Volvo Unveils Autonomous Concept Car, WIth Retracting Wheel, 25" Display (computerworld.com)

Lucas123 writes: Volvo has revealed what is sees as the future of self-driving vehicles, a car that has three autonomous driving options, one of which includes a retracting steering wheel, reclining seats with foot rests and a tray table. Unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week, the Concept 26 also has a 25-in interactive display. Volvo is also among the first to address the subject of self-driving cars and liability, saying we firmly believe that car makers should take full responsibility for the actions of the car when it is driving in full autonomous mode."

Comments

Eagerly looking forward to this technology

[The-Ixian]

I haven't had a car for many years and don't foresee buying one any time soon.

However, once self driving cars are a reality, I will certainly consider buying one.

I suspect that I am not alone in this. It will be a huge selling point for these car companies and will perhaps turn non car owners into car owners.

Re:Eagerly looking forward to this technology

[suutar]

if a car needs someone to take over _suddenly_ it doesn't matter. Nobody's going to be paying enough attention to what's going on every minute of every trip to be ready to take over on the one trip when the car can't handle it.

More importantly

[Anonymous Coward]

More importantly, this is probably the first direct statement from a car manufacturer that THEY consider themselves 100% responsible for any accidents or problems when the car is in self drive mode.

This statement alone is more news worthy then the self-driving car itself!

Re:Volvo says it will be liable for any accidents

[Dutch Gun]

Have you ever been in an accident? It's pretty rare that you can actually see them coming. Otherwise, you would have avoided it, right? Or put another way... even if you can see it coming, it's likely that had you seen it earlier, there would be no need for last second heroic swerving or braking maneuvers.

Short of some horrible malfunction on multiple levels, a computer is going to start slowing down or braking long before a human is even aware of a potential problem. The autonomous car has the advantage of literally being able to see in all directions at once, and being able to react to that information in the blink of an eye.

Typical future scenario in your autonomous vehicle: "Why the hell is the car slowing d... oh, I see..."