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

Kill local prostitutes.

Robowars:

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/08/us-military-christens-self-driving-sea-hunter-warship

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/85379308
Toyota's approach is not to have self-driving cars but "guardian angels". The idea is that the system could take temporary control over the car when danger presents itself-- kind of like AI's take on ABS. They've invested $1 billion in this.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/4/18/11449750/self-driving-cars-public-transport-beverly-hills

The city's council of Beverly Hills voted unanimously to create a program to "develop autonomous vehicles as public transportation."

Like communites quickly dumping their IT infrastruture for SaaS, they look to be dumping rapid transit.. OK Beverly Hills does not have a system... Busses are those from Los Angeles and Santa Monica's system that pass through... And the "Purple Line extension" is really just part of the Los Angeles Country Metro passing through BH from LA City en route to Century City and West Los Angeles (again City of Los Angeles). The planned stop at Rodeo/Wilshire is close to a lot of shopping in BH but not the residential core so its really about bringing shoppers in (and back out)-- maybe to the Beverly Wilshire Hotel--- rather than providing a transport alternative to BH residents. This could have forced the need for shuttles or other transit.. by side-stepping it they can continue to do nothing.. promise a future and wait..

Interesting article:

Self-Driving Cars, Predictability, and Law
Harry Surden* and Mary-Anne Williams**

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2747491

Problematically, the movements of autonomous vehicles may be less predictable to the ordinary people who will share their physical environment — such as pedestrians — than the comparable movements of human-driven vehicles. Today, a great deal of physical harm that might otherwise occur is likely avoided through humanity’s collective ability to predict the movements of others people. In anticipating the behavior of others, we employ what psychological call a “theory of mind.” Theory of mind cognitive mechanisms that allow us to extrapolate from our own internal mental states in order to estimate what others are thinking or likely to do. These cognitive systems allow us to make instantaneous, unconscious judgments about the likely actions of people around us, and therefore, to keep ourselves safe in the driving context. However, the theory-of-mind mechanisms that allow us to accurately model the minds of other people and interpret their communicative signals of attention and intention will be challenged in the context of non-human, autonomous moving entities such as self-driving cars.

.....

For example, bicycle riders must determine whether or not they have been perceived by nearby automobile drivers. Otherwise, the rider is in a risky situation in which the driver could suddenly turn in front of the bicyclist and cut her off. However, once a bicyclist knows that she has been perceived by a nearby driver, she can have confidence that the driver will not make an endangering move to deliberately collide.

once a bicyclist knows that she has been perceived by a nearby driver, she can have confidence that the driver will not make an endangering move to deliberately collide.

Ahahahahahahahahaaaa hahahahahahahahahhahaaaaaa hahahahahahhahaaaaa

Clearly never met an Audi, BMW, Merc, Volvo, Range Rover driver.

Clearly never met an Audi, BMW, Merc, Volvo, Range Rover driver.

Don't confuse aggressive or non-cooperative motorists with unpredictable drivers. Its like with taxis.. You can typically predict how a taxi will (mis)behave and select a strategy. When you hear a car behind you starting to rev their motor you know that they'll try to pass-- at any cost-- to rush to be first at the red light. When you approach an intersection and you look for eye contract with the driver.. you assume that they might try to ignore your right of way and not yield but also that they don't want to get into an accident.. Part of defensive driving or cycling is about trying to estimate all the possible moves of all the traffic participants. Its built upon a number of learned behavioural models and value expectations. You examine and gauge each traffic participant as to their "nature". If you notice a car being pushy you select a different set of responses than when you notice that the car is being cautiously driven. When, for example, you see people steering with their body vesus their arms you can assume, for example, that they might take a curve like a small child in a bumpcar.. When you see a women in a Cayenne-- having observed many women in Cayennes-- you have a model of behavior..

Ultimately where this chain of arguments lead is to the need for dedicated self-driving roads, resp. lanes, where they are amongst themselves, can communicate with one another and as a swarm optimise their movements.

Yes

Predicting the self driving cars will be easy, people adapt to stuff quickly and while they'll be new for a bit, once you get them they'll be uniformly predictable, and you'll know they've definitely seen you and aren't distracted by their phone/a bee/their sticky testicles.

Predicting the self driving cars will be easy

Google's AlphaGo vs Lee Seedol. Fan Hui thought the move was rather odd. But then he saw its beauty. “It’s not a human move. I’ve never seen a human play this move,” he says. “So beautiful.”

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/why-dung-beetles-dance-on-poop-theyre-mapping-the-sky-lund-university-south-africa

"Studying how insects navigate is important, said el Jundi, who wrote this paper with some of the same scientists who made the discovery that dung beetles can navigate by the light of the Milky Way. “What we do is basic science,” he continued, but it will have other applications down the road—for example, for engineers who are trying to build autonomous vehicles and robots, and ensure that they go in a straight line."

This is all getting a bit mind boggling.

Going back to the increased traffic predictions - we're already in a place where, as I read the other day, we've got almost 100,000 private hire cars on the road in London. A huge number of those are Ubers - I read Uber want to have 45,000 cars on the road, I think. I find it interesting that the increase in private hire vehicles is almost never mentioned when talking about traffic and pollution. Most of the time it's blamed on roadworks, infrastructure, #bloodycyclists, lorries etc. All of these are contributors (except us cycling cunts, obviously), but a huge daily increase in vehicles means more traffic. It's rather simple.
Many friends of mine habitually use an Uber instead of taking the bus, much to my chagrin. Certainly if you've got a young kid it's a lot easier to use an Uber, and it's so cheap now.
Extrapolate to driverless cars - they'll be cheaper and more available. Who the fuck's gonna use a bus any more? The roads are going to be clogged.

Once Uber puts everyone else out of business, their costs might rise (Addie Lee are dropping fares and driver pay so how long will they stay around?).

So the cheaper option will still be bus. Fuck it, make the buses free. Lots of people will take free over paid for service.

So the cheaper option will still be bus. Fuck it, make the buses free. Lots of people will take free over paid for service.>

Buses should be free. The usual arguments against free buses of over-crowding, dirt and poor service are bogus. Free public transport also does not preclude for-pay commerical ventures such as Leap Transit in SF-- which filed Chapter 7 last July-- or taxi services. The bad experience in the US with free transit-- where the buses became abused and turned into homeless shelters-- does not hold water-- neither does the overcrowding nor slower service arguments since both can be easily addressed (albeit generally with also significantly slower auto traffic due to traffic light optimization favouring public transport).

You say clogged, but then if they are controlled by computers there will be less traffic jams, traffic will flow better. Just imagine. At a green light, all the cars will all move off at the same time. No waiting for the person in front.

You mean the cyclists at the front.

At a green light, all the cars will all move off at the same time.

That means far more cars--at the moment, one of the main constraints on car use is junction capacity, which is lowered by people's longer reaction times. I'm afraid it's not an appealing prospect. :|

The cyclists will all have been culled in the robot wars of 2032.

Once the robocars come in there's no chance that pedestrians or cyclists will be allowed on the roads to slow them down. Jaywalking rules and compulsory cycle lanes will be the way forward.

If that was actually the case why are they currently designing them to deal with peds and cyclists at all?

Also, in the UK aren't there deep seated laws about rights of way and stuff like that?

If that was actually the case why are they currently designing them to deal with peds and cyclists at all?

Transition. Right now bicycles are considered a focus of a lot of city planning. It would be horribly unwise for the carmakers to server their demands right now. Pushers, afterall, looking for prospects don't tell the kids in the playground that they'll be stealing car radios, working the blvd or dealing themslves to pay their habit..

Also, in the UK aren't there deep seated laws about rights of way and stuff like that?>

Indeed. But people have been known to give up many rights they once considered "sacred" and "non-negotiable" when plucked in the right manner..

Otto Ludwig Piffl: "Is everybody in this world corrupt?"
Peripetchikoff: "I don't know everybody."

I'll not be removed from the roads. When I'm dead, then you lot can have at it but until that point in time I want drivers replaced by robots that can deal with me cycling and walking on the roads.

Hmm.. skitching with robot drivers would be cool.

As below, softly softly catchee monkey.

I could picture it happening in the US first. Some places there are pretty much impossible to get around without a car anyway and they already have jaywalking laws so it will be an easier transition. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/when-pedestrians-ruled-streets-180953396/?no-ist

They'll all be so fat and the world so overpopulated we'll be using them as food in the future.

It's OK. If they crash into people you'll just stick to them
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/may/18/google-patents-sticky-layer-self-driving-car-accidents