Posted on 02/17/2007 7:24:17 PM PST by WestVirginiaRebel
Scientists are developing the next generation of robot-driven cars and predict they could be shuttlign humans around by the year 2030, a conference was told.
The first wave of intelligent robot cars, capable of understanding and reacting to the world around them, will be tested this November in a competition run by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
KITT gets competition!
Doesn't Al Gore already drive?
By the way -- where is the flying car that I was promised? They were due by 2000, right?
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No thanks; I actually enjoy driving.
We've been able to do this for some time actually. Think about it. If you have a micro-controller like basicstamp that can run motors based on the stimulus around them...
Everyone will climb in a car and it will go to destinations without direct intervention. We have that now, we call it a PASSENGER TRAIN for crying out loud!
~ Blue Jays ~
that's too bad, because by then the nanny state will probably have decided for you that a robot is safer.
Also, I can see sicko hackers getting their twisted jollies via viruses that cause numerous collisions.
In other news, we will have domed cities by 1980, and even as we speak, hogs are sprouting wings.
mmmmm... hog wings sounds like a great food....
Looks like certification for the Moller Skycar is anticipated by the end of next year. Taking deposits for purchase now!
http://www.moller.com/newm.htm
http://www.moller.com/purc.htm
Cool.
I'll be getting to old the drive about then.
I think I read somewhere that there were actually a number of problems associated with flying cars, not the least of which were air travel regulations and too many car jets causing turbulance.
http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/overview.asp
I see an obstacle there: human drivers know that blasphemy and profanity are indispensable to driving, especially under the stressful conditions. And I am not sure that the robots are up to this aspect of the task.
Does this mean I won't need a license to drive my car - if the robot is actually doing all the driving?
I would like a flying car that flies itself.
I'm sure there *are* a number of problems associated with flying cars. There are problems with any new technology. It took more than 15 years after the first actual product launch to produce the first really good version version of Microsoft Windows. That's just part of the new-technology game.
That being the case, I doubt the current early-in-the-game problems are going to prevent flying cars from eventually, um, taking off.
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