Realistically, I think the transition to roads that have a mixture of autonomous and human-driven vehicles would be the most hazardous part...not to mention expensive. I think this (and the way it was handled) is what would make or break the entire concept.
It's freakin' 2012. Why can't I just teleport already? Geez.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_Efr2TaEPo
we'll need RFiD sensors in every inch of freeway and major secondary roads, so that the vehicle can electronically ascertain what lane it's in under all weather circumstances.. -on tv they said the biggest problem was snow because the road becomes hard to see for the on board camera's, and sleet rain because it messes with the Doppler..
so that's a biggie that needs to be done completely.. I would see this happening as freeways became toll roads, and drivers are then opted to turn on their auto nav systems, or they just come on automatically when they sense the system in place.
one system, world wide, for all types for vehicles. no exceptions and we hold guns to the heads of those thinking that an open source system is really nifty..
secure transmissions between all vehicles as well as the vehicles and the autonomous ground traffic control system that directs flow.
mandatory annual vehicle inspection of all systems and replacement of any worn components with no exception. Financing is possible but the maintenance will happen or the vehicle is impounded until such repairs can be afforded. Tough noodles if you're a struggling small business that can't actually afford the overhead.. get it fixed or get a joe job and commute.
every single vehicle needs to be retro fitted or replaced..
Make this happen, and I'll buy into it
It's not strictly necessary to have such. All the absolutely necessary sensors would be in the car itself, which is the way they work now since autonomous cars just use regular car roads. Improvements can be made through only a few points of shared information: traffic information, light information, and position information. This can be done through GPS and a mesh network. You would beacon out your position and status, and receive information about collisions and when lights were going to change. This information is totally secondary information for improvements as none of it is necessary for an autonomous car to work, just to decrease commute time and increase efficiency.
There are no sensors to put into the road / change how the road looks. The Google Car drives just fine on normal public roads without any modification to the road, just to the car itself. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrmorE5W1tM&feature=endscreen&NR=1 (notice at 1:50 how that car cuts off the autonomous car) or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAiH1LX8guk
The advantage to sensors in the road is that it would allow systems to know the number of cars in certain lanes and therefore your car wouldn't need to release that information. Neither system is strictly necessary, but either system would increase efficiency. Sensors in the road would increase privacy, whereas cars beaconing out position would increase reliability (in cases like a car breaking down)
Ehh, I can't argue against Congestion and the slow-downs it causes. All I can say is that I still don't believe it's a viable reason to take away peoples ability to drive wherever/whenever they want. I think in the end we are just going to have to agree to disagree, especially since we aren't arguing over safety like I thought was the primary bit you were arguing about. Time efficiency, to me, is not a valid reason for fully autonomous cars to be mandatory, even in specific areas. Only safety, or perhaps for Blind people/disabled people as Reneer pointed out, would be a decent reason, and even then, as I said, there are a host of other things we can do to improve driving safety before we go so far as to mandate autonomous cars.
It's most certainly not taking away someone's ability to drive whenever they want, and only really small limitations on where they can drive. Honestly, if people understood the system and all the benefits it would bring, I think that anyone with half a brain would agree to it as the benefits are just huge. There would be days where such a system would save me an hour+ in commute time --
one way. It's not a case that would cause Franklin to go up in arms because neither privacy nor freedom is being given up and the improvements to society would be immeasurable.
That said, I doubt the system will ever even be an option. People are too selfish (and that's exactly the cause to 90% of all road congestion too).
Honestly, I liked someone's earlier idea in the thread, of adding a lane or two next to major highways/freeways/interstates that are for fully autonomous cars only. Realistically, I think this might be the only real way to go, as revamping all of our existing major roadways to accommodate the sensors and what not that would(I think, I don't really know to be honest) be required for autonomous cars to function, would takes years and years and years, and billions of dollars, whereas just adding separate lanes altogether for them would probably be quicker and cheaper. That way people like you and Reneer are accommodated, and people like me are still kept happy with our ability to drive.
That was my idea
» Mon May 14, 2012 6:21 pm 
