Autonomous Next Year

[Rob Croson]

What would you think if in the future, a hacker configures his car to look like a high priority vehicle so that all the lights turn green giving them right-of-way all the time?

Irrelevant to the issue of autonomous vehicles.

It's at most a trifling annoyance, and is absolutely not even the slightest bit of consideration. Also: Already possible. Hackers have already demonstrated that they can take control of some municipal traffic control systems.

Or maybe a cop car that can take control of yours?

Irrelevant to the issue of autonomous vehicles.

And perhaps you don't know that these kinds of systems already exist. Ever heard of OnStar? They can already take remote control of vehicles, steer them to the side of the road, stop them, and lock them down so the occupants can't get out. OnStar has advertised this capability for years as part of the theft recovery service, and cooperates with law enforcement when using it.

This particular question is related to the general question of the abuse of law enforcement powers. It is a difficult question, and definitely needs to be addressed. But it needs to be addressed in a general sense, as it is related to autonomous vehicles only peripherally at best.

A murder mystery novel might become reality when the car is taken over by a terrorist group, the doors locked, and then driven into the water to drown the occupants. Safeties can be bypassed.

Irrelevant to the issue of autonomous vehicles.

This is already possible. It has been demonstrated several times. Systems such as auto parallel parking, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, etc. already has all the capabilities needed for this. Due to the commonality of the components, you don't even need to necessarily have to pay for those options in order for the car to be capable of some of that kind of stuff. Also: See the info above regarding OnStar.

I understand that there are concerns regarding the implementation of autonomous vehicles. I'm not convinced they are quite there yet. But then again, I've never actually seen one, let alone ridden in one. Perhaps if I had, I would be more at ease. Or less. Don't really know. Perhaps if I am ever in a city that offers autonomous ride hailing services, I'll take a ride just to see what it is like.

What I do know is this: They are coming. They will be on the roads sooner than later. The kinds of questions you asked in your first post need to asked, considered, and answered. Many other questions need to be asked as well. The classic Trolley Problem needs to be addressed. And lots of others. But it will happen. It IS happening.

 

[BaldGuy]

Johnny Carson did a skit once where they had people from a hotel or something getting into the car and as they was getting into a car they was told it was completely computer operated. Had no driver. Once they got it, they had people push it a bit to see people's reaction. Surprising most had no problem at all getting in and going with it. Carson said they sure had more faith in computers then he did, for everytime he turned one on it crashed. (where back then with 95, it was very true)

 

[Made in USA]

Rob, I don't agree that my points are "irrelevant". The autonomous vehicles of the future will undoubtedly be well connected to control computers. It's plural because its unlikely that there will only be one system for everything. In the next twenty to thirty years it will be determined that humans cannot safely drive anything and only autonomous vehicles will be allowed on the road. I haven't a clue as to how they will handle construction equipment but suspect they will be outfitted with computers too, just to inform the autonomous vehicles of their being present. Some kid hackers or terrorists will cause fatalities without a doubt. Their isn't a single computer system out there that is connected to other computers that is safe. Some may be safer, but none entirely.

So Rob, my points will be irrelevant to you, at least until they are.

 

[RSchneider]

How about backdate the technology to the point where no modern hacker would know what to do? I like it because they even include an ice cream maker in the car. I sure loved what we were able to do in 1976.

 

[Rob Croson]

Rob, I don't agree that my points are "irrelevant".

I consider them irrelevant to the question of autonomous vehicles in that adding autonomous into the mix is something of a red herring. These problems you mention already exist with non-fully-autonomous vehicles. Attackers can shut down your vehicle and lock the doors while you're driving. And even if they can't steer the vehicle remotely, imagine how bad it would be for your vehicle to suddenly shut down while you're doing 55 in a narrow lane through construction with two-way traffic separated by some orange barrels.

But all of these concerns exist in vehicles with standard driver assists. Adding "autonomous" into the mix only adds some special-case considerations.

 

[booboo]

Autonomous vehicles IMHO, are another form of control by the Illuminati.

When all vehicles are hooked to GPS, the only way left to disappear will be on foot, wearing foil hat.

 

[Elio Amazed]

How about backdate the technology to the point where no modern hacker would know what to do? I like it because they even include an ice cream maker in the car. I sure loved what we were able to do in 1976.

Was that Dick and Jerry VanDyke's Dad in the driver's seat?
And what the heck... Why didn't my mother's '87 Firebird resemble that one?

On a serious note, GM did make a firebird prototype at one time that looked like that.

And that was great.
In 1956 I was only three...

But I do remember every American family breaking out in harmony at every opportunity.

 

[RSchneider]

To make all of you old timers even more worried. College students are designing self driving cars. They even have a competition and the most interesting part is that it's not that far from the Elio R&D center in Phoenix. I'm wondering of Elio is secretly going to make their car come out with no driver controls at all. Think about it, that would cut costs. An autonomous Elio is a win-win.
http://students.sae.org/cds/autodrive/

 

[Elio Amazed]

How about backdate the technology to the point where no modern hacker would know what to do? I like it because they even include an ice cream maker in the car. I sure loved what we were able to do in 1976.

Between '56 and '59, GM created several gas turbine powered Firebird prototypes.
The one in your video is here...

Firebird 1

Firebird 2

Firebird 3 (With sonic key, brake flaps, joystick steering and optional automatic guidance)

GM's Firebird 3 promo film...

Firebird 3 @ 31:32 and again at 37:43...

They had plans for a firebird 4, but it only reached the graphic renderings stage.

 

[Made in USA]

Tesla in Autopilot hits parked fire truck
Jan. 23, 2018 3:30 AM ET|About: Tesla Motors (TSLA)|By: Yoel Minkoff, SA News Editor
A Tesla Model S (NASDAQ:TSLA) reportedly on "Autopilot" smashed into the back of a fire truck attending a freeway accident on Monday.

While the car was said to be traveling at 65 mph before the crash, it was unclear to what extent the car may have slowed before striking the emergency vehicle.

The feature is "intended for use only with a fully attentive driver," according to Tesla officials.