SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Several tech companies have submitted comments to the California DMV, seeking changes to the current self-driving car policies:
The companies [Apple, Alphabet's Waymo, Tesla] -- along with dozens of other organizations like Lyft, Uber, Ford and Toyota -- submitted comments to the Department of Motor Vehicles, which were then posted online. The suggestions range the gamut from deciding when a driver should have to take control of the autonomous vehicle to recommending paying customers be allowed to ride in self-driving cars.
[...] Apple -- in its letter signed by Steve Kenner, its director of product integrity -- said it's "investing heavily in the study of machine learning and automation, and is excited about the potential of automated systems in many areas, including transportation." It wants to see changes to three California policies related to "disengagement reporting," definitions, and testing without safety drivers.
One of Apple's criticisms focused on current and proposed disengagement reporting requirements, which explain when a driver has to take control of the self-driving car. Apple said the metric isn't transparent enough to make consumers comfortable with the technology. The company believes the correct metric for evaluating automated vehicles should include data on successfully prevented crashes and traffic rule violations.
Also at AppleInsider.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Sunday April 30 2017, @02:12AM (1 child)
I know the space shuttle firmware, L4 microkernel etc uses proof code to verify that it's coded correctly and does what it's supposed to do. But that is not the hint I get from the autonomous vehicle industry. Besides even if code can be verified. The issue of what are the correct design parameters remain.
And also, once a car by itself can go drive to a specific location. It can also make the scenario where less desirable loads are delivered a really dangerous issue. Like chemicals that decomposes really fast.. The whole autonomous vehicle thing has issues attached to it that has not been publicly debated and informed properly yet.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by tftp on Sunday April 30 2017, @02:44AM
And also, once a car by itself can go drive to a specific location. It can also make the scenario where less desirable loads are delivered a really dangerous issue. Like chemicals that decomposes really fast.
Currently not so nice people deliver less desirable loads with help of human drivers. But you are right, the autonomous car will open that avenue not only to people of strong faith who are in urgent need of 72 dedicated girlfriends, but also to every geek who feels disrespected. He would be able to load a car with a "less desirable load", program the destination, push the button and stay in shadows - possibly to be never found. Journalists will be happy with the new hot term: "A guided missile on wheels." Not that it is absolutely necessary for the car to be moving, as demonstrated in this incident [wikipedia.org], but it certainly makes old things easier and new things possible.
In hands of other groups of not so nice people autonomous cars will be used for surreptitious transportation of drugs, arms, money. If intercepted, there is nobody to arrest - and there is nobody to look for, as the car has no people inside; on the outside it looks just like every other one. This technology will indeed cause a significant shift of standard operating procedures in many places.