OT: UM opens 30-acre "city" for testing driverless cars

Submitted by UMProud on

"Automakers and researchers say a new simulated city at the University of Michigan could help speed the development of driverless and connected cars."

Source:  U.S. News & World Report, July 20, 2015

http://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2015/07/20/university-of-michigan-opens-test-city-for-autonomous-cars


GM, Ford & Toyota have paid over $1 million each to have first crack at the track.  They will be doing tests that include communicating with different brand vehicles, reading mud covered road signs, obstacle avoidance, reading faded lane markers and other things.

MGoBlogIsGreat

July 21st, 2015 at 6:55 AM ^

That is far different. First of all, there is always a pilot sitting there in case something happens. Second of all, when the plane is flying itself, it is basically on cruise control, flying in a straight line, with just about no traffic. Third, that is the only time it flies itself (in the straight line at cruising speed), so there is no real danger. EDIT: This is in response to Kenny Loggins who does not appear on the web site, but does on the app.

mgowill

July 20th, 2015 at 10:08 PM ^

As someone who is legally blind, I will open this can of worms.  I don't hold a current license in my state to drive.  I can see in front of me but my peripheral vision is not there (6 degrees of central vision left).  I fancy that this would be an option for me, but realize that in certain situations this might actually require you to be able to drive and carry a valid license.  

I open this to the board knowing that your honesty will be valued, and I won't be butthurt if you give me your honest opinion.  Throw PC out the window, what do you think about this car in an application that applies to me?

sadeto

July 20th, 2015 at 10:14 PM ^

I honestly think that completely independent driverless vehicles are far off. It will take a long time to build that level of trust in the technology, states won't allow it. There will have to be a driver in the front seat. But it would be liberating for you, and it will eventually happen.

bluebyyou

July 20th, 2015 at 10:43 PM ^

I disagree.....I think within a relatively short time there will be no need for a driver behind the wheel.  The longer you sit behind a wheel and do nothing, the less likely you will be able to respond in an emergency.  The money being spent on autonomous cars isn't for a concept where a driver sits behind a wheel.

Blue_sophie

July 20th, 2015 at 11:44 PM ^

I think change will happen state-by-state. The technology will probably be adopted more quickly in California and New York (at least in NYC, once Uber thoroughly destroys the NY Taxi Worker's Alliance). There are real benefits to having many driverless cars on the street at once insofar as they can share data about traffic and road conditions or even brake in response to one another. So I imagine congestion will accelerate the shift to totally autonomous cars that are suitable for legally blind riders

Don

July 20th, 2015 at 11:19 PM ^

Thus begins voluntary slavery.

Eventually, the machines will figure out that the humans have no clue where they're going because they're so fixated on their mobile devices that they can be effortlessly transported to the pods the machines have waiting for them.

One a more serious note, I'd like to see a driverless car deal with the ridiculous potholes in the streets of my west side A2 neighborhood. I've driven on better 4WD roads in Colorado.

DrewGOBLUE

July 21st, 2015 at 12:14 AM ^

Much faster mobilization of ambulances, firefighters, etc. could be a major upside.

Like something where emergency responders input a destination, and that immediately signals all cars in their path to GTFO the way.

The Mad Hatter

July 21st, 2015 at 8:39 AM ^

is fully mature, 3.5 million truckers will be out of jobs.  Trucking is one of the last jobs that can afford someone a middle class lifestyle without a secondary education.  Not everyone is able or willing to go to college and we're rapidly getting to the point where they will be permanently stuck on the bottom rung of the economy.

Also, can I get behind the wheel of one of these things completely wasted and have it drive me to White Castle?  No?  I'm still responsible for the operation of the vehicle?  Not interested then.

LJ

July 21st, 2015 at 8:47 AM ^

The old "this new technology will put people out of work" is one of my least favorite arguments ever.  Most of the jobs that existed in the early 1900s have been replaced by technology.  I think we're still doing okay.

There's this thing called "adapting" that happens in an economy.

Wolverine In Exile

July 21st, 2015 at 9:51 AM ^

That's when population control will oh so hip, and you'll have to get a license to have children, but then you'll also probably have to prove you're genetically worthy to have kids. SO don't worry, all the less qualified folks will just be bred out so that only the truly worthy people will be able to propagate. And then since there'll be less people, think of the less resources we'll use, so then we can arrest global warming, and we won't ever have to leave our house because the Googazonber.com corporation will bring me everything I need via robot drone and I won't have to deal with *people*, 'cause I mean who likes waiting in line with smelly people, or people that don't have the exact same opinion I do on everything from morality to dress to hair style to....

 

The dismissive attitude so many people have nowadays toward the erosion of personal freedom and individual responsibility is really scary, all under the name of progress/safety/ease of life. Life is hard, life has tragedy,but through all that there's great pride and personal fulfillment available by overcoming these things.

LJ

July 21st, 2015 at 10:13 AM ^

How is an auto-driving car eroding anyone's personal freedom?  There will remain plenty of life difficulties to overcome such that I think we'll all have personal fulfillment.

In the 1920s, people had to overcome dought damaging their crops.  In the 2020s, people will have to overcome bad code damaging their software.  Different difficulties for different times, but I don't think we're close to running out of problems to solve.  We just get 20 extra years of life extectancy to solve them.  I'll take it.

LJ

July 21st, 2015 at 10:05 AM ^

I really, really doubt that.  Any culture could have said the same thing at virtually any point on their technological progress.  Guess what?  Roughly the same number of people are employed as they always have been.

The Mad Hatter

July 21st, 2015 at 10:43 AM ^

we're making are increasing at an exponential rate.  Going from the farm to the factory was a change, but you were still using your hands.

Going from the factory to the office was a change, but you were still using your brain.

Once the robots and computers can approximate human thought (and do everything faster and better), there will be nothing left for us to do.

Durham Blue

July 21st, 2015 at 8:56 AM ^

I interviewed with GoogleX a few months ago for a mechanical engineering position in their autonomous vehicle group.  They're developing the onboard sensors to detect the world around the vehicle...other vehicles, people, traffic lights, etc.  They are really making a huge push to bring driverless vehicles to the market just a few years down the road.  I love the idea and think it will significantly improve driver safety.

Unfortunately I did not get past the phone interview even though I thought I nailed it.  On the other hand, I was never sold on moving my wife and I to way over-priced Northern California either.  If I did get the job the first thing I would've requested is to work from home in Durham, which would've never happened.  So it was all a pipe dream anyway.  But it was an interesting experience.