Sunday, October 09, 2005
Do They Get the Good Driver Rates?
I just finished reading the story and watching videos from the DARPA robot car race that took place yesterday near Primm, Nevada. Three of them made it, with a VW Touareg named Stanley apparently bringing home the $2,000,000.00 prize. They went across a 132 mile course of Mojave desert with no outside help at all. I can't tell you how good that makes me feel. The prize was offered because Congress has mandated that one-third of the military's land vehicles be autonomous by 2015. It appears that that is one goal that can be met quite easily. I imagine that VW will make some hay out of the fact that their little Touareg beat two Hummers which seemed to be developing some mechanical problems later on in the race. In any case, the little devil drove under the finish line banner and stopped on a dime. That's my kind of robot.
Just consider how much traffic congestion is caused by people's slow reflexes. Don't think people's reflexes are slow? The average reaction time is 3/4 of a second. If there are three cars waiting at a light and the light turns green, then in 3/4 of a second the driver of the first car will look around to be sure nobody is coming that might run into him, then 3/4 seconds after he sees things are clear, that car will move. That's 1.5 seconds minimum, usually more like 3 seconds. Then 3/4 of a second after that the second car will realize that the first car is moving, assuming that the driver was paying attention, and at about 5 seconds after the light turns green the second car will start to move. If the driver of the third car is awake, then in 3/4 of a second it will start to move, and at about 7.5 seconds the fourth car will begin to react. Those times are all ideal. In reality the first driver was fiddling with the radio and took about five seconds, the second driver was turned around adjusting her kid's seat belt, taking about eight seconds after the first car started to move, the third car just snuck through as the light turned yellow, and the fourth car, if it makes it, will have to run the red light.
A robot car will always be checking to see if the way is clear. When the light changes, if the way is clear, the reaction time will be a few milliseconds. Since the reaction times are so fast, the second robot can follow at about a foot, and the third, and the fourth, so that all four vehicles are moving through the intersection in less time than it took the first driver to start to move in the ideal scenario. Since robots can all talk to each other all the time, every driver (car) will know what every other car is up to at all times, meaning that traffic lights will eventually only be used to allow pedestrians to cross the street. With its excellent reflexes, a robot car could drive 120 mph on a freeway, with other robots right along with it, and be safer than a human going seventy. I tell you true, it makes my heart glad that the end of waiting seemingly all day for other people's reflexes to (eventually) kick in are numbered. Hoo-Hah!
Of course, you've still got to fuel the thing. Ouch!
Just consider how much traffic congestion is caused by people's slow reflexes. Don't think people's reflexes are slow? The average reaction time is 3/4 of a second. If there are three cars waiting at a light and the light turns green, then in 3/4 of a second the driver of the first car will look around to be sure nobody is coming that might run into him, then 3/4 seconds after he sees things are clear, that car will move. That's 1.5 seconds minimum, usually more like 3 seconds. Then 3/4 of a second after that the second car will realize that the first car is moving, assuming that the driver was paying attention, and at about 5 seconds after the light turns green the second car will start to move. If the driver of the third car is awake, then in 3/4 of a second it will start to move, and at about 7.5 seconds the fourth car will begin to react. Those times are all ideal. In reality the first driver was fiddling with the radio and took about five seconds, the second driver was turned around adjusting her kid's seat belt, taking about eight seconds after the first car started to move, the third car just snuck through as the light turned yellow, and the fourth car, if it makes it, will have to run the red light.
A robot car will always be checking to see if the way is clear. When the light changes, if the way is clear, the reaction time will be a few milliseconds. Since the reaction times are so fast, the second robot can follow at about a foot, and the third, and the fourth, so that all four vehicles are moving through the intersection in less time than it took the first driver to start to move in the ideal scenario. Since robots can all talk to each other all the time, every driver (car) will know what every other car is up to at all times, meaning that traffic lights will eventually only be used to allow pedestrians to cross the street. With its excellent reflexes, a robot car could drive 120 mph on a freeway, with other robots right along with it, and be safer than a human going seventy. I tell you true, it makes my heart glad that the end of waiting seemingly all day for other people's reflexes to (eventually) kick in are numbered. Hoo-Hah!
Of course, you've still got to fuel the thing. Ouch!
