Albaby...as we have discussed in the past, "robotaxis" are a long way from realization. I saw a Frontline (or maybe NOVA) program a few years ago. We think of driving as easy, but it's really an enormously complicated activity. In perfect conditions, sure...we can do it now. But our brains do a lot of processing behind the scenes that a robo-car simply can't do reasonably and reliably. Simple things, like realizing a person with a pizza box on his shoulder is still a person (so don't run him over).

I can see long-haul trucking...you drive a load to a staging area by a freeway, transfer it to a robo-truck that takes it to another staging area, where it recharges, and any cargo needed at that point is off-loaded to a human-driven truck to get it to -for example- your local Costco. There are very few complications in that sort of driving (other than weather). But city streets, with pizza guys and mopeds and jaywalkers, and red-light-runners? They can't do it reliably. And we're a long way from them being able to.

You'll recall I was all gung-ho, until I saw the program and realized just how complex it really is just to go to the grocery.

US Policy FAQ

---

Contact Shrewd'm
Contact the developer of these message boards.