Experts say the development of self-driving cars over the coming decade depends on an unreliable assumption by many automakers: that the humans in them will be ready to step in and take control if the car’s systems fail.
Instead, experience with automation in other modes of transportation like aviation and rail suggests that the strategy will lead to more deaths like that of a Florida Tesla driver in May.
Decades of research shows that people have a difficult time keeping their minds on boring tasks like monitoring systems that rarely fail and hardly ever require them to take action. The human brain continually seeks stimulation. If the mind isn’t engaged, it will wander until it finds something more interesting to think about. The more reliable the system, the more likely it is that attention will wane.
Automakers are in the process of adding increasingly automated systems that effectively drive cars in some or most circumstances, but still require the driver as a backup in case the vehicle encounters a situation unanticipated by its engineers.
Tesla’s Autopilot, for example, can steer itself within a lane and speed up or slow down based on surrounding traffic or on the driver’s set speed. It can change lanes with a flip of its signal, automatically apply brakes, or scan for parking spaces and parallel park on command.
Joshua Brown, a 40-year-old tech company owner from Canton, Ohio, who was an enthusiastic fan of the technology, was killed when neither he nor his Tesla Model S sedan’s Autopilot braked for a truck making a left turn on a highway near Gainsville, according to federal investigators and the automaker.
This story is from the July 24,2016 edition of Techlife News.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 24,2016 edition of Techlife News.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
7 CHINA BANS EXPORTS TO US OF GALLIUM, GERMANIUM, ANTIMONY IN RESPONSE TO CHIP SANCTIONS
China announced this week it is banning exports to the United States of gallium, germanium, antimony and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications, as a general principle, lashing back at U.S. limits on semiconductor-related exports.
FINANCIAL AND COMMUNITY HURDLES SLOW GEOTHERMAL ENERGY DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Providing round-the-clock energy, using minimal space and considered a clean source of power-geothermal energy seems like an ideal option for countries like Indonesia and the Philippines, where the potential is high, and governments are seeking to transition away from highly polluting fossil fuels.
CANADIAN NEWS PUBLISHERS SUE OPENAI OVER ALLEGED COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
A coalition of Canadian news publishers, including The Canadian Press, Torstar, Globe and Mail, Postmedia and CBC/Radio-Canada, has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI for using news content to train its ChatGPT generative artificial intelligence system.
AUSTRALIA IS BANNING SOCIAL MEDIA FOR PEOPLE UNDER 16. COULD THIS WORK ELSEWHERE - OR EVEN THERE?
It is an ambitious social experiment of our moment in history — one that experts say could accomplish something that parents, schools and other governments have attempted with varying degrees of success: keeping kids off social media until they turn 16.
BANK OF AMERICA SIGNS AGAIN WITH FIFA FOR US-HOSTED CLUB WORLD CUP THAT STILL HAS NO TV DEALS
World Cup sponsor Bank of America teamed with FIFA for a second time, signing for the Club World Cup that still has no broadcast deals just over six months before games start.
AT&T SEES EARNINGS GROWTH OVER NEXT 3 YEARS; EYES MORE THAN $40B IN ANTICIPATED SHAREHOLDER RETURNS
AT&T anticipates earnings growth over the next three years thanks to the momentum of 5G and fiber services.
IN A WORLD OF GREAT NEED THERE ARE MORE WAYS TO DONATE MONEY THAN EVER.HOW SHOULD YOU GIVE?
Millions displaced by global conflicts. Communities reeling from unseasonably strong natural disasters. Lives upended due to healthcare inequalities.
US EXPANDS LIST OF CHINESE TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES UNDER EXPORT CONTROLS
The U.S. Commerce Department has expanded the list of Chinese technology companies subject to export controls to include many that make equipment used to make computer chips, chipmaking tools and software.
INTEL CEO GELSINGER RETIRES; ZINSNER AND JOHNSTON HOLTHAUS NAMED INTERIM CO-CEOS
Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has retired, the struggling chipmaker said Monday in a surprise announcement.
LANDLORDS ARE USING AI TO RAISE RENTS.AND CALIFORNIA CITIES ARE LEADING THE PUSHBACK
If you've hunted for apartments recently and felt like all the rents were equally high, you're not crazy: Many landlords now use a single company's software - which uses an algorithm based on proprietary lease information ― to help set rent prices.
