self driving vehicle on UK motorways in 2023

[Horse]

Humans are good at actively doing stuff, they are less good at monitoring others doing stuff.

I'm sure I read somewhere that actively doing something else (eg knitting) whilst carrying out a monitoring task, improves the quality of the monitoring task

Warning: H war story

Back to biking trainee, doing the machine control stuff.

Great clutch control, but only in a straight line. Try to introduce a head turn and all went to pot. No control, tensing up, etc.

So I needed to overcome that before we could move on.

Solution: singing. I pushed trainee and bike in a big circle, rider singing, with head turned. Completed the circle after the first verse of Born to be Wild.


The way I view it is that the bit of your brain that does 'muscle memory' type actions (relaxed, competent) can be inhibited by the more logical bit.

A non-biking example is juggling. Learn it, do it. But try talking yourself through it while actually juggling and it will fall apart.

Worse still, that logical bit will often be saying "you can't do this" or "you got it wrong last time". Absolute worst case is "you crashed on a bend like this".

When those messages happen, you tense up, etc. And on the bend, you don't want to lean, you tense up. Best outcome is that you wobble around the corner, hating it.

Solution: give the logical bit something to do. Either distract it (like singing) or give it something useful to do ("slow early, throttle on now, head turn, press the bar ... ").

But I've never encouraged knitting.

[Dickyboy]

But I've never encouraged knitting.

Oh you're such a fun sponge

[Horse]

https://electrek.co/2023/06/30/tesla-gi ... and-drive/

Last month, we were surprised to see Tesla announce that they stopped producing new Model S and Model X vehicles in right-hand-drive configurations.

The automaker decided to stop selling Model S and Model X vehicles altogether in some smaller left-hand-drive markets, like Australia, Singapore, and Thailand, and started offering right-hand-drive vehicles in bigger markets, like in the UK.

This upset many buyers who saw their orders canceled. Some of them had been waiting for years since the Model S and Model X refresh was announced to get the new vehicles. They had been waiting to get the latest Plaid top-performance Tesla vehicles.

Now Tesla buyers in the UK who decided to go through with their purchases despite the change to left-hand-drive found that it comes with a gift called “The Reacher”.

The Reacher is a grabbing stick meant for drivers to be able to reach the passenger window, presumably to grab things like parking receipts and drive-thru items.

[Horse]

(I could have posted that in the EV thread instead)

[Mussels]

Is it just me or does that author need to work on what is left and right?

[Horse]

Is it just me or does that author need to work on what is left and right?

Yup, I wondered* about that.

* but not very much and CBA to do any searching. Does the US have a 'July Fool' tradition to get one over on the Brits on Independence Day?

[The Spin Doctor]

Has anyone asked if we want self driving cars.

Lots of surveys carried out... I've done a couple myself... but the questions are usually cleverly loaded to gain a positive response, by asking questions that are leading or open-ended, like:

"Do you think that autonomous vehicles incorporate advanced technology to eliminate crashes?"
"Do you foresee a future in which crashes could be almost eliminated by autonomous vehicles?"

My answer to both would be yes.

But were I to be asked:

"Do you foresee the technology fitted to autonomous vehicles being able to eliminate crashes in the immediate future?"

My answer to that would be no.

[Horse]

Has anyone asked if we want self driving cars.

Lots of surveys carried out...


But were I to be asked:

"Do you foresee the technology fitted to autonomous vehicles being able to eliminate crashes in the immediate future?"

My answer to that would be no.

And lots of people involved with developing them would tell you that.

FWIW, and I've probably said before, on-road self-driving is not where the technologies are likely to be most applicable.

The best applications are - like much automation - in repetitive tasks such as haul routes in large construction sites, mines etc. Another is agriculture, where automation will go far beyond 'driving'.

Almost at random:
https://www.volvoautonomoussolutions.co ... dling.html
https://www.nokia.com/thought-leadershi ... riculture/
https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/c ... ing-trucks
https://www.generationrobots.com/blog/e ... -cleaning/

And it's no secret that the military are looking at them for various applications.

[Horse]

https://www-teslarati-com.cdn.ampprojec ... photo/amp/

Cruise robotaxi finds itself stuck in wet concrete in San Francisco

[Horse]

FWIW, and I've probably said before, on-road self-driving is not where the technologies are likely to be most applicable.

The best applications are - like much automation - in repetitive tasks such as haul routes in large construction sites, mines etc.

https://www.volvoautonomoussolutions.co ... -kalk.html

[Horse]

[Horse]

www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/361436/self- ... rosecution

The government is pushing ahead with plans to introduce an Automated Vehicles Bill, which it says will ‘unlock a transport revolution’ by enabling the safe deployment of self-driving vehicles on British roads.

[Mr. Dazzle]

BMW and Mercedes both making loads of noise on my LinkedIn about how their respective cars now have full homologation for level 3 autonomy.

Apparently now in some parts of Europe it's perfectly legal for the driver of a 7 series to watch a movie, below 40mph.

[Horse]

e.g.

https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/global/a ... ext-spring

Level 3 highly automated driving, which allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel and temporarily divert their attention away from the road, will soon be available in the new BMW 7 Series. BMW Personal Pilot L3 is the name of the new function that relieves the person at the wheel of the task of driving in certain situations and controls the car’s speed, distance to the vehicle ahead and lane positioning for them. This new option can be ordered for the new BMW 7 Series (excluding the i7 eDrive50 and i7 M70 xDrive)* from December to be fitted in vehicles from next March.

Designed to assume the entire task of driving with Level 3 capability as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), thehighly automated driving function will be offered exclusively in Germany priced at 6,000 euros (incl. VAT).

This innovative technology allows drivers to redirect their focus to other in-vehicle activities when travelling at up to 60 km/h (37 mph) on motorways with structurally separated carriageways. Thanks to its particularly sophisticated sensors, this is the first system of its kind that can also be used in the dark.

The introduction of Level 3 functionality in BMW 7 Series models will make the BMW Group the first carmaker to offer both an advanced Level 2 driving function in its product portfolio where the hands can be taken off the steering wheel and positioned comfortably and a Level 3 system. The BMW Highway Assistant already offers a highly innovative SAE Level 2 partially automated driving function in all new BMW 5 Series models. The package also includes a unique feature in the form of the Active Lane Change Assistant with eye confirmation. This function is primarily designed for use over long-distance journeys in the new BMW 5 Series, allowing the driver to adopt an extremely relaxed posture behind the steering wheel. When travelling at up to 130 km/h (81 mph), this additional function of the Steering and Lane Control Assistant can take control over the car’s speed, the distance to the vehicle in front and the car’s steering.

The crucial difference between Level 2 and Level 3 is that with Level 2 (partially automated driving) responsibility continues to lie with the driver at all times. Whenever the BMW Highway Assistant is in use,drivers must watch what is happening on the road and be able to take over the task of driving again at all times. This is continuously monitored using an intelligent attentiveness camera.

The BMW Personal Pilot L3 for Level 3 highly automated driving in the BMW 7 Series gives drivers the option of concentrating on secondary in-vehicle activities away from what is happening on the road. In a BMW 7 Series with the BMW Personal Pilot L3 activated, customers will be able to edit e-mails, for example, or engage more deeply in telephone calls while travelling at up to 60 km/h (37 mph). They can also use digital services for e.g. streaming videos from various providers on the central display during a journey. This makes the new BMW Personal Pilot L3 the ideal solution for making good use of time spent in slow-moving traffic or tailbacks during daily motorway commutes.

Symbols appear on the display behind the steering wheel as appropriate to indicate whether the BMW Personal Pilot L3 is available. It is activated and deactivated by a button on the steering wheel. When the function is being used, the customer still has to be ready to reassume the task of driving at any time – i.e. as soon as the situation on the road requires them to or the stretch of road suitable for using the BMW Personal Pilot L3 comes to an end. Visual and acoustic signals let the driver know they have to take over control once more. If the driver does not respond as required, the vehicle is brought to a controlled standstill.

The live HD map with precise routes is permanently aligned with extremely accurate GPS location-finding and works with 360° sensors to ensure exact positioning and monitoring of the area around the vehicle. The live HD map is always up to the minute thanks to regular updates. In the new BMW 7 Series, this functionality is underpinned technologically by a new software stack, a powerful computing platform and a 5G link-up to the BMW Cloud. Besides the cameras, vehicles specified with the BMW Personal Pilot L3 are also fitted with latest-generation ultrasonic sensors and radar sensors and a highly sensitive 3D lidar sensor for monitoring the area around the vehicle and the situation on the road.

This package of technology means that the BMW Personal Pilot L3 works very reliably even in the dark. These various qualities are unmatched by any rival. SAE Level 3 automated driving helps improve both comfort and safety on public roads.



*The BMW Personal Pilot L3 is only available in conjunction with the relevant BMW Connected Drive services. The period of validity for these services is two years.

[iansoady]

Getting scarier.......

[Lutin]

BMW Personal Pilot L3 is the name of the new function that relieves the person at the wheel of the task of driving in certain situations and controls the car’s speed, distance to the vehicle ahead and lane positioning for them.

Does it also relieve them of responsibility when there is a crash? What does the insurance industry think of this?

[Horse]

BMW Personal Pilot L3 is the name of the new function that relieves the person at the wheel of the task of driving in certain situations and controls the car’s speed, distance to the vehicle ahead and lane positioning for them.

Does it also relieve them of responsibility when there is a crash? What does the insurance industry think of this?

See the Autoexpress link a few posts back

Self-driving cars given UK green light as ‘users’ get immunity from prosecution
The UK’s Automated Vehicles Bill will put responsibility firmly on manufacturers when/if autonomous technology goes wrong

[Horse]

And it will go wrong. No-one, even in the industry, will deny that.

However, WRT to dashcam thread, these vehicles will probably be all sorts of data collected and recorded all the time. So I can imagine that being used as evidence to shift the blame (and costs).

[wheelnut]

This innovative technology allows drivers to redirect their focus to other in-vehicle activities when travelling at up to 60 km/h (37 mph) on motorways with structurally separated carriageways. Thanks to its particularly sophisticated sensors, this is the first system of its kind that can also be used in the dark.

Are there many structurally separated carriageways that have a speed limit of less than 40mph?

[Horse]

This innovative technology allows drivers to redirect their focus to other in-vehicle activities when travelling at up to 60 km/h (37 mph) on motorways with structurally separated carriageways. Thanks to its particularly sophisticated sensors, this is the first system of its kind that can also be used in the dark.

Are there many structurally separated carriageways that have a speed limit of less than 40mph?

Never been on motorways in the 'rush' hour?