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Autonomous Audi TT Conquers Pike's Peak
fergus07 writes "After a year long research program, this week Audi revealed that its Autonomous TTS car had completed the 12.42-mile Pike's Peak mountain course in 27 minutes. An expert driver in the same car would take around 17 minutes — now we have a benchmark, the race is on, and it's almost inevitable that a computer will one day outdrive the best of our species, and it may be sooner than you think."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKgeCQGu_ug (Ari Vatanen with peugeot 405 T16, Pikes-Peak 1990)
Audi is logically taking a cautious and considered approach because the negative publicity of a car plunging over a fatal drop would hinder the development.
You mean like this? Lockheed Martin invited local media out to test drive their new vehicle. One of their guys started the day off by stating "You can't flip this vehicle." Care to guess what one of the reporters managed to do?
Whoops....
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
Heck, even trains, the one kind of vehicle that could drive itself completely safely today, are still manned by "drivers" who spend their time pushing a button to tell the computer they're still alive, because passengers would be scared without drivers and unions prevent their removal from the trains.
Well except in at least Copenhagen, Denmark, where our metro is without in-train operators. As far as I know there is no union for the operating computers, as they have yet to gain sentience.
A quick google search for "Autonomous Audi TTS hardware" turned up these articles, offering various details on the hardware used:
http://sun.systemnews.com/articles/143/2/feature/22601
http://www.audiusanews.com/newsrelease.do;jsessionid=2CB13CF6B9E286A75E8E2B1663E63318?id=1589
http://www.topspeed.com/cars/audi/2010-autonomous-audi-tts-pikes-peak-ar92542.html
Yeah, the metro in New Delhi is driverless, too.
Lies about crimes