This may be the biggest long term threat to our hobby....

I know this is a ways off, but....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080107/ap_on_hi_te/gadget_show_driverless_cars

 

People have been working on that crap for fifty years. I hope they keep working on it for another fifty years so we have something to chuckle about.

 

I'll have a car that drives itself when they pull my cold dead fingers from my Evinrude steering wheel!!!

 

Fortunately the problem of making a driverless car is really, really, tough. Did I mention that it's very hard to make a driverless car? That means they'll be expensive, and probably the best way to make them not so expensive is to do a major redesign and rebuild of our highway system....which would take decades, and still probably happen long before any cars were able to successfully drive themselves in cities, or rural areas.

so don't get your panties in a bunch just yet...

 

I'd like to see them program artificial stupidity into them there computers... How else would it be able to cope with 19 y/o girls on cell phones in 10 year old Corollas in front of you?

 

A lot of people think "electronic" means infallible. Witness the pants-wetting excitement over electronic voting machines. I work with computers and knew from the start that they were a major security risk. But hey!, electronic must mean its great. I'll never understand why the bother of "drive by wire", much less a self driving car.

I think the problem with self driving cars is that they won't be maintained as they should be. I mean, most aircraft are "fly by wire" but they're maintained (we hope) by fully trained, caring mechanics. Not to disrespect our mechanics, but where are we going to find enough people with the background and aptitude to maintain a self-driving car?

A late model can throw a code for you and still take a month and three times in the shop to be repaired.

 

If the software is developed by Microsoft, we'll never get there. A "blue screen of death" will become the real thing!

 

The issue of freedom will hopefully also keep this stuff at bay. Maintenance would be a major issue, and that's expensive, and would put a lot of poor people out of transportation if they were not allowed to drive their old crap.

working on programming autonomous robots is fun stuff, my kids are into it, but I think there will always be a place for driver control of vehicles.

 

I don't believe that anybody that belongs to the hamb now will have to worry about driverless cars. Hell they can't build one now that is 100% guaranteed to always run and always work right! Can you imagine what will happen when one's computer fails!

 

Which computer? even modern "normal" cars have several computers in them. And it looks like driverless cars will need lots of processors to handle all the sensors inputs. And software will need to be made quite bulletproof....no MS products allowed...

 

GM needs to figure out how to sell conventional cars before they go off on a tangent like this!

 

i think modern cars would be better if they were more like the old ones.. you see more hondas in the salvage than 1957 chevys... no?

 

The Teleporter will be done before the driverless car is a reality. Then we won't need cars anyway.

 

Too bad GM blows all the time and effort on shit like this,
instead of making and selling better cars.

 

Hell, we already have that. Just look around you to see drivers texting/talking on cell phones, playing with their laptop, eating lunch, reading the paper, putting on makeup, etc. etc. I just got rear-ended last week in my Ranger by a guy playing with his iPod. My biggest fear in driving my Deuce is the brain dead idiots behind me and that 12 gallon gas tank that is between me and them. I think they had better work on getting better fuel mileage or finding and making some affordable fuel to put in them or the rest won't matter.

 

Nothing new,,,this kinda doom and gloom has been predicted in the past. HRP




At the 1939 World’s Fair, the crowds at the General Motors Futurama exhibit saw traffic speeding 100 miles per hour thanks to electronic help. “Safe distance between cars is maintained by automatic radio control,” a voice explained as visitors looked down on the vast diorama of the World of Tomorrow, complete with hangars for dirigibles and landing decks for autogyros.

 

Ian, that's both funny AND true. And I live in a GM town.

Vance

 

I am old enough to remember the same things being said by the nay sayers about ,,,

power steering, power brakes, automatic transmissions, power windows, HEI, fuel injection, disc brakes, anti-lock brakes, air bags, and much more.

We helped build the DARPA winning car, here at GM R&D.

this is great technology for Seniors who have handicaps that do not allow them to drive,,,such as Macular degeneration ( partial blindness).

Baby boomers love being independent,,,and as they age,,this technology will help keep them independant...

IF your eyesight were to become impaired,,,you would want this technology to help you lead a normal life.

arnold.

 

The technology for this stuff is gaining ground every year, but as mentioned above, is not nearly a trivial problem. The DoD had a competition for driverless vehicles a couple of years ago. Was supposed to be across the desert, but the best one only made it a couple of miles. The next time they did it, a few competitors did lots better, but the technolgy is far from mature. The site below talks about the 2004 competition, and has some links to some others related to similar competitions since. Note that the guys working on this problem are not exactly backyard tinkerers.....

http://www.gizmag.com/go/4128/

 

Dear sir,

Projects like this give some of the same benefits as being involved in Racing,,,It is a small, low cost project that trains young engineers and technicians about new technology's. What they learned from this project has many other applications.

given your comments, and folowing it's logic, GM should not be involved in racing and the high performance aftermarket.

thanks, arnold.

 

here is link form Motor Trend with pics of the GM DARPA winning vehicle,,,

http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/112_news070411_gm_works_toward_the_robotic_car

 

Forget driverless cars...I WANT A CHAUEFFER MONKEY!!!!!

 

I would actually say the folks concerned about 'global warming' will kill hot rodding/vintage tin/antique cars way before any automated highway gets a chance. During the Presidential debates last nite, the term '50 mpg should be the standard' was used and could set the tone for existing vehicles.

 

More links,,,

pics,,

http://www.tartanracing.org/gallery.html

video,,

http://www.tartanracing.org/blog/index.html

downloads and press,,

http://www.tartanracing.org/press.html

In myheart I know that each one of you would have loved to have your self or your kids working on this project,,,

Lots of good old ameircan know-how = a winner.

arnold.

thanks arnold.

 

All those links are fine, but the fact is GM has major issues. LIKE SELLING CARS! I have been in the same boat as you defending an employer, life is much better once you can step away and see things for what they are.

 

I'll take one for my daily. I'd love to sleep on the way to and from work.

 

And who do the lawers go after when you driverless car gets into an accident??
And let's not forget winter driving and how ice and water raise hell on everything.

 

I would say "Sad but True".


How The Mighty have fallen.

 

They used to exist here in the US, back then we called them railroads.

 

There was a time,not that long ago,
when GM had over 50% market share.
They were bigger than everyone else combined.

But they believed that it didn't matter what they made,
people would buy it.Same as Ford and Chrysler.
Worked for a while,eventually people clued in;
AND the cheap imports got better.

Now Toyota is #2,and GM market share is in the 20% range.
Their debt is considered "Junk".

When they do come up with something cool,they can't sell it.
Look at the new GTO.
Took them 5 years to copy the PT Cruiser,and call it HHR.
How many have they sold.

Their stuff is a hell of a lot better than it was,
but their market share doesn't reflect it.



But as long as "Management" can keep giving themselves bonuses,
nothing will change.