The problem is... Computers don't actually malfunction... The people who program them incorrectly do.
Self driving cars are still a fantasy and to a large degree always will be. People like driving and if they don't, they like somebody else driving.
The woman needed an RFID chip and to have her real time position transmitted to the vehicle so it could slow to a crawl as it passed her so she coukdn’t jump out in front and get hit.
There are two major issues that weigh against Uber here:
1. The "safety backup" driver was not paying attention.
2. All the reports I've seen indicate the brakes were never applied. This is a huge problem for Uber and the designer of the self-driving system. Even if the vehicle could not have stopped in time to avoid striking the pedestrian, the brakes should have been applied.
Perhaps the car did spot her, and just wanted a taste of human blood. Now that it has acquired a taste for human blood, the car will have to be put down.
Yep. Having hit a pedestrian in broad daylight myself, and watching lots of dashcam videos as well has having my own, I have little doubt that if I had been driving that car I would have hit that woman.
BTW, no, the time I hit the pedestrian it was not my fault. Not even close. It was never suggested it was.
If you’re gonna hang out in the middle of the street at night, make sure there are no cars coming.
These things are not gonna survive First Contact with the American Tort Bar. Just sayin’.
It’s a dumb computer program connected to a video camera. Perception is impossible for it. The best it can do is compare the instantaneous results of its algorithms with stored representations of various objects and organisms. None of that is perception, as humans perceive.
Expecting a computer program to perceive a human putting herself in danger is asking too much of the computer program. People can’t always perceive it either, but people aren’t marketed as “autonomous” cars.
The answer is to use these systems to ASSIST human drivers. I like to know what’s around me, and if it is a potential danger, just something to be aware of, or if it doesn’t matter at all. I’m in control. Not some dumb program.
Too much assistance, and the driver becomes lazy and relies too much on the system.
Yes it is impossible to believe an object in the middle of the road was missed.. lidar does not rely on visible light.. she didn’t “dart out” in front of the car as the original reports claimed. She was clearly walking her bike across the street.
The problem is... Computers don't actually malfunction... The people who program them incorrectly do.
Self driving cars are still a fantasy and to a large degree always will be. People like driving and if they don't, they like somebody else driving.
No driver, computer or human, could have stopped before hitting that idiot who walked her bicycle in the dark, away from a streetlight and not at a crosswalk across a very busy road. If you watch the video she did not once turn towards the direction of traffic. It’s ridiculous for Uber to be blamed for the stupid actions of this woman, who had abused drugs and alcohol in the past, and may well have been inebriated at the time.
You would have hit the brakes only if you were paying attention, not texting, changing the radio, angry at something, driving while high or drunk, or a thousand other distractions that normal drivers face every minute.
Under perfect conditions, an autonomous car will never have any of the normal driving failures we humans have.
If traffic fatalities really can be reduced by tens of thousands each year, then I’m fine with driverless cars.
Bring ‘em on.
And if in the meantime a less than perfect autonomous car runs over an idiot who should have not been on the street, then oh well. Too bad for her.
Having watched this video a few times, even knowing she was coming up I don’t think I could have missed her, unless what I could see at night is better than what the camera is showing me. She was in a particularly bad spot, just past the streetlight, and she was dressed in dark clothing. A human driver probably would have hit her, but Uber is going to have to pay millions anyway.
Question: Do these vehicles have the ability to swerve or only brake
Would a driverless vehicle smash into another vehicle in order to avoid hitting a child that suddenly ran into the street? Would it swerve into oncoming traffic to avoid a dog? Would it run a red light to avoid someone about to crash into your rear end?
If the sensors are not cleaned regularly, they won’t work right.
Having said that, I thought the autonomous vehicles had ultrasonic or RADAR collision sensing -- not dependent on optical lighting...
visible-light-optics dependent, then, the headlights definitely should have been on high beam.
Skynet has begun. The woman’s name, Sarah Connor.
These autonomous cars require dedicated lanes for them and no other traffic! Same as railroad trains. Let’s get federal funding going for building the infrastructure, to include crossing points with bells and guard barriers. These cars are dangerous!
Then the woman was stealth.
Same here. Brakes would have been pressed and I would have hit her at a slower speed.