[Dean's World] Dave Price: Singularity Update: Self-Driving VW Golf

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Posted by Dave Price:
Singularity Update: Self-Driving VW Golf
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1152227751.shtml


   I, for one, welcome [1]these primitive predecessors to our future
   nanobot overlords.

     The GTi has electronic 'eyes' that use radar and laser sensors in
     the grille to 'read' the road and send the details back to its
     computer brain. A sat-nav system tracks its exact position with
     pin-point precision to within an inch.
     The car can then work out the twists and turns it has to negotiate
     - before setting off at break-neck speed through a laid out course
     on a test track.
     On a race circuit, it drove itself faster and more precisely than
     the VW engineers could manage - and can accelerate independently up
     to its top speed of 150mph.

   Although, to be fair, engineers aren't very good drivers.
   They're not clear on how long before this becomes a commercially
   available technology. Cars would obviously need to understand "rules
   of the road," traffic lights, the right and wrong times to run over
   pedestrians, etc., for that to happen. Eventually this should lead to
   much safer traffic.

References

   1. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=393401&in_page_id=1770