Encounter with the Google car today...

[Oxtox]

a Google self-driving Lexus has been in my neighborhood for the last couple of weeks doing some road testing.

near the end of my ride today, we both stopped at an intersection with 4-way stop signs.

the car got to the stop line a fraction of a second before I did, so it had the ROW. I did a track-stand and waited for it to continue on through.

it apparently detected my presence (it's covered in Go-Pros) and stayed stationary for several seconds. it finally began to proceed, but as it did, I rolled forward an inch while still standing. the car immediately stopped...

I continued to stand, it continued to stay stopped. then as it began to move again, I had to rock the bike to maintain balance. it stopped abruptly.

we repeated this little dance for about 2 full minutes and the car never made it past the middle of the intersection. the two guys inside were laughing and punching stuff into a laptop, I guess trying to modify some code to 'teach' the car something about how to deal with the situation.

the odd thing is that even tho it was a bit of a CF, I felt safer dealing with a self-driving car than a human-operated one.

[Marc]

LOL, nice.

Cars have gotten to the point where zero skill or brains is required to operate them...and consequently that is what we see on display on a daily basis...people with zero skill and brains texting while driving, who all know they shouldn't be doing what they are doing...doing it anyway.

You should have given the guys a thumbs up.

[AlanE]

Obviously it was confused by your presence, but at least had been programmed with some common sense to stop and evaluate the situation. Either that, or it was simply admiring your track-stand skills.

[Retro Grouch]

[wgscott]

Looks like they forgot to set the $LEFTHANDSIDE environment variable.

[ericm979]

That's a Google Maps car, not the self-driving one. The Maps cars are driven by humans.

I've had many actual humans do the same thing that Oxtox describes.

[Oxtox]

That's a Google Maps car, not the self-driving one. The Maps cars are driven by humans.

your assumption is utterly and completely wrong.

it says in graphics on the side of the vehicle...GOOGLE SELF-DRIVING CAR.

[Sanders]

No it doesn't... It says "google.rs/streetview"

[Oxtox]

here ya go...

Google's self-driving cars hit the roads in Austin, Texas - CNET

[kiwisimon]

Google Maps Street View car crashes in Serbia

read the facts you two

[Sanders]

Google Maps Street View car crashes in Serbia

read the facts you two

I don't get why they mention the self-driving car in the end as it clearly isn't the vehicle involved in the crash.

[mm9]

In a way this is all scary. When these things go haywire, people are going to die. But, statistically, I bet they are a lot more safe than humans driving. Just wild stuff isn't it. Thanks for sharing your experience Oxtox.

Here is a video from Google on the project if you all haven't seen it: How it works ? Google Self-Driving Car Project

[Oxtox]

In a way this is all scary. When these things go haywire, people are going to die. But, statistically, I bet they are a lot more safe than humans driving. Just wild stuff isn't it. Thanks for sharing your experience Oxtox.

well, that's the point I was trying to make...

even with the potential for a computer malfunction, I'd rather trust an algorithm to protect me than some dufus human driver.

[ericm979]

your assumption is utterly and completely wrong.

it says in graphics on the side of the vehicle...GOOGLE SELF-DRIVING CAR.

No, it says Google Maps.

I work next to Google. I see their self-driving cars all the time. This isn't one of them.

It's too bad you felt the need to be a jerk about it. Bye!

[ibericb]

I would love to have seen that dance. Video would be priceless.

[Oxtox]

No, it says Google Maps.

I work next to Google. I see their self-driving cars all the time. This isn't one of them.

It's too bad you felt the need to be a jerk about it. Bye!

everything you've posted in this thread is incorrect.

the vehicle that I saw is clearly labeled as a self-driving car.

working next to Google doesn't give your comments any validity.

[PBL450]

everything you've posted in this thread is incorrect.

the vehicle that I saw is clearly labeled as a self-driving car.

working next to Google doesn't give your comments any validity.

I think you are talking about the car you saw and he is talking about the car in the picture. (Which obviously isn't labelled self-driving) we get the street view cars around here, I've seen them (or it?) a few times.

[Oxtox]

I think you are talking about the car you saw and he is talking about the car in the picture. (Which obviously isn't labelled self-driving) we get the street view cars around here, I've seen them (or it?) a few times.

the article verifies that the self-driving car is being tested in Austin, which is where I live.

it seriously amusing that some dimwitted internet 'expert' thinks he needs to disqualify what I saw with my own eyes.

[marc7654]

This is fantastic. I'm in IT, the best I do is right shell scripts with a tiny bit of logic in to install an app in the right place. I fully appreciate the "teaching moment" that happened here. Any self diving car really only has the brains of a fruit fly but that's actually fairly cool to emulate a fruit fly. Not quite as good as house files but still decent. They can still avoid being swatted out of the air. Teaching the car how to not "swat" a bicyclist will be a rather good accomplishment.

[kiwisimon]

Yeah Retrogrouch messed things up with his irrelevant post and then there were two tangents. Oxtox the OP saw the self drive car. Retro screwed the pooch and then people said his picture wasn't self driving which the OP thought was directed at his post.

So yeah OP pics or it didn't happen :-)

[PBL450]

the article verifies that the self-driving car is being tested in Austin, which is where I live.

it seriously amusing that some dimwitted internet 'expert' thinks he needs to disqualify what I saw with my own eyes.

No. You are talking about different things. He isn't telling you what you saw at all. Kiwis got it. I'm not sure how you arrived at dim witted internet expert from what I posted...

[ibericb]

the article verifies that the self-driving car is being tested in Austin, which is where I live.

If it can handle I-35 during daylight hours, it would be a great accomplishment.

[Oxtox]

No. You are talking about different things. He isn't telling you what you saw at all. Kiwis got it. I'm not sure how you arrived at dim witted internet expert from what I posted...

I took post 6 to infer that I was horribly mistaken and that I was dealing with a Google Maps car, not a self-driving one.

if that's incorrect, I'll retract my snide comment.

simply thought it was an interesting incident, didn't intend to get in a pissing match with anyone.

[kiwisimon]

. I'm not sure how you arrived at dim witted internet expert from what I posted...

You do have 1,469 posts, just saying.

I like that Google's default setting is safety and not the human default which is "me first".

[Upnorth]

There are a lot of humans with less brains than a fruit fly. Now explain what happens to the person texting while at wheel of self driving car?? Cops an lawyers will have fun with that one.