Motor Trend piece on Autonomous Cars - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

raymr · #1 07-30-2011, 10:06 AM

Smart highway proposals in the past always included expensive roadway guidance systems and sensors that were part of the infrastructure. But now technology is at a point where all the brains can be built into the cars, and the roads can stay the way they are.

Engineers are working on cars that you just get in to, punch in your destination, and the vehicle does the rest. There would be no steering wheel or gas pedal - but lots of entertainment options and connectors for portable devices. You would be able to sleep on a cross-country trip while your car scoots along, taking the best route and avoiding traffic jams. Groups of autonomous cars can travel together in close formation, using available road space most efficiently. The machines never get drowsy and don't get distracted the way humans do, thereby reducing accidents.

Personally I hope it never catches on, but as the writer says, fewer and fewer people are actually interested in driving anymore, so there is a ready market.

TheDon · #2 07-30-2011, 10:12 AM

I like driving and will not solely own an autonomous car.

t walgamuth · #3 07-30-2011, 10:26 AM

I bet you meant to say non autonomous car.

TheDon · #4 07-30-2011, 10:35 AM

forgot a "not"

aklim · #5 07-30-2011, 06:52 PM

I don't mind my car being able to do that. In case I get tired or drunk, I can simply punch "home" and it gets me there. However, I do want to have some sort of control just in case I want to do something different.

For my daily trips to work, WGAS? Punch in the destination and let it go. I can drink my coffee, eat breakfast, etc, etc. OTOH, when I want to drive somewhere for fun or pull a tight corner, I want to be able to override the control.

raymr · #6 07-30-2011, 07:11 PM

These vehicles will probably morph into mobile living rooms, game rooms, bedrooms, whatever. Conventional controls will be gone. Well they might come out with a retro version with a steering wheel and headlight switch, but they won't be connected to anything.

tjts1 · #7 07-30-2011, 07:15 PM

Why the heck not? I trust a machine driving more than the human morons behind the wheel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaGJ6nH36uI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXeUu_Y6WOw

layback40 · #8 07-30-2011, 11:43 PM

Over 100 years ago in a large fruit growing area near here, they had a concrete edge on the roads. That way when a farmer loaded his horse drawn steel wheeled wagon with fruit, he could start the horse on its way & the horse would keep the wagon just away from the edge of the road. It would haul the wagon for hours without a problem unsupervised. The farmer just needed to show up to get it through any tricky spots like major intersections.
Are we now wanting a system to replace a smart horse?
What will the system do when a drunk driver in another car tries to play chicken with it?