Prediction: this is the sell out costume for Halloween.
Ford disguised a man as a car seat to research self-driving
101–110 of 144 posts
Re: Ford disguised a man as a car seat to research self-driving
#102"they just needed people to believe wholeheartedly they were using one." Don't they mean "seeing one" instead of "using one"? Or am I missing something? "fill in gaps where we currently communicate via subtle gestures, eye contact and other less obvious mechanisms." This also struck me as odd - do pedestrians and other drivers really make "eye contact" with drivers to gauge their intention? I guess it's possible, but…
And I suppose the "break lights" are lit when the CPU is nonfunctional?
Re: Ford disguised a man as a car seat to research self-driving
#103Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do like in Canada: all cars must have their headlights on when driving (the lights automatically turn on). edit: also, I feel like if we add new light signals for acceleration, for example, it would be nice to add that to all cars.
I've always wanted front brake lights for cars, that way as a pedestrian (or other driver) you can tell if a car is actively stopping as it's approaching you.
That's actually a really awesome idea. I wonder what the threshold of adoption would have to be before that signal is widely understood. Maybe that should become a necessary safety feature of driverless cars to replace the "feature" of being able to see what the driver is paying attention to through the window.
Also, it looks like there are multiple (??) patents on that idea: https://www.google.com/search?tbm=pts&hl=en&q=vehicle+front+...
Re: Ford disguised a man as a car seat to research self-driving
#104This article confused me a lot more before I realized Ford meant the company, not the individual.
Interestingly, it was the same for me. I was really confused for a few seconds until "self-driving" sank in and it became clear that Henry Fore could not have been alive for that.
In Henry's time, "self-driving" would probably be more likely used to describe a brick on the accelerator.
Re: Ford disguised a man as a car seat to research self-driving
#105Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do like in Canada: all cars must have their headlights on when driving (the lights automatically turn on). edit: also, I feel like if we add new light signals for acceleration, for example, it would be nice to add that to all cars.
I've always wanted front brake lights for cars, that way as a pedestrian (or other driver) you can tell if a car is actively stopping as it's approaching you.
As a cyclist, I sometimes see cars approaching crosswalks at a crawl, just creeping along at a few feet per second. I do that on my bike too, because I'm hoping the light will change before I have to come to a complete stop and put my foot down, but I have no idea why drivers do it, and it definitely doesn't feel safe crossing in front of a car like that.
Re: Ford disguised a man as a car seat to research self-driving
#106This article confused me a lot more before I realized Ford meant the company, not the individual.
Also the first Ford that came to my mind was Ford from Westworld, not the carmaker.
Re: Ford disguised a man as a car seat to research self-driving
#107Earlier quoted context omitted.
Those are daytime running lights. I wish headlights were mandatory, that would eliminate people driving in rainy twilight without lights on.
It does the opposite. An always lit in vehicle display and DRLs that are just always on headlights makes people forget to turn their lights on when it's dark. This isn't a problem for them since they have their headlights on but drivers behind them don't see them from a distance at night because their tail lights are not lit up. This is particularly dangerous in traffic where everyone else has their lights on. Making…
A lot of newer cars have an auto setting to handle this for you. DRL in daylight and headlights and tail lights as it gets dark or you go through a tunnel.
My last car rental, some moron previous renter turned the switch to DRL only instead of Auto. I did exactly as you described and drove with no tail lights and headlights that seemed dim but it wasn't my my car so it must just be that way. Eventually another driver flashed his brights from behind and I realized my mistake.
Re: Ford disguised a man as a car seat to research self-driving
#108Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've always wanted front brake lights for cars, that way as a pedestrian (or other driver) you can tell if a car is actively stopping as it's approaching you.
As a cyclist, I sometimes see cars approaching crosswalks at a crawl, just creeping along at a few feet per second. I do that on my bike too, because I'm hoping the light will change before I have to come to a complete stop and put my foot down, but I have no idea why drivers do it, and it definitely doesn't feel safe crossing in front of a car like that.
Not very safe, but a tiny bit more fuel efficient.
Brakes are a great way to turn momentum into heat. Then you have to spend fuel to regain momentum.
But, far less safe to move slowly when everyone else expected you were at a standstill.
Re: Ford disguised a man as a car seat to research self-driving
#109I have been in a situation when I was mid-crosswalk when an idiot came screaming round a long shallow corner too fast (fast enough to have the white-line between his wheels).
I had a 50/50 choice. Keep going or run back. In the 3 or so seconds I had we made eye contact and I saw him return his eyes to my front (i.e. he was trying to get back on to his side of the road) so I moved backwards.
Not sure what I would have done if it were a self-driving car and unable to do the visual communication (Although the entire point might be moot since a self-driver wouldn't be in that situation)
Re: Ford disguised a man as a car seat to research self-driving
#110Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've always wanted front brake lights for cars, that way as a pedestrian (or other driver) you can tell if a car is actively stopping as it's approaching you.
As a cyclist, I sometimes see cars approaching crosswalks at a crawl, just creeping along at a few feet per second. I do that on my bike too, because I'm hoping the light will change before I have to come to a complete stop and put my foot down, but I have no idea why drivers do it, and it definitely doesn't feel safe crossing in front of a car like that.
Coming to a stop and just sitting there can warp the brake rotors. The area under the calipers doesn't cool off as fast as the rest of the brake rotor, and the localized heating causes the metal to bend.
You're supposed to creep forward a little, but some people might be overdoing it.