Self-driven vehicles

Participant · 29 May 2012 at 21:30

Volvo have tested a convoy of self-driven cars, which successfully navigated 125 miles across Spanish motorways at 52mph.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18248841

Some of you will remember the hilarious clip of the 'self-braking' Volvo that ploughed straight into a lorry that it was meant to avoid, but I still think it's got mileage (hah).

Now they still had to follow a 'slave' vehicle, which presumably had to obey fairly particular driving characteristics, but it's more the concept of not having to drive yourself that I found exciting.

I'd love to be able to relax and read a paper like on the train, except without other people. Sleep, watch TV, use the internet, abuse yourself...anything rather than having to concentrate on the road and other road users at 8am. Then when I fancied driving myself, it would hopefully be a matter of a simple flick of a switch.

I'm very excited about this, even if it is years and years from becoming a reality on British roads. Combine with a nice quiet electric motor and you have the ultimate in relaxed no-stress commuting. In fact I envisage a vehicle that you can step straight out of bed into, then get ready for work inside it while it drives you to your office.

Participant · 29 May 2012 at 21:37

Yeah, could I point out:

Robbie G said:
Now they still had to follow a 'slave' vehicle, which presumably had to obey fairly particular driving characteristics, but it's more the concept of not having to drive yourself that I found exciting.

Disco Boy said:
Not really at all self driven. This is self driven:
http://www.robots.ox.ac.uk/~mobile/wikisite/pmwiki/pmwiki.php?n=Main.WildCat

Impressive :eek:

.

So the main point, what do people think about being driven to work by a robot? Will it become normal in 20 years? Would you like it or drive yourself all the time?

Participant · 29 May 2012 at 21:40

Skeeter said:
My biggest problem on the road is other people. You have no way of predicting what they will do. Having the car drive itself doesn't change that so I wouldn't want to be driven unless everyone else was too.

A robot has better reactions that you though.

Participant · 29 May 2012 at 21:47

They would bounce off the Volvo and crash in a burning wreck. The Volvo would continue unharmed.

Participant · 1 Jun 2012 at 17:36

Indeed, the Google car would have been a better example in the OP:

Seriously incredible. Can you imagine the insurance arguments if one of them did crash?

Participant · 2 Jun 2012 at 09:20

Peter450 said:
I think the teck to be able to do this on real roads is a long long way off

I don't see how you came to that conclusion when I posted a video just above your post of a car doing just that.

Participant · 2 Jun 2012 at 09:40

Lots of people like driving, but I reckon it'll eventually be one of those 'how did we ever do without it' pieces of technology. Also I'm sure you can still drive if you want to, it's just on those cold dark winter mornings you can drag yourself out of bed and have another snooze on the way to work.

Participant · 2 Jun 2012 at 16:16

Peter450, you said 'the teck [sic] to be able to do this'. Well the tech is here already, so you are wrong since you made no reference to showrooms when you made your comment.

Participant · 3 Jun 2012 at 11:25

Dabbles said:
What happens is the lead vehicle is involved in a crash? Do all the rest of the cars automatically join in?

The other cars see that the lead vehicle has stopped so they stop, I imagine.

Participant · 4 Jun 2012 at 08:53

What he said