tyrion

A self-driving motorcycle is only slightly more difficult than a self driving car, a much easier problem than some of the robots that have already been developed.


(don't do this at home)

There's not much of a need for self driving motorcycles at this point so the resources are spent on other things.

Doge

I think so.
They should be limited to self-driving only lanes free up other lanes to be bicycle only.

I-Like-To-Bike

Also by taking part in an activity with a fixed set of rules and possible moves that all participants comply with at all times.

genec

But isn't that what we are asking humans to do while driving... That they do not comply however, does create a rather interesting situation for AI, indeed.

PoorBob

Couple of points to take into consideration.

Original question: "Would a self driving world make it safe for cyclists"

Ask yourself what is the cause of majority of vehicle vs cyclist incidents? Then ask yourself how could self driving cars make that safer.

Next point, self driving cars will not be 100% safe as nothing is, but the probability of accidents will likely greatly decrease.
Seat belts have killed people, but they save many more lives then they take. Self driving cars will kill people, but at a much lower ratio then those driving by us.

tyrion

Practically speaking, there's always a "fixed set of rules and all possible moves that all participants comply with at all times". In the real-world context of driving, those rules that all participants comply with are defined by physics.

I-Like-To-Bike

In the real-world context of biology everybody dies; so what?

Whatz your point in the context of software interpreting the movements of every other nearby road user and predicting/anticipating any possible future move of all the traffic participants before the self driving car can respond appropriately (or at all) to any unexpected variation in the traffic density, movements or road conditions?

coominya

No. Driving has no rules that are strictly obeyed, your computer program worked within a set of limited outcomes and was able to win by processing power, but true intelligence creates masterpieces in music and art, envisages flying to the planets and then achieves it. What the snakeoil salesman are touting as AI is just upgraded computers and better code but with out the creative intelligence of the programmer they are nothing.

You have been conned by the hype, the marketing of corporations who will fold up shop when it becomes obvious no more cash can be screwed. The segway, that was to be the future too but it ended up as a novelty of mall cops and warehouse workers. The same applies to the proposed colony on mars. That has been thrashed around for 40 years but people still believe it will happen. It's unlikely we'll even send people to mars let alone build a colony. But it gets a lot of investment dollars and that's all that counts in today's world.

tyrion

Yes it does. As I said, the laws of physics are obeyed by all drivers, bicyclists, dogs, pigeons...

Rollfast

I just want another 1972 Plymouth Duster Twister or old Chevelle, but by now it has to be a HYBRID and get 50 mpg to even do anything over in Nampa/Boise/Caldwell.


I wonder how I would balance out the batteries and engine in a Duster...

autater@gmail.c

I would like to see these computers make stop lights work in some intelligent fashion before we let them run the cars. This would be better for bikes and cars!

northernlights

I would be happy with having a good autonomous cruise control system in my car that not only maintains speed and braking by itself but controls steering as well. A very useful feature to have in highway congestion and long distance driving situations. I can't imagine anyone who likes driving in rush hour traffic so it would be a very useful feature. The Tesla seems to drive itself on the freeway pretty well, but is not exactly affordable yet. Call it semi-driverless.

I have my doubts about a completely driverless car that is smart enough to handle the endless complexities of getting around in city traffic, and is affordable to the average person. People may be underestimating the difficulty of reaching that level of AI. And the more complex things are, the more chance it has to break down requiring very expensive repairs. Technology can be amazing but it also has its limits. That doesn't mean people shouldn't try to achieve the impossible or impractical. Sort of like going to the moon. Going to the moon may not have any practical value in itself, but a lot of useful new technologies did spring forth from the Apollo project that are in wide use today.

Ninety5rpm

I think the most likely crash-type involving self-driving cars is getting rear-ended by human-driven cars.

I suspect they're going to have to equip them with flashing "BACK OFF!" signs that will go off any time they detect being tailgated, before the need to brake/slow suddenly arises.

They'll figure it out.

Leisesturm

If I didn't know some personally, I would have trouble believing a modern human could be this... ... ignorant! I could understand a Medieval Scholar being amazed by an iPhone but someone born in the last two Centuries should not. And if you have seen an iPhone then it should not be hard to imagine a driverless car. "[S]imply beyond them"... OMG... right. Computers will never be smarter than they are now. Computers ARE landing multi-million dollar military aircraft on carrier decks in choppy sea. Not only can they operate motorcycles they can operate helicopters. The only limitation is how much money you have to spend!

Leisesturm

I suspect it will be environmental things like black ice or oil slicks from an earlier accident or the structural failure of a bridge or overpass while the car is on it. Regular cars can, even now be fitted with brake lights that strobe for a couple of seconds before settling down to a steady red upon brake application. That's all the 'back off' anyone needs. I do it myself to tailgaters, just tap the brake a couple of times. They get the message. If they don't then you know exactly what you're dealing with. I don't think those kinds of drivers are a significant source of accidents.

Leisesturm

Overstate much?

coominya

I never said the technology doesn't work, to some degree, but landing choppers on empty flight decks is a lot different to driving cars in busy metropolitan areas full of stupid pedestrians and arrogant cyclists. The ethics of it alone are beyond the capabilities of any group of people to agree on. But you keep dreaming your dreams and sucking up the corporate propaganda. You'll never see it, just like you never saw segways filling inner city coridors.

coominya

I'd just like to see a Laptop that doesn't glitch up or crash every week or two.

coominya

40 million Americans doubt the moon landings ever occurred, out of them 20 million deny they ever did. How could there be such a level of delusion in a modern western society? I see the same blind belief in driverless technology. A blind, almost religious belief, that these technologies can save us from the diminishing returns of technologies. Any rational discussion on it is shouted down and those skeptical are treated like hairy monks in caves.

I find it quite amusing that while all this blind belief is going on, many US states have a program whereby they are grinding up rural blacktop and replacing the roads with dirt. A country full of expensive driverless cars, where they can't even afford to repave the roads?

This is currently rural but as time goes on it will move closer and closer to urban centers. people can dream all they want about a bright techno future, but reality has a nasty habit of taking over and setting the pace.


NCHRP Synthesis 485 found that the practice of converting paved roads to unpaved is relatively widespread; recent road conversion projects were identified in 27 states.
Converting Paved Roads to Unpaved | Blurbs New | Blurbs | Publications

Repaving roads is expensive, so Montpelier instead used its diminishing public works budget to take a step back in time and un-pave the road. Workers hauled out a machine called a "reclaimer" and pulverized the damaged asphalt and smoothed out the road's exterior.
https://www.wired.com/2016/07/cash-s...nt-afford-fix/

Leisesturm

The only thing wrong with the Segway was the $10,000 USD MSRP! Americans are often wealthy, but the wealthy are also CHEAP. In the case of the Segway the skepticism over the value of a Segway was warranted. Marketed and priced to sell to the Middle Class like Hoverboards were, and Kamen would have sold millions of them.