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Why Google Made Its Self-Driving Car So Darn Cute

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Re: Why Google Made Its Self-Driving Car So Darn Cute

#61
post #45

Every time a self-driving car story pops up, I think of Rush's Red Barchetta. I have a sinking feeling we're eventually going to get to a point where traditional cars are completely outlawed. I definitely would love to be driven to work every morning, but I know I'd miss having the option to drive myself with the windows down. Driving can be fun!

No need to outlaw anything. But getting a human driven car insured for urban traffic will be quite likely seen as a luxury/leisure expense someday.

Re: Why Google Made Its Self-Driving Car So Darn Cute

#62
post #45

Every time a self-driving car story pops up, I think of Rush's Red Barchetta. I have a sinking feeling we're eventually going to get to a point where traditional cars are completely outlawed. I definitely would love to be driven to work every morning, but I know I'd miss having the option to drive myself with the windows down. Driving can be fun!

[deleted]

Re: Why Google Made Its Self-Driving Car So Darn Cute

#63
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I now realise that sitting in a self-driving car will cause me to press on the ghost brake pedal while sweating with anxiety No it won't. :) In next versions you will probably not be facing the road anyway. Do you "ghost brake" when driving in the back of a limousine?

I understand that facing backwards is safer in a head-on collision but a lot of people suffer from motion sickness (myself included). It has a lot to do with ability to see where you are going and hence predict/be aware of the vehicles movements. To put the extent of this in perspective, I am noticibly more likely to feel motion sick sitting in the back seat compared to sitting in the front seat. This effect is reduc…

It'd be interesting to see if visual cues predicting the steering would counter motion sickness, I suspect so. A projection on the windshield could signal all upcoming steering movement over a threshold, giving your body time to brace.

Re: Why Google Made Its Self-Driving Car So Darn Cute

#64
post #61
post #45

Every time a self-driving car story pops up, I think of Rush's Red Barchetta. I have a sinking feeling we're eventually going to get to a point where traditional cars are completely outlawed. I definitely would love to be driven to work every morning, but I know I'd miss having the option to drive myself with the windows down. Driving can be fun!

No need to outlaw anything. But getting a human driven car insured for urban traffic will be quite likely seen as a luxury/leisure expense someday.

Since less youth are getting driver's licences/cars than before, I wouldn't be surprised if that is what happens. A family buys a self-driving car that drops off and picks up everyone when needed. Driver's licences will drop within a generation, the tests for a licence will get harder and more costly. Inspections and registrations will also have higher qualifications, so old cars will be either scrapped or kept as a hobby or collectors item. Thinking more and more about it, I'm loving the potential future.

Re: Why Google Made Its Self-Driving Car So Darn Cute

#65

I wonder what car it is based on, if any. Is it electric or gasoline powered? The seats look like they're from a Fiat.

Is all the gapping, creases, and folding a feature of the Fiat?

A little extra work on tension/tucking would have given a better fit and finish.

Re: Why Google Made Its Self-Driving Car So Darn Cute

#66

Maybe they're actually going after the Asian market, and not the US one? It never ceases to amaze me how narrow minded much of the North American market is about the dichotomy between cute and cool/powerful. (You could quite easily make the case some markets are the extreme opposite). The console market has this too, which is one of the reasons the XBox brand has a sort of imposed low ceiling on success outside of th…

Apple is your counterexample. Made in the US for US markets first. Apple products have always been cutsie.

Re: Why Google Made Its Self-Driving Car So Darn Cute

#68
I love the cute, organic design. It'll make it more approachable for a lot of everyday users. But I wonder if they're shooting themselves in the foot with the automotive set: people passionate about their cars, who have a lot of their identity tied to their relationships with their automobiles.

I remember when the Aptera[1] was announced and "car people" slammed it for not looking like…a car. They wouldn't be caught dead driving such a strange-looking vehicle.

Does Google have a plan to address these criticisms and stop them from poisoning the discussion around the product?

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aptera_2_Series

Re: Why Google Made Its Self-Driving Car So Darn Cute

#69

Maybe they're actually going after the Asian market, and not the US one? It never ceases to amaze me how narrow minded much of the North American market is about the dichotomy between cute and cool/powerful. (You could quite easily make the case some markets are the extreme opposite). The console market has this too, which is one of the reasons the XBox brand has a sort of imposed low ceiling on success outside of th…

It looks like a small robot Jason that will track me down and murder me.

Re: Why Google Made Its Self-Driving Car So Darn Cute

#70
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the creature that IS in control has 100+ times more experience of driving than me, and is therefore unarguably a better driver Bingo. A self-driving car will have millions or billions of times more experience driving than you.

Another key thing about cars - microsecond response as opposed to millisecond response. There are a number of (but not all) situations where that 1000x reduced latency will make a difference between a collision and a miss. More importantly, the automated car will be able to scan 360 degrees for endless amounts of time with that same microsecond response. The tipping point for automated cars is going to happen faster…

Don't get me wrong - I totally support self-driving cars and I will - once the technology is cooked enough - feel much safer in those than in normal cars... well, as long as we get all the other non-self-driving idiots off the roads, of course.

I was just responding to the parent of my reply that yes, I do "ghost-brake", and so yes, efforts to make the car appear safer are a great idea, that will impact more people than the parent thought.

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