WOULD YOU USE A DRIVERLESS TAXI SERVICE?

[Benny Profane]

So then we haven't lost any jobs, right?

USA is too litigious. First time a driverless semi kills a family of 5, the call will be raised to always have a human aboard.

Well, the curmudgeon cynic in me tells me that Congress will pass a bi-partisan bill shielding the truck manufacturers and fleet owners from that litigation, much like nursing home operators were protected from their murderous operations in this pandemic. They always have our best interests close to their hearts.

All of this will only work with trillions of infrastructure built to create an environment that shit box robot cars can operate fairly safely. Like high speed train lines. But then, you wonder, why not trains?

[Peruvian]

So then we haven't lost any jobs, right?

USA is too litigious. First time a driverless semi kills a family of 5, the call will be raised to always have a human aboard.

All jobs are not created (or paid) equal

[skaredshtles]

<snip>
All of this will only work with trillions of infrastructure built to create an environment that shit box robot cars can operate fairly safely. Like high speed train lines. But then, you wonder, why not trains?

So lots of new infrastructure jobs. Excellent!

Also - we should have trains.

[Toadman]

They do already have remote control trains. Well, I guess they are driverless, but someone in an office is running them. Kind of freaky to be at a rail yard and see a train engine moving with no one in the cab. That tech has been around since the '80s.

I don't know how a driverless vehicle is going to work in a Denver snowstorm though.

[Benny Profane]

So lots of new infrastructure jobs. Excellent!

Also - we should have trains.

Then why not invest that money in a solid train system, like the one Europeans enjoy and the Chinese are still building out, instead of billions of little robot shit boxes scurrying about?

Speaking of which, why aren't the Chinese riding around in little robot shit boxes right now? They can just force their people into it. They have the same tech.

[Brownski]

This thread is like the "Benny curmudgeon bat signal", glad to see it didn't disappoint.

That is legitimately funny. Thank you.
I’m skeptical that this is anywhere near ready. The company in the OP’s article is testing it in AZ for a reason. The sensors are too, well, sensitive. My new car has all kinds of lane departure warning, smart cruise control etc. but it all turns off when the sensors get too dirty, it rains hard, it snows hard, it’s slushy. If the road is dirty and it can’t see the painted lines it turns off. I’m sure they’ll be programmed to come to stop if they can’t see well enough right? The NYS thruway would be a big robot parking lot.

[skaredshtles]

Then why not invest that money in a solid train system, like the one Europeans enjoy and the Chinese are still building out, instead of billions of little robot shit boxes scurrying about?

Because socialism? The robot shitboxes are being developed by the private sector. Trains will necessitate the spending of public money. People will vote against their own self interest, as they so often due.

Speaking of which, why aren't the Chinese riding around in little robot shit boxes right now? They can just force their people into it. They have the same tech.

I suspect they will beat us to the implementation punch on this... at some point.

[yeahman]

Eighty percent of truck driving could be handled by a robot. It is the twenty percent that requires a human brain that will foil the whole thing. You going to send a driverless truck out in a 70 mph gusty crosswind in central Montana? Over a black ice mountain pass? Or out among everybody ducking dodging and weaving on the insanely crowded interstates between Chicago and New York? Not going to work. They'll keep experimenting with these things and pretending "it's coming." But when push comes to shove, a human with driving capabilities will need to be aboard.

And there are a dozen more pitfalls that people don't think through when fantasizing about the driverless future.

[skaredshtles]

Eighty percent of truck driving could be handled by a robot. It is the twenty percent that requires a human brain that will foil the whole thing. You going to send a driverless truck out in a 70 mph gusty crosswind in central Montana? Over a black ice mountain pass? Or out among everybody ducking dodging and weaving on the insanely crowded interstates between Chicago and New York? Not going to work. They'll keep experimenting with these things and pretending "it's coming." But when push comes to shove, a human with driving capabilities will need to be aboard.

And there are a dozen more pitfalls that people don't think through when fantasizing about the driverless future.

And smart people will solve them. This is very similar to any progress... it'll take more time than everyone thinks, but eventually, it'll happen. There's too much money involved for it NOT to happen.

IMO.

[neufox47]

USA is too litigious. First time a driverless semi kills a family of 5, the call will be raised to always have a human aboard.

No way. That family of 5 has a $ value, and the bodies would have to stack up pretty quickly to outweigh the savings of no drivers. Not to mention that the driverless cars will likely be far safer than a human driver. So even if jury’s award more per accident, there will be fewer.

Even now most semi-truck involved accidents are not the fault of the semi.

[Benny Profane]

Because socialism?

Well duh, now you're getting it. But you want fascism. Corporate interests working hand in hand with political power to force you and I to succumb to a certain technology that only a few profit from. It's not going to happen here, unless the hammer really comes down. Like I said, China is the perfect place for it right now. Millions displaced for dams or cities in nowhere or high speed train lines. If the tech was there, and it worked, and made sense, it would be happening there. But, it isn't at all.

[Timberridge]

If they can hack sex toys, they can hack a driverless car. I'd much rather have a rosy dick for a few days because my Slam Me Silly 2000 got hacked then end up in the Hudson River because some Iranian dude in Tehran got into the code and changed the GPS coordinates.

[Toadman]

Eighty percent of truck driving could be handled by a robot. It is the twenty percent that requires a human brain that will foil the whole thing. You going to send a driverless truck out in a 70 mph gusty crosswind in central Montana? Over a black ice mountain pass? Or out among everybody ducking dodging and weaving on the insanely crowded interstates between Chicago and New York? Not going to work. They'll keep experimenting with these things and pretending "it's coming." But when push comes to shove, a human with driving capabilities will need to be aboard.

And there are a dozen more pitfalls that people don't think through when fantasizing about the driverless future.

I suspect that they will have a few designated interstate corridors that will be approved for driverless trucks. Then work from there as the tech grows and is refined. Baby steps.

The whole driverless taxi thing? IDK, I guess by the time it's really ready to go mainstream, all those Zoomers w/o DL's will be all for hopping in a driverless vehicle to get from point A to point B.

[skaredshtles]

Well duh, now you're getting it. But you want fascism.

You're really fucking terrible at the internet.

[dookeyXXX]

1. I saw the film Upgrade, so no thanks.

2. How are private dicks gonna tail people in automated cabs?

3. As previously mentioned:

[skaredshtles]

<snip>
The whole driverless taxi thing? IDK, I guess by the time it's really ready to go mainstream, all those Zoomers w/o DL's will be all for hopping in a driverless vehicle to get from point A to point B.

That and because a huge number of old Boomer-fucks like Benny get their DL's taken away 'cause they're a goddam menace on the road.

[Mazderati]

I love cars and love driving if it's on my own terms, but if the goal is to get from A to B I'll gladly be driven.

[Benny Profane]

You're really fucking terrible at the internet.

And you suck at debating with that one.

No way this will ever happen unless Americans are legally forced into it, and that, son, is fascism.

[Benny Profane]

If they can hack sex toys, they can hack a driverless car. I'd much rather have a rosy dick for a few days because my Slam Me Silly 2000 got hacked then end up in the Hudson River because some Iranian dude in Tehran got into the code and changed the GPS coordinates.

Wait, whoa, what?

[Art Shirk]

Just saw a segment on the news about a company - https://waymo.com/, that is testing driverless vehicles in Chandler, AZ. Kind of freaked me out watching the reporter get into a driverless vehicle that pulled up to the curb and picked him up.

Not exactly sure of the tech that's even involved in stopping right next to someone who just hailed one of these vehicles. I'm not sure I would want to get in one of those vehicles. For sure my hear rate would go up a notch or two!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hqTnmn51Fg

We can't figure out stopping so going is going to be tough

[ötzi]

A couple days ago I was reading on another forum where a guy's car slammed the brakes on the highway because of somebody merging back on from the breakdown lane, he said he saw it and was about to switch lanes when the car basically locked them up at 70 mph, he was lucky he didn't get rear-ended and killed. He did some research and talked to some people and the line that sticks with me is "these systems can't tell the difference between a cow in the road and a picture of a cow on a truck, and it'll be a long damn time until they can.".

[yeahman]

People think driving is a science when in reality it's an art form.

[GiBo]

Buddy has a Mazda 3 with collision avoidance. Oncoming car left turned in front of him at an intersection. He said the guy shoulda waited, but it wasn't that close to where he even need to brake. CA slammed the brakes. Guy behind my buddy almost rear ended him. He disabled it. Fuck. That.

While I'm no expert, I'm involved with automation at my job. I have an understanding of how it works. A train is one thing (lot less variables), but there's no fucking way I'd get in an automated car.

[riser4]

People think driving is a science when in reality it's an art form.

So you too have ridden shotgun in a cab in Bucharest? Cheap entertainment. Mildly dangerous.

[Toadman]

So you too have ridden shotgun in a cab in Bucharest? Cheap entertainment. Mildly dangerous.

Try Istanbul or Napoli for some heart stopping fun!

Istanbul taxi cab driver - "In Istanbul, these lines are only a suggestion!" Just as he was about to mow down a dozen or so pedestrians in a crosswalk.