It really is hands free! Self-driving Mercedes-Benz is unveiled - and it should be available within

The Mail ^ | 07:02 EST, 12 September 2013 | Ellie Zolfagharifard

[Ditter]

I was just thinking the same thing, driving IS fun! I DO want an automatic transmission however. :)

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

I dub you Gandalf_The_Negative.

I accept the appellation in so much as I am and always will be opposed to any advance in technology that decreases my freedom to do as I please, when I please. A "self driving" automobile will, in my opinion, serve as an "input terminal" to a vast government data base, tracking the movements of every citizen in real time.

I suspect that such a device will include an "off switch" accessible to police. I envision a day when if the police/government wants to have a talk with you they simply transmit a "stop" command to your vehicle which pulls you over to the curb and locks the doors.

Imagine what fun hackers could have with a transportation system filled with computer controlled vehicles. If you think that hackers are dangerous with the Internet (power grid, water and sewer infrastructure, &c). Picture the effect of sending random commands to accelerate and turn to the vehicles on the Interstate.

Advanced technology is always a knife that cuts both ways, no improvement is all good, sometimes the solution is worse than the problem...

Regards,
GtG

[hoagy62]

Yes.... right up until the software crashes. Then, so do you.

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

Well for one my kids live too far from their school to bike. And two, the kid is NOT driving. The vehicle is driving. This is trusting a vehicle with your kid. Yeah, I'd want to see a safe track record. And I probably still wouldn't put a young kid in by himself. But my 6ft 14year old, no problem.

And if your 6' 14yo son decided to skip practice and spend a day at the lake with his 14yo girlfriend he wouldn't have to drive, just re-program the gps destination. You're right, he isn't driving, he's telling his "chauffeur" where to go.

G

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

When the computer fails, you replace it.

Is that after the wreck it has caused with the "self driving" semi-truck?

G

[gura]

It's all part of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity

[trisham]

But then again I don’t understand why some people want an automatic rather than standard transmission.

****************************

Bad knees.

[DannyTN]

It’ll have some fail-safe’s. They won’t be perfect. It’ll probably be about the same odds as your existing stearing failing and causing the same wreck with the semi-truck.

I expect it the odds are high it will be safer than human drivers out of the gate. Perfect no, but better and will improve over time.