[nfb-talk] The Google Car, what do you think?

Buddy Brannan buddy at brannan.name
Mon Oct 18 23:33:14 UTC 2010 

More to the point, any research in this area will not be wasted. I expect all of these efforts will eventually end up using information gathered from other reasearch efforts such as ours. My suspicion is that we'll have automated driverless cars available to us long before any legal hurdles can be overcome to allow blind people to operate a car. (As with most things, the technology will far outpace the laws and regulations.) Even if we have an automated car, I expect having it fitted with tactile and auditory feedback as with the NFB blind driver challenge would at least facilitate us getting the car to a safe place should a malfunction in the automated guidance systems occur. Regardless of the outcome, none of this research is in vain.
--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY



On Oct 18, 2010, at 7:25 PM, Michael Hingson wrote:

> The reality is that there are several projects underway concerning
> driverless and blind driver cars.  Let's not second guessing how the project
> permitting blind drivers to take control will go.  If anyone has ideas then
> please contribute.  Let's not talk about what we can't do.  This project is
> all about dreaming and making the dream come true.
> 
> 
> The Michael Hingson Group, INC.
>      “Speaking with Vision”
>                  Michael Hingson, President
>                          (415) 827-4084
>                    info at michaelhingson.com
>                    www.michaelhingson.com
> 
> 
> for info on the new KNFB Reader Mobile, visit:
> http://knfbreader.michaelhingson.com
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Beth Wright
> Sent: Monday, October 18, 2010 2:41 PM
> To: NFB Talk Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] The Google Car, what do you think?
> 
> Hi, Sherry.
> 
> I know it's been a while since we started this project, but just remember 
> that the Virginia Tech team was the only one that would work with us, even 
> though there were quite a few groups trying to develop self-driving cars. 
> Maybe if this one works out, Google might be more interested.
> 
> Beth Wright
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Sherri" <flmom2006 at gmail.com>
> To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, October 18, 2010 5:32 PM
> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] The Google Car, what do you think?
> 
> 
>> I have people in my life who drive. I know how much they have to 
>> concentrate on to get from point A to point B. I just don't understand how 
>> tactile and auditory feedback is going to help us focus on maybe 15 
>> different things at once. A car that is programmed and takes you from point
> 
>> A to point B makes a lot more sense to me. It is a car that could appeal to
> 
>> all! Again, I think working with Google would be a real plus for NFB. But 
>> what do I know and if being first is really the most important thing then 
>> ....
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Bryan Schulz" <b.schulz at sbcglobal.net>
>> To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Monday, October 18, 2010 5:24 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] The Google Car, what do you think?
>> 
>> 
>>> because the nfb wants to be first and wants the credit
>>> Bryan Schulz
>>> 
>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>> From: "Sherri" <flmom2006 at gmail.com>
>>> To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Monday, October 18, 2010 3:56 PM
>>> Subject: [nfb-talk] The Google Car, what do you think?
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> I really think this is more what we are looking for. This is a car 
>>>> "anyone" could "drive". Google has lots of resources. Why don't we jump 
>>>> on their bandwagon?
>>>> 
>>>> Sherri
>>>> 
>>>> Google is testing cars that drive themselves  Google announced Sunday
>>>>  that it has developed cars that drive themselves
>>>> automatically in traffic, and that it has been testing them on the
>>>> streets of California for months. It might seem like an unusual project
>>>> for Google, but it  could actually have big benefits.
>>>> We're not just talking about cars running Google Android.
>>>> This is the stuff of science fiction. The only accident that has
>>>> occurred so far: One of the cars was rear-ended by a driver at a stop
>>>> light. Human error!
>>>> 
>>>> The vehicles have been tested on 140,000 miles of California road, from
>>>> Silicon Valley to Santa Monica.
>>>> 
>>>> Each car is manned during the tests. One person sits in the driver's
>>>> seat, ready to take control of the vehicle instantly by grabbing the
>>>> wheel or touch the brake should something go wrong with the system. The 
>>>> person in the
>>>> passenger's seat is an engineer who monitors the software operations on 
>>>> a
>>>> computer.
>>>> 
>>>> Google (Google) hired engineers who previously participated in
>>>> competitions and races involving automated cars -- important turning
>>>> points in the development of the technology, which has been coming into 
>>>> its own since around 2005 according to The New York Times.
>>>> 
>>>> If your first concern is one of safety, Google would argue that you're
>>>> going about it all wrong.
>>>> 
>>>> Safety is one of the the project's purposes. Google believes that the
>>>> technology could nearly half the number of automobile-related deaths
>>>> because computers are supposedly
>>>> better  at driving than humans in the right circumstances.
>>>> 
>>>> There are other hypothetical pluses, too. The vehicles' instant reaction
>>>> time and 360-degree awareness would allow them to drive closer together
>>>> on the highway than humans can, reducing traffic congestion. They could 
>>>> be more
>>>> careful when operating the gas, reducing fuel consumption.
>>>> 
>>>> But the biggest benefit for Google would be the hour or so of daily
>>>> commute time the car owner would save. Instead of driving, he or she
>>>> could either be productive or entertained in the vehicle, doing work on 
>>>> a wireless
>>>> Internet (Internet) connection or watching television.
>>>> 
>>>> Google doesn't say it explicitly, but TechCrunch was
>>>> quick to note that this time could be spent using Google products and 
>>>> absorbing
>>>> Google-run advertising.
>>>> 
>>>> The most optimistic projections put this technology at least eight years
>>>> away from market, though. Legal hassles are among the myriad problems;
>>>> all of the current traffic laws assume that a human driver is present in
> 
>>>> the vehicle
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>> 
>>> 
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