1st driverless car test on public road held in central Japan

beginning of the end for taxis / Uber drivers, Id be happy to take my own automated car on a long trip and not have to worry about getting sleepy, only really having to stop to eat/ fuel,charge/ toilet

So it has to 'memorise' signs et-al first? What happens when new signs go up or old ones are taken down?

A member of the test team operated the minivan remotely from the Kota community hall near the test course

Is it operated remotely or autonomous?

Bush,

I believe you tell the car (not some central computer) where you want to go and the car drives you there. Similarly, if you change your mind, you tell the car and it changes direction. A self-driving car does the driving, not the decision on where it will take you. Not yet, anyway.

But this car doesn’t look self-driving if some gaming nerd at the test track operated the car remotely. That makes this car a remote-controlled vehicle like I used to have when I was a little kid and raced them around the neighborhood. Boom! Crash! Broken!

I'm surprised how behind Japan is in this technology. We've had autonomous cars testing here in the sf bay area for years. They move at regular traffic speeds and don't have to memorize the course first. Naturally they have in car humans to take the control if things go bad but so far they have a stellar record.

 having the freedom to choose where I want to go, which route I want to take and how I want to get there.

im pretty sure autonomous vehicles will allow you to premap your own routes, and switch over to driver mode when you want to drive. Having the option of letting the car drive itself while you sleep or catch up on some reading will be great

How come I have so many doubts about this technology? Compared to rail traffic, road traffic seems so chaotic and dependent on "human intuition". (That's perhaps why many of us enjoy driving while others hate it.)

What happens when there is a temporary problem and a policeman is waving cars to do something non-standard such as drive on the wrong side of the road?

Heaven help them when they get to the UK with its roundabouts and drivers who don't signal their intentions, plus pot-holes and white lines that are invisible in the dark and wet. And presumably they understand the difference between a flash of the headlights meaning 'after you' and one meaning 'thank you'.

I still think full automation is decades away.

Stellar record, like the recent shuttle bus crash, etc, etc.

The technology reasonably assumes that other road-users follow the laws and rules.

Problem is many don't as was shown in the Last Vegas incident.

The Human Factor will occur again and again, you simply can't remove it from the equation nor 100% cater for it.

The question isn't whether these cars can have a 100% success rate, it's whether the accident rate is significantly less than with human drivers. That's the only metric that matters.

The computer will process your request and return an “Approved, be in the vehicle at 8:13 am on Saturday morning” and if you miss that cutoff you'll have to submit a new request.

I could see it working that way in your motherland.

Or are you claiming you aren't Russian?

It's not a self-driving vehicle if someone else is controlling it from a different location. Title is misleading.

im pretty sure autonomous vehicles will allow you to premap your own routes, and switch over to driver mode when you want to drive. Having the option of letting the car drive itself while you sleep or catch up on some reading will be great

Quite sure some will have nookie in the back while letting the van just drive around, lol

 it's whether the accident rate is significantly less than with human drivers. That's the only metric that matters.

Not the only metric I think. Getting to your destination smoothly and in a reasonable time matters too.

The whole concept of automated cars is to reduce congestion and maximize efficiency and safety.

The real reason people want automated cars is: 1) so they can twiddle on their smartphones and not be distracted by the onerous task of driving; 2) in the event of an accident, they can say they are not responsible.....its the computer's fault and hence the manufacturer is liable; and 3) people nowadays are lazy.

Not the only metric I think. Getting to your destination smoothly and in a reasonable time matters too.

Sure, but I was referring to metrics on safety.

2) in the event of an accident, they can say they are not responsible.....its the computer's fault and hence the manufacturer is liable; 

Really? Can you show where anyone has written this as their intention anywhere?

StrangerlandDec. 16 09:52 am JST2) in the event of an accident, they can say they are not responsible.....its the computer's fault and hence the manufacturer is liable; 

Really? Can you show where anyone has written this as their intention anywhere?

There are already numerous litigation cases blaming the autopilot/self-dr for the causation of accidents

https://www.bing.com/search?q=litigation%20involving%20self%20driving%20tesla&qs=n&form=QBRE&sp=-1&pq=undefined&sc=0-28&sk=&cvid=3C5F2A27B143420EAD52DC21EC468350