Look ma! No hands!

http://gizmodo.com/5815095/volkswagen-autopilot-lets-you-drive-hands+free-at-80-mph

Volkswagen Autopilot Lets You Drive Hands-Free at 80 MPH

Kelly Hodgkins — Volkswagen is testing a self-driving system that lets you travel up to 80 MPH. It maneuvers the highways like a champ and even handles the stop and go of traffic jams.

The temporary auto pilot technology uses adaptive cruise control, lane assist and a variety of sensors to track your speed, your location and all the cars around you. It's a semi-automatic system so you need to continually monitor the car. You don't have to keep your hands on the wheel, but you really shouldn't be napping while the car is flying down the highway at 75MPH.





I don't know about this. On one hand, it can't do worse than some drivers I've seen on the highways. On the other hand, I'm old enough to remember how weird & unsettling it was to use cruise control for the first time, with this I could never relax.

Old folks will be able to drive later in life. Low-vision people also. And drunks.

BUT soon truck drivers are going to be a thing of the past. Job will be automated and low wage. This is going to cause large disruptions.

You could start out on a long trip, then climb into the bed in back and go to sleep. When you wake up, you're (almost) there!

Machines will do most of our driving soon. It will help out traffic jams too.

Airline travel is mostly that way today. Pilots are the backup systems.

But, IIRC, he went in back and made a drink. The results weren't as desired.

This was back in the day when cruise control was new/rare.

(probably an urban legend)

http://www.snopes.com/autos/techno/cruise.asp">Snopes

I heard a variation of this story as well! :D

I like how the legend was used to expose "frivolous lawsuits"

It never fails. John Stossel probably whacks off to the story.

People pull up the chart plotter, set a direction and go down below. Boats run aground or hit other boats with no one at the helm all the time.

Here's just one example:

to walk. Is that where we're heading?

Imagine a major failure at that speed. Whoo boy!

Except now the speed, steering, and sensors are all drive by wire.

I won't be a first adopter of this technology.

My first car was a Volkswagon Jetta TDI that got 48 MPG. It was my brothers first car, and he got a full ride to college, so my parents bought him a new car, and I got the Jetta. I got rid of it a couple years back with 230,000 miles on it. In all those miles, the only problem I had with the mechanics of the vehicle was a blown fuse. Once I can afford a new car, I definitely plan on buying a VW, or another German made car.

Just kidding -- I love VW's!

it will slam-lock the doors and navigate immediately to the government center.

"But, but...I was headed to pick my kid up at school!"
"I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that..."

:evilgrin:

like another of mine, the video telephone. never thought i'd see the day!

nt