly there can be a traffic jam for hours on a crowded road.

Tell me, what happens when two automated Cars finally have a flaw where they somehow end up right in front of each other, coming at opposite directions on a road? Do they crash, or does one veer off the road and potentially put the passenger at risk of injury?

I trust myself to drive a vehicle far more then a machine, or at least this stage. If I'm in a car crash, it's because I fethed up, not because of a potential technical error or bug in the system.

"Set destination for Home."
"I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that."

It's all a part of their plan.

 Wyzilla wrote:
Tell me, what happens when two automated Cars finally have a flaw where they somehow end up right in front of each other, coming at opposite directions on a road? Do they crash, or does one veer off the road and potentially put the passenger at risk of injury?

I trust myself to drive a vehicle far more then a machine, or at least this stage. If I'm in a car crash, it's because I fethed up, not because of a potential technical error or bug in the system.

Based on what I seen with our current car I would guess that they would slow down and switch into their correct lanes (each veer to their respective right for US cars)

My wife's current car doesn't just slam on the brakes when something (whether car, animal, wall) suddenly appears at 'X danger' distance in front of it. It seems to:
1. Calculate trajectory at a distance way beyond that 'X' distance in order to smoothly apply the brakes and;
2. Also be able to calculate trajectory of things coming at right perpendicular angles to it. Because we've also seen the car slow down on its own for a deer (I live in the country) that was running in the woods to the side of the road (the car saw the deer before we did)

I really don't see them catching on until they are affordable tbh. And I'm driving my 82 caddillac till I die.
I mean, you tell the family that makes 35k a year they have to buy a new car.

 Wyzilla wrote:
Tell me, what happens when two automated Cars finally have a flaw where they somehow end up right in front of each other, coming at opposite directions on a road? Do they crash, or does one veer off the road and potentially put the passenger at risk of injury?

I trust myself to drive a vehicle far more then a machine, or at least this stage. If I'm in a car crash, it's because I fethed up, not because of a potential technical error or bug in the system.

I've read philosophical quandaries about this. Does the car prioritize its own passengers or the other car's? More interesting is when you have a "manual" vehicle and an auto-driving vehicle. It wouldn't be impossible for a self driving car to be aware of that. How about with sensors that detect the number of lifeforms in each vehicle? The last one is borderline sci-fi for now, but hardly impossible with thermal imaging or weight sensors in the cars that broadcast the passenger count to other vehicles.

 daedalus wrote:

 Wyzilla wrote:
Tell me, what happens when two automated Cars finally have a flaw where they somehow end up right in front of each other, coming at opposite directions on a road? Do they crash, or does one veer off the road and potentially put the passenger at risk of injury?

I trust myself to drive a vehicle far more then a machine, or at least this stage. If I'm in a car crash, it's because I fethed up, not because of a potential technical error or bug in the system.

I've read philosophical quandaries about this. Does the car prioritize its own passengers or the other car's? More interesting is when you have a "manual" vehicle and an auto-driving vehicle. It wouldn't be impossible for a self driving car to be aware of that. How about with sensors that detect the number of lifeforms in each vehicle? The last one is borderline sci-fi for now, but hardly impossible with thermal imaging or weight sensors in the cars that broadcast the passenger count to other vehicles.

Considering we're nearing closer to the day when we grow our meat from STEM cells and have space tourism, I don't think Sci Fi really is much of a border anymore, outside of crazy advanced stuff like the Culture. We're in a new age already by simply discussing the subject of automated cars.

 Wyzilla wrote:
Tell me, what happens when two automated Cars finally have a flaw where they somehow end up right in front of each other, coming at opposite directions on a road? Do they crash, or does one veer off the road and potentially put the passenger at risk of injury?

I trust myself to drive a vehicle far more then a machine, or at least this stage. If I'm in a car crash, it's because I fethed up, not because of a potential technical error or bug in the system.

They... would pull into the correct lane, and probably do so much more quickly, precisely, and safely than a human? And unlike people, the car is much less likely to drunkenly swerve into another lane, or fall asleep at the wheel, and so on. Turns out human beings are really bad drivers. Besides, it's not like by the time self driving cars are a thing there won't have been thousands and thousands of engineers dedicating years and years of effort to ensuring that this situation doesn't happen, and that if it does, the cars can react more quickly than a person ever could.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
I really don't see them catching on until they are affordable tbh. And I'm driving my 82 caddillac till I die.
I mean, you tell the family that makes 35k a year they have to buy a new car.

That is a good point. New technology rapidly gets into cars, and gets cheaper quite rapidly, though.

The kind of safety technology that the OP describes is only available as an option in more expensive cars at the moment, but in 15 years it will probably be standard in everything.

Loads of safety features like ABS braking, air bags and parking sensors, were unknown 30 years ago, expensive options 15 years ago, and nowadays are standard on even quite small, cheap cars.

You all want to know the future? Look at what Mercedes-Benz put in the latest 'S' Class. First car to have sat nav as standard, radar guided cruise control, multi disc CD changer, colour tv, internet, infrared cameras, blind spot cameras, anti lock brakes, ESP, crumple zones and pre tensioner seat belts were all introduced by Mercedes-Benz on the S class.
All of the above are from 1981 and onwards.

Things like ESP, Anti Lock brakes, airbags, crumple zones and pre tensioner seat belts are now standard on just about every car found on the road today.

Spooky. And the reason I want an SL 65 AMG...

 sarpedons-right-hand wrote:
You all want to know the future? Look at what Mercedes-Benz put in the latest 'S' Class. First car to have sat nav as standard, radar guided cruise control, multi disc CD changer, colour tv, internet, infrared cameras, blind spot cameras, anti lock brakes, ESP, crumple zones and pre tensioner seat belts were all introduced by Mercedes-Benz on the S class.
All of the above are from 1981 and onwards.
...

Lies, my 82 caddie has radar cruise control.

I think the future might be that people don't even buy cars but instead summon them from a phone app to their location and then drive them home. Since most of the time vehicles just sit in the driveway fully automated cars could just be summoned using GPS from your phone to find you. This would make it more economical for people with lower incomes.

THe prices on these cars will come down since it is new they are expensive like DVD players they were a couple thousand dollars now they are supper cheap.

Sure, self-driving cars are great. This is how Skynet begins.....

 jreilly89 wrote:
Sure, self-driving cars are great. This is how Skynet begins.....

Moar like DriveNet, amirite?

Keep in mind insurance cost will be super low.

Would you even need insurance?


If your AUTOmobile crashes due to an issue with the car itself, surely you'd sue the manufacturer and not the rider.

 Kilkrazy wrote:

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
I really don't see them catching on until they are affordable tbh. And I'm driving my 82 caddillac till I die.
I mean, you tell the family that makes 35k a year they have to buy a new car.

That is a good point. New technology rapidly gets into cars, and gets cheaper quite rapidly, though.

The kind of safety technology that the OP describes is only available as an option in more expensive cars at the moment, but in 15 years it will probably be standard in everything.

Loads of safety features like ABS braking, air bags and parking sensors, were unknown 30 years ago, expensive options 15 years ago, and nowadays are standard on even quite small, cheap cars.

but what about people who want to drive old cars?

 welshhoppo wrote:
Would you even need insurance?


If your AUTOmobile crashes due to an issue with the car itself, surely you'd sue the manufacturer and not the rider.

Pretty sure those cars will have a safety manual override in case of a malfunction, similar to an airbag, that only works once and then has to be reconfigured (so you can't abuse it).


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 hotsauceman1 wrote:

but what about people who want to drive old cars?

Special areas.

I would still prefer driving myself then my car Itself.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:

 sarpedons-right-hand wrote:
You all want to know the future? Look at what Mercedes-Benz put in the latest 'S' Class. First car to have sat nav as standard, radar guided cruise control, multi disc CD changer, colour tv, internet, infrared cameras, blind spot cameras, anti lock brakes, ESP, crumple zones and pre tensioner seat belts were all introduced by Mercedes-Benz on the S class.
All of the above are from 1981 and onwards.
...

Lies, my 82 caddie has radar cruise control.

You missed the part at the end where I stated 'From 1981 onwards'

I misread the entire post, didn't realize it was sarcasm.

I had a similar question when those reverse-park-itself cars were showing up. What happens if it malfunctions and hits another car? Who is liable (both legally and insurance-wise)? The driver (who isn't technically driving when the car auto-parks itself) or the manufacturer?

The driver is still the operator, and is likely expected to keep an eye on everything the car is doing. That said, I'd bet the car causes far, far, far fewer fender benders than the driver would.