The basic problem I see with self driving cars; they lack intuition and the ability to develop experience. A brand new human driver has to be able to recite the rules of the road and show they understand the rudiments of how to steer, brake, park. More advanced operations such as merging, night driving and bad weather driving they are expected to "pick up" as they gain experience. Sadly many never master these "advanced" operations.
I have driven for about 60 years and learned all of those skills and along the way have developed the ability to "read" the road to anticipate situations before they happen. I call this gut feel, but its really knowledge accumulated from my own mistakes and/or the mistakes of others. I think you all know what I'm trying to describe. Anyway, the difference between a safe driver and the disaster on wheels driver, is the good driver's ability to pay attention while driving and to develop a gut feel. Unfortunately many drivers fail to reach this plateau!
I have been involved with the design and programming of various computer systems since the mid 60's and have watched and experienced many unbelievable computer and programming advances. However, I've also seen many total disasters which do eventually get ironed out, Microsoft's "plug'n play" being a great example. A fairly simple concept that took nearly 20 years to become "mostly" reliable. I suggest so called "smart cars" are a long way from being able to develop "gut feel", first they need to learn how to follow a road without running into concrete lane
dividers.
Final thoughts, if gut experience is a side effect of experience, will the older model smart cars always be smarter than the new ones? Will the new ones need to attend "school" like our children? Will car school have 12 grades and then college degrees covering special cases like gravel roads, ice roads, mountain roads and bush trails? What happens if the batteries run out, does the highly trained smart car reboot to factory specs and have to restart in kindergarten?
Fortunately for me, I'll probably not live long enough to have to experience any of this, but I do worry for my grand-children.
I have driven for about 60 years and learned all of those skills and along the way have developed the ability to "read" the road to anticipate situations before they happen. I call this gut feel, but its really knowledge accumulated from my own mistakes and/or the mistakes of others. I think you all know what I'm trying to describe. Anyway, the difference between a safe driver and the disaster on wheels driver, is the good driver's ability to pay attention while driving and to develop a gut feel. Unfortunately many drivers fail to reach this plateau!
I have been involved with the design and programming of various computer systems since the mid 60's and have watched and experienced many unbelievable computer and programming advances. However, I've also seen many total disasters which do eventually get ironed out, Microsoft's "plug'n play" being a great example. A fairly simple concept that took nearly 20 years to become "mostly" reliable. I suggest so called "smart cars" are a long way from being able to develop "gut feel", first they need to learn how to follow a road without running into concrete lane
dividers.
Final thoughts, if gut experience is a side effect of experience, will the older model smart cars always be smarter than the new ones? Will the new ones need to attend "school" like our children? Will car school have 12 grades and then college degrees covering special cases like gravel roads, ice roads, mountain roads and bush trails? What happens if the batteries run out, does the highly trained smart car reboot to factory specs and have to restart in kindergarten?
Fortunately for me, I'll probably not live long enough to have to experience any of this, but I do worry for my grand-children.
