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US To Standardize Car App/communication Device Components
coondoggie writes "The U.S. Department of Transportation has high hopes of standardizing the way autos talk to each other and with other intelligent roadway systems of the future. The department recently issued a call for public and private researchers and experts to help it build what the DOT called 'a hypothetical four layer approach to connected vehicle devices and applications certification.'"
The UN creates a completely different standard, based on Russian Car Cams.
What about makeing the EZ-pass system work for all us toll roads as well?
This is probably not needed for their drivers though. The use of middle fingers and "FUCK YOU!" appears to have caught on just fine as an industry standard.
You can hold down the "B" button for continuous firing.
Microsoft will just come along and break standard anyway.
Sometimes the best solution is to stop wasting time looking for an easy solution.
In the short run, the real question for me will not be how the cars communicate with each other, but how they handle the cars that do not communicate at all. Nobody wants to swap engine oil at 75MPH with the VW Bus going 55 just because the bus wasn't communicating. Just like how nobody wants to meet the driver of that car that had to stop short to avoid a hazard.
I think for me, the biggest feature I'd like to see is a HUD that gives me a relative speed on the cars around me along with warning indicators communicated from cars ahead when debris is noted on the road. Hate that last-minute slight swerve to dodge a thrown tyre-tread that I couldn't see until the swerve.
In SOVIET RUSSIA... erm...NSA AMERICA, the Internet logs onto YOU!
Seriously, this is annoying as heck. Either because they're going under the speed limit, or they're going at the exact-speed as the guy in the next lane and blocking traffic. And the highways by me are plastered with "Left lane pass only" or "keep to right except to pass"
Under the speed limit is obvious...
But the same-speed thing bothers me. NOT when it's rush hour... there's nothing to be done about that.
But it's mid-day and some idiot decides to cruise on the left-lane at the EXACT speed as the guy in the next lane. Nobody in front of either of them as far as the eye can see. So traffic is building up and up behind them and causing congestion because nobody can pass these 2-or-3 cars in front of them.
If you want to be going as the same speed as the guy in the middle or right lane, then GET IN the middle or right lane!
ADDENDUM... especially when the left-lane idiot is going the same speed as the dump-truck next to him. So everyone is getting pelted with small pebbles and things and are unable to pass.
First thing this proposal needs is a way to update the firmware of any such technology in a direct, physical, and only-by-the-driver fashion. Because if there's one thing I've learned about government-sponsored "standards" in technology... it's that they will fuck it up.
The best approach will probably be creating some kind of virtual stack with an API interface to applications; Keep it flexible so that as security vulnerabilities are discovered (they WILL be discovered), the network stack itself can be upgraded. It should also be mandatory that manufacturers support any device/vehicle for at least twenty years. None of this crap like we have with cell phones where only a few patches or upgrades are released and then "ha ha, that's it ... upgrade to our newer model now!" As well, every device should be required to be updated at least once a year; That all firmware has an expiration date, and newer versions of the protocol are intentionally only backwards compatible for one or two revisions prior.
This will ensure that (eventually) any vulnerable device or exploit is eventually totally removed from the road. Any such communication tech should also fail safe -- that is, if it isn't upgraded, or whatever... it just disables itself allowing for manual control. The operator should also have the option of immediately discontinuing connections to earlier versions of the protocol or disabling the device entirely (manual mode), and such options should be easily-accessible without any tools or special knowledge.
Lastly, all vehicles should have a prominent fail-safe button readily accessible by the driver without needing to take his/her eyes off the road, and should be tactile (not these capacitive buttons, but a real pushable button), which immediately disables all automation and computer control and resets all inputs to a "fail-safe" manual level to allow for immediate operation of the vehicle -- specifically to bring it to a stop as quickly and safely as possible. This button (ideally) will be located on the steering wheel or column and can be hit without taking hands off the wheel. Basically... and emergency kill switch that engages mechanical and direct linkage to critical vehicle inputs like steering, braking, and throttle.
#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
Standardized toll pass would allow cash-strapped counties to collect tolls from out of county residents. Just like "speeding" tickets, only there is no such thing as driving slowly to get around it.
The Massachusetts Turnpike already does that without the EZ pass. Say you're an out-of-state driver who has never heard of the Mass Pike, so you turn onto a clearly-labeled interstate, follow a one-way road for a little bit, and BAM! Hit by a surprise toll. Better hope you've got cash, sucker, 'cause there's nowhere else to go!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OnStar#Use_as_surveillance_device
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
ADDENDUM... especially when the left-lane idiot is going the same speed as the dump-truck next to him. So everyone is getting pelted with small pebbles and things and are unable to pass.
I don't need a new government standard to fix this. I already put a pair of pneumatically-driven TRAIN HORNS connected to a deep cycle marine battery and isolated with a big honking 1 farad capacitor and an industrial-grade current limiter under the hood. It's good for about 20 seconds of SWEET MOTHER OF GOD sound before it spends the next half hour recharging off the alternator.
Believe me... people get out of the way when their car is literally shaking from the noise behind them. And yes, I did dynamat the entire passenger compartment, even the firewall... which makes for whisper-quiet drives until HORN OF DEATH is activated. I have four sets of industrial-grade ear protection and a pack of disposable ear plugs in the glove box, because I measured the SPL at over 120dB even with all the sound-dampening. Unfortunately, the windshield itself transmits a significant amount of vibration through it and there's no practical way to fix that problem...
I've only had to use this weapons-grade horn a couple of times, but let me say, the effects were immediate. Make sure you have plenty of distance between the vehicle in front of you when you hit the button... people have a funny habit of standing on the brakes when their world turns a vibrating shade of red.
I personally guarantee you though... you'll be able to pass anyone after pushing the big blue button.
#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
Wow, that's scary. Whoever is buying that data can just look who's garage you park at every night to figure out who you are. The same thing goes if you have a cell phone carrier that sells your location data.
"In 2011, OnStar did announce that it would start retaining all the information collected by the GPS and internal system, so that it could be sold to third parties (possibly insurance companies).[13] Although this data is supposed to be “anonymized”, it remains unclear exactly what they mean by this as it is extremely difficult to anonymize GPS data."
You do realize that he's complaining about people engaging in illegal practices, right? Where I live, cops regularly enforce the "Left lane for passing only" signs that were posted within the last year on our main freeway. If you're in the left lane and not passing the guy next to you, you'll earn yourself a citation pretty quickly because what you're doing is not only illegal, it also endangers everyone else on the road by causing cars to pile up behind you, thus increasing the likelihood of an accident significantly.
Your chief calling while driving is not to abide by the law, but to drive safely. Following the law is the best way to drive safely in about 99% of situations, but the laws are inadequate at times, and it is not your responsibility to try and enforce them against others, since your doing so will more often than not result in a more dangerous situation than if you had left the other driver alone. Every cop I know will tell you that it's okay to speed up beyond the limit in order to pass someone if doing so will result in a safer driving situation for the people involved. And at least where I live, failing to do so means that you need to drop back and get out of the left lane if you want to be law-abiding. Either way, it's safer for everyone involved.
Once things are standardized, we can commence the march towards autonomous cars. Nothing would make traffic move smoother than cars driving themselves that can communicate with each other.
I was set to purchase a set of semi truck air horns and the rig to run them when my wife asked, "What is that?" I told her, and that was the end of that project. Should have waited until she left for work. . .
"Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
http://xkcd.com/927/
There's also the following, from OnStar's ToS:
18. WHAT IF YOUR CAR IS STOLEN? If your Car is stolen, we can try to locate it. Before we try to locate it, you’ll need to provide satisfactory identification, and the police must be treating the Car as stolen. Generally, we will only provide location information about stolen Cars to the police; however, in cases of crises or emergencies, we may, in our own judgment, provide you with information about the general area of your Car without police involvement. OnStar may be notified by an early warning system that your Car may have been stolen and, in some cases, you may also be notified by OnStar. We don’t have to continue to try to locate your Car after 48 hours from the time you first report it stolen, and we can’t guarantee that we’ll find it. We also aren’t required to try to find your Car for the purpose of locating someone.
Your Car may have Stolen Vehicle Slowdown capability that enables OnStar to slow down your stolen Car remotely and/or the capability that enables OnStar to stop your Car from starting to assist law enforcement in its recovery. OnStar may also slow down your Car or stop your Car from starting if required to comply with legal requirements, including valid court orders in criminal investigations and to protect the safety of you or others.
If you don’t want Stolen Vehicle Slowdown capability on your Car, you must contact OnStar by pressing the blue OnStar button in your Car and request that this capability be disabled. If you choose to disable this capability, it will not be available under any circumstances and can only be re-enabled at an authorized car dealership at your expense.
Emphasis added to highlight the scary.
Now, where the heck is that OnStar module in my truck, and how to remove/disable it...
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
So in high school I rigged a dashboard switch to the brake lights. If an annoying tailgater decided to touch the back of my car I simply held down the switch...which never failed to open up some space!
You don't really need to do that. Most vehicle brakes light before any significant pressure is applied -- you can usually trip it with just a light touch (not enough to affect speed). Unless your car is very new or the brakes were just replaced, there's usually enough play to get the light to come on.
#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
for my new car to tell the state police exactly how fast it was going, no radar needed.
It will be better to purchase from an owner who is a good farmer and a good builder.
No, it's not. You don't pronounce U.S. as "us". An acronym is when you pronounce it as a word.
acronym
noun
an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word (e.g., ASCII, NASA).
U.S. is an initialism.
initialism
noun
an abbreviation consisting of initial letters pronounced separately (e.g., CPU).
That's some of the dumbest advice I've ever read on the internet. Let's cause and accident at highway speeds!
I think I speak for all of us when I say please swerve into a pylon next time you try it so the guy behind you doesn't have to.
They're doing it wrong, though. I gave this some thought a couple of years back, when smart cars were first being touted. I believe that a good system would implement the following rules:
1. No car may ask another car about anything. All communication is one-way and voluntary.
2. Participating cars transmit a randomly chosen IPv6 address as a unique identifier. It is changed every morning when you start the car.
3. In addition to this address, cars transmit their intended destination.
4. Your car only knows the destination of other cars it has seen. By the law of large numbers, this should be sufficient.
5. All cars have a fast computer (i.e. a standard laptop) which stores where everyone else is going, and does all the computation.
6. All other communications (i.e. "there has been an accident/flood/construction work on Route 231") comes from a central dispatch manned by people.
for i in `facebook friends "=bday" 2>/dev/null | cut -d " " -f 3-`; do facebook wallpost $i "Happy birthday!"; done