Autonomous vehicles to race L.A. to Las Vegas

DARPA web site ^ | September 9, 2002 | DARPA

[Lokibob]

3 things.

Chase car with a radio controlled kill switch, and the vehicle is under visual survellence at all times.

The course is a closed course.

Last, it is a government thing.

[Lokibob]

The best plane landing I ever had, after we were down, the pilot announced that the computer landed the plane. It iws soft as a feather. I never felt the wheels hit the ground.

[Lokibob]

Just thought of something else.

Less than 100 miles from my house, they fly cruise missiles all the time.

Sure, they have chase planes and are under observation all the time, but it has been going on for years. They even fly Sea Launched cruise missiles into Edwards AFB and China lake from the Pacific.

[discostu]

Bet it was calm conditions and whatever breeze there was was probably parallel to the runway. As long as things don't get complicated computers are great, but they lack 3 important things: survival instinct, sense of touch, general instinct. When things get ugly those are the things humans turn to: our survival instinct kicks in the adrenalin, our sense of touch let's us feel the conditions of and around the machine, and our general instinct gives us the intuitive insights that many people in hairy situations credit to their survival.

Computers are great for milk runs, which is good because that's when humans are at their worst, but ugly situations call for the hands of a trained professional human.

[Elsie]

...being in software QA I know better than to trust computers with anything.

Shouldn't this be PROGRAMMERS?

[Elsie]

Yes I trust myself more than a computer, but I trust the computer more than I trust you.

Rock,
Paper,
Scissors?

[Elsie]

Laws against speeding are enforced against the driver, not against the owner of the vehicle. Hmm...

Obviously you've not been ticketed by Robo-photo-cop; have you?

[discostu]

A computer without a programmer is a paperweight with a thyroid condition. But not all computer related problems are the programmers' fault. Some stuff is hardware, some stuff is the result of conditions nobody ever thought of, some stuff is just Murphy being a dick.

[cmsgop]

The "BIG TRAK"™ would be perfect for this ...!

[Fiddlstix]

Bump

[xJones]

Cannonball Run?

May I probe your situation? I have a medical degree from the University of Rangoon. :)

[Dr. Zoo]

It's a lime thing.

If you squeeze the lime into the outhouse instead of in the Corona bottle it will slow down Illegal immigration.

[Jhoffa_]

The "BIG TRAK"™ would be perfect for this ...!

I would hate to embarrass those guy's by turning the Bit Trak (tm) loose on 'em. They might need the prize money to feed their families or pay rent or something, so I will give them a break this time.

The pic I posted is the Trak's forerunner, btw.

The Trak is a much better platform because it has zero turning radius.

Very cool, I am working on it now actually.

[MHGinTN]

ALL YOUR AUTONOMOUSES ARE BELONG TO US

[Tennessee_Bob]

That's all well and good, but why is a duck?