Full-Size Remote Control Cars

cylonlover writes "Thanks to efforts of groups such as Google, Oxford University, BMW and Continental, we're getting closer and closer to the advent of autonomous cars – vehicles that drive themselves, with the human 'driver' pretty much just along as a passenger. Researchers at Germany's Technische Universität München, however, are looking at taking things a step further. They're developing remote-control cars that could travel along city streets with no one in them at all, their operator located somewhere far away."

Comments

Not exactly a step further.

[The MAZZTer]

Having a human to control the car makes it relatively EASY compared to autonomous. Whether there is a human in the autonomous car or not makes no difference. Of course it's still a technically challenging undertaking... drivers rely on being able to look behind them to check blind spots etc but a well designed remote would be able to give the driver all the info and control he'd need. Then it's just a matter of latency and control design.

Not really a step further

[naoursla]

Human drivers operating remotely is really a step in a different direction. It isn't moving past autonomous vehicles.

You could replace the remote humans with remote computers and it would be a form of autonomous vehicle.

In any case, given how often my cell phone drops signal while I'm driving I'm not sure I would want one of... oops...

sdfdxcal
[CARRIER LOST]

Re:Not really a step further

[Eivind]

What do you mean "even less safe" ? The roads in most of the developed world are safer than they've ever been, and improving rapidly. For example, here in Norway when I got my drivers licencee we had around 400 casualties a year, now 20 years later we've got around 170.

And that is despite the fact that driven-kilometers has almost doubled in those 20 years. Thus fatalities-pro-driven-km has fallen by something like 80% in 20 years.

I expect autonomous cars will continue the trend, and in another 20 years we'll have double-digit-fatalities, despite another increase in kilometers-driven.

Software is more reliable

[Russ1642]

I trust software more than I trust most drivers these days.

Re:Software is more reliable

[Green Salad]

Me too, but it is somewhat dependent on the vendor supplying the software. My trust in both is declining.

Re:Software is more reliable

[Dare nMc]

The question I have is owner maintenance and modifications. What happens when the cameras pointed straight down at the road, the Tires have patches on the sidewalls, the Car is loaded with 10 bags of 100# cement, and a couch is strapped to the roof?

DoS attacks

[Joe_Dragon]

at the basic level all you will need is some cell phone jamming and at the harder going after the control centers.

New Top Gear Challenge

[havana9]

Fit three clunkers with actuators on steering wheel, horn, pedals, stick and connect them to an RC car receiver
Put cameras inside it.
Put cars in Dunsfold Park circuit
Give Jeremy, Richard and Dave one RC car controller each.
Make funny Top Gear Episode while the clunkers are trashed.

Re:New Top Gear Challenge

[FuzzNugget]

1) You are aware that they had an episode many years ago where they did almost exactly that, yes?

2) Who the hell is Dave?

Re: Anyone know who operates airport subways?

[ragnarok]

They're totally automated. They're monitored from a control center somewhere but it's not like there's a driver for each train, there may be one person watching the whole system.

This sounds like fun

[OhANameWhatName]

I could stay home while driving to work.

Re:Mythbusters did it

[Wookact]

This is exactly what I was thinking. There is no reason that turning a car into a R/C car would be difficult in the least. The hard part is autonomous.

Re:Trucking?

[jcwayne]

you'll have "simulators" over in China, India, wherever filled with remote drivers.

That might cause a bit of a latency problem. Plus it adds the risk that the next time a ship drags anchor on an undersea cable, several thousand trucks crash. Oops...

Re:we're back to traffic jams

[KieranC]

If a truck is moving at 100km/hour, that equates to 27.8 m/second. So a half second latency will mean about 13m error. I hope the big, safe, remote controlled truck wasn't coming into a turn then. If may cause it to cross the lane divider and squish someone. This is a much worse scenario than merely stopping and blocking traffic.