I am surprised that this technology focussed list is so distraught about the idea of robot drivers. Clearly, based on everything we have seen in the last 40 years, robot drivers will arrive and exceed human abilities soon after. Arguing there is a certain set of conditions (road surfaces, types of impacts) where humans are superior will be like saying there are certain conditions where autopilots on planes or AIs on chess computers can be flawed. Yes. There probably will be. But like plane autopilots, such conditions will become smaller and smaller sets of the real world, and those occasions will become so few that like chess robots, we will accept for all intents they are superior.
Autopilots haven't stopped every plane crash, but they have saved many. Robot cars won't be perfect, but shortly after they are better than the alternative human control your insurer and likely your license authority will be demanding you cede control under most conditions. After all, right now you accept that when you pass orange flashing lights in a school zone it means slow speeds in this area. And even on a highway like the Pacific Highway you hit areas of 50km/h. During the transitional period, why not areas that are robo-control only, like motorways or other assured places (as opposed to dark country dirt roads). And, like trail bike riders, or horse riders or bicyclists know, there are plenty of opportunities for recreational driving/riding, but it would be silly to take your horse on a motorway, and similarly silly to drive your vintage human driven car on a robo-bahn. But the existence of motorways doesn't threaten those who like horse riding, and a robo-bahn shouldn't make those who like driving feel upset. Now whether this will all end up being cost effective is a different question, and I suspect, the real one. Best regards, Michael Skeggs _______________________________________________ Link mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
