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Waymo Via

waymo.com

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191–200 of 277 posts

Re: Waymo Via

#191

Post by rossjudson »

markstos wrote: post #23

As a bike/ped advocate, I believe self-driving cars will ultimately be safer than humans. Yesterday I was nearly hit crossing street twice: once by an inattentive driver and once by an intentionally reckless speeder. Oh the other hand, my brother has done a fair amount of truck driving and I'm aware it's a common job in the US. Maybe now that Bloomberg has dropped out he get together with Yang and use his billions to…

I wonder what part of the driving task most requires humans? And what the required reaction times are? And if supervision is enough?

Re: Waymo Via

#192

Post by avs733 »

notatoad wrote: post #152
ckmiller wrote: post #41

I competed in the DARPA Urban Challenge, back in 2007. While we were watching the finalists trying to sort out the world's first fully-automated traffic jam, the conversation turned to how easy it is to manipulate these vehicles. Imagine a remote stretch of highway frequented by automated 18-wheelers. All that's required to bring the truck to a screeching halt is a bedsheet and some decent timing, at which point the…

Why does this sort of critique keep coming up in HN threads on autonomous vehicles? have autonomous cars really gotten so good that "what if violent criminals try to attack it" is the only criticism left? I'm pretty sure not hitting cyclists is still a much larger problem than accidentally wandering into the plot of an action movie. less interesting, i guess. theft is an insurance problem. If there's no human driver…

It, to me, fits in with a wider implicit value on HN that property is worth more than people.

If I'm a truck driver who someone tries to rob ..sure just take it. Bit my stuff, that's why I have insurance. Who cares if a truck gets robbed if it protects a human life?

Re: Waymo Via

#193

Post by elif »

ckmiller wrote: post #41

I competed in the DARPA Urban Challenge, back in 2007. While we were watching the finalists trying to sort out the world's first fully-automated traffic jam, the conversation turned to how easy it is to manipulate these vehicles. Imagine a remote stretch of highway frequented by automated 18-wheelers. All that's required to bring the truck to a screeching halt is a bedsheet and some decent timing, at which point the…

Why would you rob a truck with omnidirectional and live internet cameras on every side of it, unload a trailer in haste, and try to make a getaway in another large truck, when you can rob a truck the old fashion way, by bribing the driver and have the entire trailer delivered and unloaded before anyone knows to look for it?

The risk vs reward are ridiculous to compare.

I think this discussion happened in too close proximity to the release of Fast and the Furious..

Re: Waymo Via

#194

Post by wiggler00m »

ckmiller wrote: post #41

I competed in the DARPA Urban Challenge, back in 2007. While we were watching the finalists trying to sort out the world's first fully-automated traffic jam, the conversation turned to how easy it is to manipulate these vehicles. Imagine a remote stretch of highway frequented by automated 18-wheelers. All that's required to bring the truck to a screeching halt is a bedsheet and some decent timing, at which point the…

Predator drones?

Re: Waymo Via

#195

Post by pedalpete »

ciex wrote: post #178
pedalpete wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hadn't heard that description of the mentality of Luddites before. Thanks for bringing that up. It may be different for trucking for a few reasons 1) apparently there is a huge shortage of truckers in the US currently 2) autonomous driving may be great for highway today, but seems to still be a bit away from truly autonomous for city environments. This could lead to a hub & spoke structure which keeps truckers empl…

Re 3: humans have required breaks, machines don’t. So they’re effectively driving faster per trip.

definitely a good point, I was considering more of a hybrid approach where a driver exists but some of the driving is done autonomously. We're close to that now.

Also, trucks still need to refuel, so breaks are still required.

Re: Waymo Via

#196

Post by jpitz »

bigmattystyles wrote: post #186
notatoad wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does this sort of critique keep coming up in HN threads on autonomous vehicles? have autonomous cars really gotten so good that "what if violent criminals try to attack it" is the only criticism left? I'm pretty sure not hitting cyclists is still a much larger problem than accidentally wandering into the plot of an action movie. less interesting, i guess. theft is an insurance problem. If there's no human driver…

On top of that, I doubt any human trucker is defending their load against two humans with shotguns, and that doesn't happen today enough to make the news. If anything else, you can make it so the vehicle isn't drivable by a human (no interface) and make the cargo door super secure.

> On top of that, I doubt any human trucker is defending their load against two humans with shotguns, and that doesn't happen today enough to make the news.

True, but if you aren't assaulting / endangering a driver, then the crime is lower-risk.

Re: Waymo Via

#197

Post by titanomachy »

samatman wrote: post #128
dumbfoundded wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trademarks matter in context a lot. An Apple branded computer is a lot stronger than an Apple branded apple. They choose a brand name bordering on descriptive. If it's descriptive, ie "Great Computer Co.", it's pretty weak. It'll be tough to own "Via" for anything in transportation.

That would be like owning the trademark "General Electric" and selling electrical equipment...

International Business Machines

General Electric

General Motors

Advanced Micro Devices

To be fair, all were among the first companies to make the thing they are named for.

Re: Waymo Via

#198

Post by dumbfoundded »

samatman wrote: post #128
dumbfoundded wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trademarks matter in context a lot. An Apple branded computer is a lot stronger than an Apple branded apple. They choose a brand name bordering on descriptive. If it's descriptive, ie "Great Computer Co.", it's pretty weak. It'll be tough to own "Via" for anything in transportation.

That would be like owning the trademark "General Electric" and selling electrical equipment...

Well, General Electric predates many of the Supreme Court rulings that establish American trademark law.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Supreme_...

Re: Waymo Via

#199

Post by heartbreak »

ehsankia wrote: post #188
lolc wrote: post #110

> No matter what you’re transporting or where it’s headed, Waymo Via will have you covered. Lumber haulage, on forest tracks, in winter? Snark aside, I'll be really impressed when they manage to get any service going. But that page doesn't offer anything to convince me.

I believe it can drive during winter, just not in extreme condition (snowstorm). Of course, it can simply wait until the storm passes and continue. And honestly, many of the cases where Waymo can't safely drive, realistically most humans shouldn't be driving either but we still do because we're stubborn like that. OTOH, if there's a 24h stretch of good condition, it can drive the whole time.

I believe OP is referring to hauling lumber on unpaved roads ("forest tracks"), which is likely a very difficult task.

Re: Waymo Via

#200

Post by paxys »

ckmiller wrote: post #41

I competed in the DARPA Urban Challenge, back in 2007. While we were watching the finalists trying to sort out the world's first fully-automated traffic jam, the conversation turned to how easy it is to manipulate these vehicles. Imagine a remote stretch of highway frequented by automated 18-wheelers. All that's required to bring the truck to a screeching halt is a bedsheet and some decent timing, at which point the…

And what exactly would a human driver do in this case? More than likely the company policy is already "do nothing, insurance will cover it".
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