Self-Driving Vehicles
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 6,231
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From: Los Angeles/Vancouver
i told my gf about this last night
and she came up with a very interesting question
how will the cars detect whether the traffic light is green, amber, or red
i mean there are so many lights all over the places, how would they distinguish which one is the traffic light and more specifically, which ones are for cars in my lane?
and she came up with a very interesting question
how will the cars detect whether the traffic light is green, amber, or red
i mean there are so many lights all over the places, how would they distinguish which one is the traffic light and more specifically, which ones are for cars in my lane?
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 5,813
Likes: 1
From: The Bay Area, CA, USA
Originally Posted by UberNoob
i told my gf about this last night
and she came up with a very interesting question
how will the cars detect whether the traffic light is green, amber, or red
i mean there are so many lights all over the places, how would they distinguish which one is the traffic light and more specifically, which ones are for cars in my lane?
and she came up with a very interesting question
how will the cars detect whether the traffic light is green, amber, or red
i mean there are so many lights all over the places, how would they distinguish which one is the traffic light and more specifically, which ones are for cars in my lane?
, this won't happen. So at this moment the best application for this technology should still be limited to highways, which for the most part should already satisfy most commuters and travelers.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 5,813
Likes: 1
From: The Bay Area, CA, USA
Originally Posted by mmarshall
Part of the safety of a system like this will depend, of course, on how sophisticated the robot's " eyes " are. For instance, if you have tried to stay in your lane on a wet road at night with faded lane markings you'll know what I mean.......it can be quite difficult. Infiniti already has a lane-warning drift device on some of its cars but it still depends on a camera and the camera has to be able to actually SEE the lane markings. Then, of course, you run into the problem of snow-covered roads with no markings at all.
In fact, some high-end navigation systems today already offer lane information and will tell you when to change to which lane for the next turn or exit. 
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 5,813
Likes: 1
From: The Bay Area, CA, USA
Amazing video
Forget the self-parking LS460. THIS is teh real *****!! A robot car that drives as fast as a professional driver! I just *have to* bow to the German engineering after watching this video.
NEW VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB9suyHrXxA
In real-world applications it won't even have to learn the course first since it'll be simply driving the normal roads already mapped in a GPS navigation system, while adjusting for traffic with some kind of adaptive cruise control.
NEW VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB9suyHrXxA
In real-world applications it won't even have to learn the course first since it'll be simply driving the normal roads already mapped in a GPS navigation system, while adjusting for traffic with some kind of adaptive cruise control.
Last edited by XeroK00L; Oct 30, 2006 at 04:33 PM.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,230
Likes: 0
From: WA
Forget the self-parking LS460. THIS is teh real *****!! A robot car that drives as fast as a professional driver! I just *have to* bow to the German engineering after watching this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB9suyHrXxA
In real-world applications it won't even have to learn the course first since it'll be simply driving the normal roads already mapped in a GPS navigation system, while adjust for traffic with some adaptive cruise control.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB9suyHrXxA
In real-world applications it won't even have to learn the course first since it'll be simply driving the normal roads already mapped in a GPS navigation system, while adjust for traffic with some adaptive cruise control.
Speaking of German engineering.
They do make some of the best business application software in the world as well. SAP anyone, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAP_AG
Germany is now the world's largest exporter of goods with $1.016 trillion exported in 2005 (Germany's exports to other euro zone countries are included in this total). In export of services (tourism, financial services, engineering...) it ranks third behind the United States and the United Kingdom. Altogether it's the second largest exporter behind the United States.
Although most of its exports are in advanced technology (cars, machinery, chemical goods, optics ...), Germany also has a strong position in the export of high tech products. According to the WTO 15 per cent of German exports are high tech products. While this percentage is relatively low compared to other countries, given the huge amount of total exports, Germany sells nearly twice as many high tech products per capita than the United States, significantly more than Japan and nearly the same as the United Kingdom.
Although most of its exports are in advanced technology (cars, machinery, chemical goods, optics ...), Germany also has a strong position in the export of high tech products. According to the WTO 15 per cent of German exports are high tech products. While this percentage is relatively low compared to other countries, given the huge amount of total exports, Germany sells nearly twice as many high tech products per capita than the United States, significantly more than Japan and nearly the same as the United Kingdom.
I always thought it was Japan that sold the most high-tech goods....guess I was wrong.
Pole Position
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 390
Likes: 0
From: Canada
Wow, quite amazing. I like the engineering, but I don't know if I trust VW's electricals with my life just yet.
More advanced indeed. Except keep in mind Toyota engineered those technologies for the real world and have been in use for up to five years, whereas VW has designed something for a test track. Not nearly as risky.
That would be a bit more believable if you owned 3 Japanese cars and 1 German and not the other way around, hehe. 
Very, very impressive!! This is so much more advanced than even the Toyota's combination of Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keeping Assist, and VDIM! Driving like a pro (better than most pros actually) at speeds up to 150mph (which practically means ANY speed), wow!! Ze German engineering is truly a force to be reckoned with.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,230
Likes: 0
From: WA
Wow, quite amazing. I like the engineering, but I don't know if I trust VW's electricals with my life just yet.
More advanced indeed. Except keep in mind Toyota engineered those technologies for the real world and have been in use for up to five years, whereas VW has designed something for a test track. Not nearly as risky.
That would be a bit more believable if you owned 3 Japanese cars and 1 German and not the other way around, hehe.
More advanced indeed. Except keep in mind Toyota engineered those technologies for the real world and have been in use for up to five years, whereas VW has designed something for a test track. Not nearly as risky.
That would be a bit more believable if you owned 3 Japanese cars and 1 German and not the other way around, hehe.
Oh I always knew both countries were and are the engineering and technological centers of their respective regions. I just always thought the Japanese produced more and sold more of their products around the world (considering companies like Sony and Yamaha) than the Germans. But when I did a little research it turns out I was wrong and a lot of the companies I just assumed were American, were in fact German (Stihl comes to mind). BTW I have owned 2 previous generation GS's, a second generation RX-7, and a Camry (hated that car), and a Toyota Sienna(family needs). So despite my current stable of cars, I've had my fair share of Japanese cars (mostly Toyota). Just take into consideration that most of the electronics I own are from Japan. So, yeah I did in fact think that Japan exported more tech oriented products than Germany and it is believable, despite my current stable of cars.
Last edited by mavericck; Oct 30, 2006 at 05:21 PM.
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Pole Position
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 390
Likes: 0
From: Canada
Most of us can probably agree the future holds vehicles that drive themselves. Assuming there's a transition period between now and then makes me wonder how the automated cars will interact with each other and with cars with human drivers. I imagine a transportation network that makes lane changes and traffic light changes most efficient. I wonder if there could or would be a hierarchy with respect to this. Sort of like a toll that gets you places with a higher priority than others. And with respect to human drivers, how would the automated car behave if it detected a car about to rear end, t-bone or make a lane change into it.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,230
Likes: 0
From: WA
Self Driving BMW
Top Gear Test of the Self Driving BMW 3 series.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=DXhlQ2xzz0g
haha "imagine if the British had built this..."
http://youtube.com/watch?v=DXhlQ2xzz0g
haha "imagine if the British had built this..."
Last edited by mavericck; Dec 5, 2007 at 12:59 AM.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Feb 2001
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From: International
