Slashdot Mirror
Blind Man Test Drives Google's Autonomous Car
Velcroman1 writes "'This is some of the best driving I've ever done,' Steve Mahan said the other day. Mahan was behind the wheel of a Toyota Prius tooling the small California town of Morgan Hill in late January, a routine trip to pick up the dry cleaning and drop by the Taco Bell drive-in for a snack. He also happens to be 95 percent blind. Mahan, head of the Santa Clara Valley Blind Center, 'drove' along a specially programmed route thanks to Google's autonomous driving technology. Google announced the self-driving car project in 2010. It relies upon laser range finders, radar sensors, and video cameras to navigate the road ahead, in order to make driving safer, more enjoyable and more efficient — and clearly more accessible. In a Wednesday afternoon post on Google+, the company noted that it has hundreds of thousands of miles of testing under its belt, letting the company feel confident enough in the system to put Mahan behind the wheel."
Grow up. They have done 200,000 miles with a person sat in the driver's seat to ensure he can take control if anything went wrong. On a pre-programmed route this is a very stable system and he had someone beside him in the passenger seat (I also wouldn't be surprised if it was dual-control so the passenger has access to a brake pedal). Meanwhile this technology could eventually change the lives of millions upon millions of disabled people, damn right it deserves the publicity. With your attitude we'd never have wheelchairs or crutches or surgery, all things which, the first time out, could have resulted in injury but have been life changing tech for millions.
Later she was called to the police station to make a statement. The police had arrested the driver. He said he had not seen the crossing because there was thick fog (mildly overcast). Then they discovered that he was registered partially sighted. He had cataracts.
He was convicted of:
His comment to my wife at the police station? "You've spoiled my day". He simply did not realise how serious his offense was.
So I applaud what Google is doing, because I've worked with computers for nearly 35 years, and human beings for over 40, and if the system is designed I would trust the computer over the human being any day of the week, and double on Sundays (drunks with hangovers).
From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
They can also drive safely millimetres (like inches but smaller) apart from each other, massively increasing the capacity of the existing road network.
I've seen that thing MERGE WITH MOTORWAY (freeway right?) TRAFFIC!!! 8@~~
It's bonkers clever. I want one. Where we all just sit around the table inside it having breakfast.