Posted on 07/06/2019 11:49:02 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT
Sebastian Thrun, the godfather of the self-driving car industry, explains how Larry Page taught him to be a visionary, not just an 'expert'
"Back in 2009, when I had become officially the godfather of self-driving cars, and the world expert (maybe there were four or five experts, but I was certainly at the top of my field), Larry Page comes to me and says, 'Hey, Sebastian, I want you to do a car in California that can drive anywhere in California, any road. Up to that point, the best we had ever seen was an empty dessert track, or an empty city that could go at 10-15 miles per hour. Now, he wanted me to drive cars in the commuter hour at 45 mph or 75 mph on [Interstate] 280," Thrun recently told Business Insider.
"My gut reaction was, 'No, this can't be done.'"
He turned Page down flat and thought that was the end of that. But that moment when Page challenged his knee-jerk no was a lesson the professor never forgot: The best ideas are the ones that everyone thinks are crazy, especially the experts.
"It was embarrassing to me because I was the world expert and I was supposed to be the person who knows what's the case and I was the worst person to ask about this," Thrun said. "But experts tend to be experts of the past, not the future."
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Just don’t force me to own one and agree that all those who pass the legislation putting them on the road agree to the same fate as anyone who suffers because of a malfunction or something unforeseen.
Good quote.
I am quite amazed how quickly the technology advanced. I always assumed it would require some sort of sensors in the roads but nope. Cell/GPS is enough, just amazing.
I know this will work one day, and I don’t mind as long as I have the option of going somewhere and driving on my own. Fat chance with that, I guess.
I just purchased a new vehicle with the collision avoidance, lane change warnings and such. I thought it would not be a bad thing to at least have.
I really like the adaptive cruise control. I love using cruise control, but it is hard except on highways that don’t have much traffic, and the adaptive cruise control changes that so you don’t have to constantly adjust it. I really like it.
What I have grown to despise is the lane change and collision avoidance. The other day, a car in front of me was taking a left hand turn, not really far enough to easily go around the right of the car, but there was enough space to do so without having to slow down considerably.
The damn thing jacked on my brakes!!! And the car following me couldn’t have been too pleased, because he was following me at the same speed. Boy, did that piss me off.
I don’t mind a safety device, but one that makes it UNSAFE and acts in an un-commanded state is a real problem with me.
Worse, not only can I not turn it off permanently (you can only turn it off on each journey you take in the car. Restarting the engine resets it and turns it back on. I admit, I did not research that part of it.
I also found out that it stores video onboard that may be subpoenaed in a legal case. I am not afraid of having it show anything I might not want seen, I am angry that it records anything at all, and it cannot be disabled.
maybe there were four or five experts, but I was certainly at the top of my field
...and yet, the "visionary" can't grasp the simple truth, which is, the only people in favor of so-called self-driving vehicles are two-strike drunks and the hucksters like himself who want to sell the effin' things. And btw, what an arrogant blowhard. Thanks Dumbgrunt.
I’ve got a number of cars that will drive any road and even none road in any weather at any time and is hack proof.
As long as my Wife or myself is at the wheel.
the only people in favor of so-called self-driving vehicles are two-strike drunks and the hucksters like himself who want to sell the effin’ things.
I’m mostly a teetotaler and have been called so many names ‘huckster’, would not make the list.
Being a septuagenarian my RT (reaction time) can be measured on a kitchen clock, night vision decreasing daily and easily distracted.
Also, recall the old line, you tend to steer your vehicle in the direction in which you are looking.
Check out that old stone bridge!
Hang on, the ditch looks rough...
I, for one, welcome our new driving overlords.
You’re showing your age. Kids today would much rather pay attention to their smartphones than the road.
Now imagine some terrorist hackers spoofing GPS signals...
The idea of not having to own a car, just summon one with a smart phone app, is the main appeal -- that, and not having to actually take classes in the summer in order to acquire a lifelong skill. The prospect of "oh, you can't ever use a car, you'll have to walk, because of something you posted when you were 15" hasn't yet hit what passes for their consciousness.
And old people. And cab companies. And shipping companies. And anybody with a long commute. And anybody that likes to see concerts in other cities.
It’s got a big market. Even if you can’t see it.
What about cell/GPS signals going “off-line” when you enter an underground tunnel that spans miles?
self driving cars will also be a boon to the 90 year and older set. some 80 year olds and above.
At 66 I enjoy driving but I can see a time in 10-15 years when it would be wiser for me to not drive but rather be driven by a self driving car.
any weather at any time and is hack proof.
No need for an external hacker.
A simple experiment, play some checkers or maybe chicken foot dominos with your wife.
Mostly, it is see and respond... until OH CRAP I DIDN’T SEE THAT!!!
WIDE AWAKE AND CLEAN GLASSES...
Sometimes called inattentive viewing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inattentional_blindness
Several recent studies of explicit attention capture have found that when observers are focused on some other object or event, they often experience inattentional blindness.[26] This finding has potentially tragic implications for distracted driving.
Put on enough miles and it will get you.
LOL... it was the bridge story that got me... heh heh... I have found that, in my twilight years, that I'm in much less of a hurry, and appalled by the foolish aggressions carried out continually by mostly younger, and very stupid, careless drivers. OTOH, I almost got clipped yesterday by an a-hole in a small pickup as I was about to pull out of a parking space (going forward) at the local grocery store ("market" for those who live west of the Rockies, be sure to pick up some Best Foods mayo while you're there), and the driver was probably at least in the ballpark of my age. His wife (or the woman in the passenger seat) screamed and had a horrified expression as he came out of the service drive from the street and took a high speed angled trajectory. I would have been wishing for some heart pills, but I don't have those yet, and at this age, I tend to get pissed off rather than feeling all pitter-pat.
If there's a market I guess we'll all find out together. And see how the expression "your money's no good here" gets its meaning changed in the 21st c.
Actually I wish my 94 year old father-in-law had one of these cars so he could once again reclaim his independence. I personally just do not trust my life in the hands of some artificial intelligent program, as I have little faith in programs. 8>)
Already, self driving cars are proving twice as safe as human driven.
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