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Let the Robot Drive: The Autonomous Car of the Future Is Here

Wired Magazine -- The object, vaguely pink, sits on the shoulder of the freeway, slowly shimmering into view. Is it roadkill? A weird kind of sagebrush? No, wait, it’s … a puffy chunk of foam insulation! “The laser almost certainly got returns off of it,” says Chris Urmson, sitting behind the wheel of the Prius he is not driving. A note is made (FOD: foreign object or debris, lane 1) as we drive past, to help our computerized car understand the curious flotsam it has just seen.

It’s a Monday, midday, and we are heading north on California Highway 85 in a Google autonomous vehicle. In October 2010, when The New York Times reported that Google had built a fleet of self-driving cars that had already collectively traversed some 140,000 miles of California asphalt, it came as a shock, a terrestrial Sputnik.

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Submitted Feb 06, 2012 By: PhilMils

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DanMtz Champion Author Oakland Posts:1,537 Points:883,450 Joined:Oct 2009	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2012 9:06:11 AM Ignore DanMtz Report Abuse We've had the "robotic car" here for a while - it's called BART.
1WI Rookie Author Appleton Posts:99 Points:107,360 Joined:Jan 2012	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2012 12:28:34 AM Ignore 1WI Report Abuse Let the robot do everything.
sjf238 All-Star Author Philadelphia Posts:715 Points:353,085 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Feb 6, 2012 11:58:39 PM Ignore sjf238 Report Abuse Interesting.
apiergallini Veteran Author North Carolina Posts:349 Points:162,900 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Feb 6, 2012 10:01:39 PM Ignore apiergallini Report Abuse I'm looking forward to it.
Eliano Champion Author Baltimore Posts:1,406 Points:276,475 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Feb 6, 2012 8:45:28 PM Ignore Eliano Report Abuse go robots !
335d1 All-Star Author Virginia Posts:567 Points:408,550 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Feb 6, 2012 6:22:55 PM Ignore 335d1 Report Abuse Yes, it takes the idiots out, but also takes the fun out of driving.
PhilMils Champion Author Virginia Posts:5,476 Points:1,052,490 Joined:Dec 2008	Message Posted: Feb 6, 2012 5:38:17 PM Ignore PhilMils Report Abuse It takes the idiots out of driving.
GT3186 Champion Author Salem Posts:1,275 Points:271,005 Joined:Aug 2011	Message Posted: Feb 6, 2012 4:36:51 PM Ignore GT3186 Report Abuse Interesting read. But I enjoy doing my own driving, thank you.
ObieDog All-Star Author Maryland Posts:981 Points:528,970 Joined:Sep 2010	Message Posted: Feb 6, 2012 2:58:38 PM Ignore ObieDog Report Abuse I like md11capt.
Moumoom Sophomore Author Toronto Posts:192 Points:192,735 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Feb 6, 2012 1:33:47 PM Ignore Moumoom Report Abuse Gee... take friends and family along and it's just like public transit! Plenty of driverless LRTs out there now and they have their limitations, like when a jumper decides to end it as the train's coming into the station. Do we really need machines to "think" for us? Takes the fun out of driving.
doeslayersr Champion Author Illinois Posts:5,831 Points:512,150 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: Feb 6, 2012 1:23:47 PM Ignore doeslayersr Report Abuse The people who like the idea of a robot driving for them also have everyone else do their thinking for them as well. No thanks. I do my own driving and my own thinking.
akitaone Champion Author Tampa Posts:1,309 Points:80,750 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Feb 6, 2012 1:02:04 PM Ignore akitaone Report Abuse might ease the pain after having the car do all the driving
SabrinaHokie Sophomore Author Virginia Posts:120 Points:64,350 Joined:Dec 2011	Message Posted: Feb 6, 2012 12:53:09 PM Ignore SabrinaHokie Report Abuse But I actually love driving...if I can afford the gas!
db60 All-Star Author Indiana Posts:982 Points:211,255 Joined:Oct 2011	Message Posted: Feb 6, 2012 12:29:02 PM Ignore db60 Report Abuse No. I don't think so.
humblepie Champion Author Toledo Posts:17,405 Points:2,011,270 Joined:Mar 2006	Message Posted: Feb 6, 2012 12:15:55 PM Ignore humblepie Report Abuse no thanks
md11capt Champion Author Denver Posts:1,797 Points:389,195 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Feb 6, 2012 11:43:05 AM Ignore md11capt Report Abuse How will they get it to talk and text on a cell phone?