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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."
the need for Swede!
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.
My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
If someone is driving a brand new car right off the lot and the breaks fail, causing a fatal accident, does the CEO do hard time now? In that case, it's pretty clear that the defect is the responsibility of the manufacturer, but it would be far more likely that there would be a civil lawsuit. So when Volvo says they will be liable, they're talking about civil and not criminal liability.
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!
To expand further. It is like if you are driving and you can safely avoid someone rear ending you. But you don't because they are liable.
The way Americans love to tailgate (follow too closely) you picked a good example. I've actually had to slam on my brakes because someone in front of me suddenly stopped (deer, I think). Since I wasn't following too closely, I had a good margin. But the jerk-off behind me was following much too closely in his large SUV and I saw he was about to plow into me. So I then had to punch the gas, move up another meter or two, and slam the brakes again which gave him barely enough time to stop and avoid me.
Now maybe the AI aboard this vehicle can cope with a situation like that. And maybe it can't. I sure hope it doesn't assume sanity among fellow drivers. With potential car accidents there are much more immediate concerns than legal liability. Who pays for it is something that gets settled later among the survivors. While getting rear-ended is usually not fatal unless it happens at crazy speeds, it can cause some painful long term damage especially to the neck and spine.
That was one of the closest calls I had but certainly not the only one. Just last week I was stuck behind a very slow driver (possibly a drunk). He was doing about 25 to 30 in a 45 mph zone during good conditions. There was no safe opportunity to pass him or her. Especially since I suspected intoxication I gave more following distance than I usually would. The moron behind me (also in a large SUV - coincidence?) decided to display his infantile patience by tailgating me very closely. Apparently he believed I was somehow responsible for what the guy in front of me was doing, even though he could plainly see I was as stuck as he was. Or he didn't care and just wanted to take out his infantile impatience on the first available target which was me.
Could an AI be smart enough to know a) what the speed limit was, b) how much below it the vehicle in front is moving, c) that these were good conditions, no adverse weather, etc, and d) that people tend not to go that slow unless something is wrong with them, put all of that together, and realize that the situation is more risky than normal? Do we have the tech to do that right now?
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..."
Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
Except you can't, because you stopped really paying attention to the traffick the second the car began driving itself. You won't even notice you're about to get to an accident, much less have any idea what to do about it. At best you might get startlet and do something stupid, like unexpectedly slam the brakes in the middle of a highway. It's best to take direct control away from you except through some ritual which is complicated enough to ensure you're actually paying attention and have had time to think what you're doing. And yes, that will sometimes lead to accidents, but probably less often than the other way.
Besides, isn't getting rid of that whole "paying attention to the traffick and planning what to do" thing the whole point of self-driving cars? It's not like working the controls is physically tiring.
Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.
I wasn't aware of anything like that. Story?
There's this amazing invention called Google. Perhaps you have heard of it? It's very easy to use. Using it and getting a solid answer even takes less time than posting stupid questions! Have you tried it? Give it a try, it really works! Why, the very first search result answers your question -- how 'bout that?
Typical future scenario in your autonomous vehicle: "Why the hell is the car slowing d... oh, I see..."
Here is a video of that actually happening, with Tesla's autopilot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.