Robocars - Autonomous Drive, Self-driving, Driver-less cars

Nice intro to the googlecar from the oatmeal

Just came here to post that. Great piece, and I agree completely.

Meh. We outmealed the Oatmeal on here like...yesterday!

If Google can get these on the roads, everywhere, it will be brilliant. I don't care how much personal information Google owns or stores, if it leads to these autonomous cars being successful, I fully support them!

did i read somewhere recently that the new bmw i3 will drop off it's occupants then find a parking space on its own
once owners have finished shopping it will come and pick them up

I want a robocar. Like, fuckingwell now!

Bye bye bikes! Don't let the door hit your arse on the way out!

I like how they are planning to build more roads in expectation of car ownership to rise by something like 20% (don't quote me on that, I can't remember what article I read it from) by 2020.

Yes the DfT traffic modeling predicted all other modes to fall (including car passenger numbers), with only single occupancy car trips to increase. Which by all current trends is already not proving true... which is why £15 billion is planned for more roads. Robocars don't even get a look in their model

I for one welcome our new robot driving overlords.

The more robocars are on the road the nicer it will be to ride a bike on the road.

Unless, of course, the prevalence of 'timid' robocars mean that the wanker drivers left on the road drive even more wankerly (knowing that the timid robocars will always demur).

All robocars can have starter interrupt guns so they can shut down terrible drivers as soon as they appear!

But then you could drive like a wanker and simply duck from veiw. So folk assume its a robot.

Will these cars have cool red LEDs on the bonnet?

This:
https://www.eta.co.uk/2014/12/17/the-robotic-car-valet-worn-on-your-wrist/
Basically it'll be able to do a lot more, but until laws about robot cars are sorted out BMW are only suggesting it's used on private land.

Fuck that. I want it now. Driving is for mugs. Searching for parking spots is for muggy mugs.

Can't help but think it will be possible for people to hack their timid robocars to make them more aggressive - everything else gets hacked and derestricted, regardless of what the law says. There's bound to be some who think they're important enough that they need to get places faster than anyone else.

True but if the engines aren't that powerful to begin with, there's not much scope for speed. Plus they could quite easily put enough tamper protection in to scare off all but the most technical of hackers.

But then you could drive like a wanker...

...and simply duck from veiw

This is true, however if robocars are the majority, it should be easy to single out a hacked one that's being driven irregularly compare to the others.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11325122/Driverless-Audi-takes-itself-on-a-550-mile-road-trip.html #sparkesspam

Breaking News: First Audi on the road not driven like a bellend, by a bellend.

Well, they still have to take control in cities so douchelaw will still occur..

@Sparky "The trip will five test drivers and take two days." Come on man, where's your editor?

I publish straight to web, not edited. Thanks for flagging. Now fixed.

Audi drivers will never use it if it's limited to 70.

Hopefully loads of other people will, though. Then the roads will be filled with glorious, safe, electric robocars, all pootling along safely and getting in the way of douchelaw bellends, impervious to enraged blaring of horns and attempts at intimidation, pausing only to shoot a big fucking spike through the window of any particularly unpleasant offenders ^_^

Who do I address the invoice to?

U-fucking-topia!