----- Original Message ----- From: "Becky Buckner" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2008 7:06 PM Subject: The Conduit Just what I've been waiting for
> > > By TOM KRISHER, AP Auto Writer 1 hour, 23 minutes ago > > DETROIT - Cars that drive themselves - even parking at their destination - > could be ready for sale within a decade, General Motors Corp. executives > say. > > GM, parts suppliers, university engineers and other automakers all are > working on vehicles that could revolutionize short- and long-distance > travel. And Tuesday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas GM Chief > Executive Rick Wagoner will devote part of his speech to the driverless > vehicles. > > "This is not science fiction," Larry Burns, GM's vice president for > research > and development, said in a recent interview. > > The most significant obstacles facing the vehicles could be human rather > than technical: government regulation, liability laws, privacy concerns > and > people's passion for the automobile and the control it gives them. > > Much of the technology already exists for vehicles to take the wheel: > radar-based cruise control, motion sensors, lane-change warning devices, > electronic stability control and satellite-based digital mapping. And > automated vehicles could dramatically improve life on the road, reducing > crashes and congestion. > > If people are interested. > > "Now the question is what does society want to do with it?" Burns said. > "You're looking at these issues of congestion, safety, energy and > emissions. > Technically there should be no reason why we can't transfer to a totally > different world." > > GM plans to use an inexpensive computer chip and an antenna to link > vehicles > equipped with driverless technologies. The first use likely would be on > highways; people would have the option to choose a driverless mode while > they still would control the vehicle on local streets, Burns said. > > He said the company plans to test driverless car technology by 2015 and > have > cars on the road around 2018. > > Sebastian Thrun, co-leader of the Stanford University team that finished > second among six teams completing a 60-mile Pentagon-sponsored race of > driverless cars in November, said GM's goal is technically attainable. But > he said he wasn't confident cars would appear in showrooms within a > decade. > > "There's some very fundamental, basic regulations in the way of that > vision > in many countries," said Thrun, a professor of computer science and > electrical engineering. > > The Defense Department contest, which initially involved 35 teams, showed > the technology isn't ready for prime time. One team was eliminated after > its > vehicle nearly charged into a building, while another vehicle mysteriously > pulled into a house's carport and parked itself. > > Thrun said a key benefit of the technology eventually will be safer roads > and reducing the roughly 42,000 U.S. traffic deaths that occur annually - > 95 > percent of which he said are caused by human mistakes. > > "We might be able to cut those numbers down by a factor of 50 percent," > Thrun said. "Just imagine all the funerals that won't take place." > > Other challenges include updating vehicle codes and figuring out who would > be liable in a crash and how to cope with blown tires or obstacles in the > road. But the systems could be developed to tell motorists about road > conditions, warn of crashes or stopped vehicles ahead and prevent > collisions > in intersections. > > Later versions of driverless technology could reduce jams by directing > vehicles to space themselves close together, almost as if they were cars > in > a train, and maximize the use of space on a freeway, he said. > > "It will really change society, very much like the transition from a horse > to a car," Thrun said. > > The U.S. government has pushed technology to help drivers avoid crashes, > most notably electronic stability controls that help prevent rollovers. > The > systems are required on new passenger vehicles starting with the 2012 > model > year. > > Vehicle-to-vehicle communication and technology allowing cars to talk with > highway systems could come next. > > Still in debate are how to address drivers' privacy, whether current > vehicles can be retrofitted and how many vehicles would be need the > systems > to develop an effective network. > > "Where it shakes out remains to be seen but there is no question we see a > lot of potential there," said Rae Tyson, a spokesman for the National > Highway Traffic Safety Administration. > > > > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.17.13/1211 - Release Date: 1/6/2008 > 11:57 AM > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Access the Recipes And More list archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/recipesandmore%40googlegroups.com/ Visit the group home page at: http://groups.google.com/group/RecipesAndMore -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
