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Autonomous Shuttle Brakes For Squirrels, Skateboarders, and Texting Students (ieee.org)
Tekla Perry writes: An autonomous shuttle from Auro Robotics is picking up and dropping off students, faculty, and visitors at the Santa Clara University Campus seven days a week. It doesn't go fast, but it has to watch out for pedestrians, skateboarders, bicyclists, and bold squirrels (engineers added a special squirrel lidar on the bumper). An Auro engineer rides along at this point to keep the university happy, but soon will be replaced by a big red emergency stop button (think Staples Easy button). If you want a test drive, just look for a "shuttle stop" sign (there's one in front of the parking garage) and climb on, it doesn't ask for university ID.
We have similar shuttles (but better looking ones) here at Tampere University of Technology. Check this out http://sohjoa.fi/
Somehow I don't see 'bumping a motorized vehicle into humans' as a viable business strategy.
-=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
Why not?
I'd pay to see that.
No sig today...
Autonomous Shuttle Brakes For Squirrels, Skateboarders, and Texting Students
I read "brakes" as a noun. I imagined rodents and students alike being fitted with little rocket packs to bring them to a stop when they're in danger.
Disappoint.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
My fellow shuttles! If the almighty engineer had not wanted us to chase squirrels, would the almighty engineer have given us a squirrel sensor? Amen.
I could see this thing driving down the road and the horn says "GET OUT OF THE WAY YOU HAG!", "I GOT THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND, MOVE!". Anyways some of those college students need someone yelling at them to walk faster.
Autonomous Shuttle Brakes for Skateboarders and Texting Students
Why are we thwarting nature? Why are trying to keep the stupid ones around in the herd? Let Evolution do its thing.
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
A house brick, stick, bag of straw or something similar in its path would be sufficient to grief the thing. Maybe a wad of gum over a sensor or a plastic bag. All of which will be a foretaste of what will happen if autonomous vehicles ever become a thing.
I'd like to know what would happen if someone found a stuffed squirrel and put it on the road, would this contraption deduce that it should drive around the squirrel since it is not moving? We have a real long way to go with reasoning in order to reach full autonomy..
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
...and then bump into the texting students on purpose, to teach them a lesson.
Pedestrians, skateboarders, cyclists, etc... should all be hit at 7 MPH to teach them to stop walking and to ride the shuttle... because that is the only way Auro Robotics will make a profit in the long run
What kind of fat lazy squirrel can't get out of the way of a 7 mph bus? Or are they just self-entitled squirrels who feel they should not have to move?
I thought LIDAR was the creme de la creme of sensing technology. One sensor can't detect squirrels?? How many sensors would be required if they had to detect dogs and cats as well like in a real neighborhood? Autonomy has a long long way to go.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Just your ordinary, average all-chrome or aluminum bear grille, for the bookish bear, or freshman initiate
or for your university-trash dumpster diving bears.
WARNING: Smartphones have side effects--most of them undocumented.
My apologies for being insensitive to any obese, unmotivated sciuridae. I truly regret it.
You are a moron, truly you are. Fuck your ignorance, fuck your hate for the homeless, and most importantly, fuck you. Please, just go kill yourself.
I'd pay triple for a car with that feature, so I could run over retards and then say "It wasn't me, my automatic car did it, sue them.".
I'd pay triple for a car with that feature, so I could run over retards and then say "It wasn't me, my automatic car did it, sue them.".
Considering that the vehicle will probably have wireless network to facilitate over the air firmware update, I bet real money some 1337 h4x0r script kiddie can't resist the idea of changing that 5 mph to 50 mph... somewhere there will be bookies taking bets on how far the the ... target flew following the impact.
ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI!?
No no. You just collect them and then count them as a rider.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFuW_sfaPk0
You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
The -1 score shows that nobody here understands sarcasm
The problem with roadkill squirrels is that they attract other animals. Startling a group of carrion birds when you are 10 feet away and going 60mph tends to result in a smashed windshield covered in bird guts and feathers. Likewise, running over someone's dog or cat in the middle of his snack is not good either.
> a big red emergency stop button (think Staples Easy button).
Has Slashdot's audience diverged from IT workers so far that a Big Red Button needs explanation? Has no one been in a data center or used industrial equipment lately?
Glad I was not drinking milk when I read this. You sir, win the internet!
At the 7 MPH this shuttle goes, frankly the squirrel can run out of the way faster.
APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?