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posted by martyb on Thursday August 10 2017, @03:36AM   Printer-friendly
from the please-be-seated dept.

What do you do when you see a van that apparently has no driver? Following reports that a 'Driverless' Vehicle was cruising the streets of Clarendon, Virginia, reporter Adam Tuss chased down the 2017 Ford Transit Connect van and discovered it was being driven by a man wearing a car seat costume.

After multiple inquiries[...] the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute said Monday afternoon that the van and van driver are part of a study they are conducting on driverless cars. The worker was wearing the uniform he was supposed to wear.

"The driver's seating area is configured to make the driver less visible within the vehicle, while still allowing him or her the ability to safely monitor and respond to surroundings," a statement from the institute says.

Virginia Tech declined to make the half car seat, half man -- as Tuss put it -- available for an interview.


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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by drussell on Thursday August 10 2017, @07:07AM (7 children)

    by drussell (2678) on Thursday August 10 2017, @07:07AM (#551503) Journal

    You're supposed to be able to see the other drivers, FFS!

    There are plenty of times where you're supposed to make eye contact with another driver... or a pedestrian... or a cyclist... so they know that you know each other is there and have some kind of idea as to where you intend to go!

    Are autonomous cars supposed to be able to just roll around, oblivious to all other traffic, disregarding decades of etiquette and rules of the road?!! WTF?!!!

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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by BasilBrush on Thursday August 10 2017, @10:32AM (3 children)

    by BasilBrush (3994) on Thursday August 10 2017, @10:32AM (#551548)

    Haven't you been paying attention? There's been much talk in recent years of autonomous cars droping their owner off somewhere and then going to find somewhere to park. And lots of other scenarios for driverless cars without anyone in the driver's seat.

    Not that there's much point in making eye contact with person is the "drivers" seat of an autonomous car anyway. The computer has seen you either way. Eye contact with that person doesn't mean anything any more.

    But the psychology of how people will react when there is no driver there is important to study. It makes absolute sense that a university would do this.

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    • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Gault.Drakkor on Thursday August 10 2017, @06:54PM (2 children)

      by Gault.Drakkor (1079) on Thursday August 10 2017, @06:54PM (#551803)

      hmm thats an interesting idea that I have not heard being mentioned before.

      Additional feature an autonomous car perhaps needs: a set of eyes to make eye contact with. May or may not have cameras, but are pointed via sensors to indicate to pedestrians and other human drivers, "Yes, I know you are there". Could also indicate that the car is in autonomous mode by having them present and open.

      Maybe would act additionally as theft, vandalism deterrent? "The car is looking at me..."

      • (Score: 2) by linkdude64 on Thursday August 10 2017, @09:23PM

        by linkdude64 (5482) on Thursday August 10 2017, @09:23PM (#551879)

        Googly eyes on the front bumper!

      • (Score: 2) by BasilBrush on Friday August 11 2017, @02:07AM

        by BasilBrush (3994) on Friday August 11 2017, @02:07AM (#552034)

        On the other hand that implies that if the fake eyes are not looking at you then you haven't been seen. When yoiu have, because the car sees 360 degrees at all times.

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  • (Score: 2) by deimtee on Thursday August 10 2017, @04:01PM (1 child)

    by deimtee (3272) on Thursday August 10 2017, @04:01PM (#551691) Journal

    There's a cop who lectures bike groups, who says that making eye contact with drivers is pointless. They will look right through you and drive over you anyway. The thing to do is watch their wheels. You can see a wheel start to turn or spin much sooner than you can see the car start to move.

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    • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday August 10 2017, @10:06PM

      by bob_super (1357) on Thursday August 10 2017, @10:06PM (#551903)

      You can't even make eye contact anymore, courtesy of tinted windows (widespread at the front despite being mostly illegal), and how many people are staring at their phone or GPS.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 12 2017, @07:09AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 12 2017, @07:09AM (#552785)

    Supposed to?

    I was never taught to make eye contact with anyone. I almost never do, and I find it amazing when my friend describes what other people are doing in their cars. I almost never see the people, I see the cars.

    I suppose when I come to a 4-way stop at the same time as others I look for signals, and if a driver is driving erratically, I look for a reason why, but otherwise, no. No eye contact.

    Is this unusual? I never really thought so, but I may have shades of the autistic spectrum.