[macgeek]

The future has Arrived with Las Vegas having it's First licensed autonomous car on the roads
Is this the end of Taxi drivers?, the end of DWI's?


Nevada issues Google first license for self-driving car - Las Vegas Sun News




http://www.techhive.com/article/2552...a_streets.html

[Croce]

I'm sure it will drive better than most of the cars on the road here.

[ddrhazy]

With enough programming robots can do most tasks better than humans. I think it'll be another 20 years till we see a fleet of these cars though.

[BBMW]

I've said this before (but maybe not here.) Self driving vehicles will really start eliminating jobs when you get the first autonomous trucks, especially long haul.

[ddrhazy]

There are a lot of ideas floating around about how the technology can be used to alleviate current problems. Ride sharing robotic vehicles could reduce the amount of vehicles on the roads. Effectively they would be taxis that are used at 100% capacity at no waste and would eliminate the need for parking entirely.

[cre8lite]

just a thought - will the robot cars will be able to learn/adapt to their environments? let's face it - the drivers here are different than other locations. personally i think the southern california people are WAY more agressive than locals, arizona people a close 2nd. add to that the melting pot of other visitors that drive our streets.

humans know that in some spots, just because the speed limit is 35 doesn't mean you go 35. will this robotic car only do the posted speed limit (or under) & therefore cause accidents that could have been avoided if a human was driving? or will they be smart enough to know when to keep up with the flow of traffic?

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by ddrhazy

With enough programming robots can do most tasks better than humans. I think it'll be another 20 years till we see a fleet of these cars though.

Less than five, I'll bet. Think of what a computer could do in 1993 and compare that to today (use the computer in your phone as an example). I'm hoping that 20 years from now we have free energy licked and are desalinating water faster than sea levels can rise.

[ddrhazy]

The benefit of a robotized fleet is that computer algorithms can calculate the best way for merges, traffic detours and how to deal with traffic congestion.

To answer cre8lite's question. I think in the beginning highway speeds will remain the same and the cars will not allow you to go faster. As the communication between the robotic cars becomes more sophisticated their ability for fast yet safe speeds should become normal. As far as adapting to their environment, the Google car already can avoid obstacles and maneuver thru traffic, so yes they can adapt.

[oeccscclhjhn]

skip to 2:30 for the autocar...

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by ddrhazy

The benefit of a robotized fleet is that computer algorithms can calculate the best way for merges, traffic detours and how to deal with traffic congestion.

To answer cre8lite's question. I think in the beginning highway speeds will remain the same and the cars will not allow you to go faster. As the communication between the robotic cars becomes more sophisticated their ability for fast yet safe speeds should become normal. As far as adapting to their environment, the Google car already can avoid obstacles and maneuver thru traffic, so yes they can adapt.

I imagine that eventually we will all have transponders on our cars. And the transponders will have a switch for "human operated" vs "autopilot."