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According to recent reports, it is possible that Robots will take over personal human transport operations.
The RobuCab, an autonomous vehicle about the size of a golf cart, trundles at 10kph along a quiet French street. Alarmingly, it looks like it is driving itself. Surprisingly, that is more or less true.The RobuCab is following the line of the kerb. One embedded system trains a camera on the path edge, another tracks the angle and direction of the kerb, while others control the gearing and acceleration. Combined, they enable the RobuCab to drive along the road.
It is an astonishing demonstration of just how sophisticated embedded systems, and the software that controls them, can become. But there are some serious problems to surmount before this level of sophistication becomes common.
Technology
Comments
Two things I want to know about the RoboCab: 1) does it have a plastic effigy of Robert Picardo at the wheel, and will it brake for ducklings? (/blogwhoring)
Posted by: decrepitoldfool | March 13, 2008 8:56 PM
The kerb? The kerb?
That is just so pathetic.
Posted by: StuV | March 14, 2008 11:48 AM
(Just to make sure: pathetic of ICT, not Greg of course)
Posted by: StuV | March 14, 2008 11:50 AM
"kerb" is a correct spelling for "curb", actually, in the U.K.
Posted by: Greg Laden | March 14, 2008 11:55 AM
Note to self: Google before opening big dumb mouth.
If you need me, I will be in the corner attempting to remove my foot from same.
Posted by: StuV | March 14, 2008 2:01 PM
Well, you weren't wrong. Kerb is pathetic. It all depends on what shool you went to. And on what shed-ool.
Posted by: Greg Laden | March 14, 2008 2:10 PM
If this machine won't give you an in-depth political commentary for at least the full duration of any trip you might make in it, it won't have a hope in hell of doubling as a taxi.
If it can't take advantage of the back doubles to take you off a heavily-trafficked route to get you somewhere quick, then it won't approach the expertise of a London black cab driver, who has to spend up to 3 years learning this before he gets his operating license.
I am not talking about a black London cab driver, which most of the free-wheeling, unregulated taxis are. The difference between a black London cabbie and a London black cabbie is that the former has about the same opinions about Jamaican politics, doesn't have a clue where he's going, and is usually a little more sunburned.
If they can program this machine to learn all 'The Knowledge' then the political opinions add-in should be a doddle. How much input would you need to produce a political opinion a little bit to the right of GWB?
If it's going to work at all in Lebanon, Thailand, or Egypt, it will have to have a speech program that will tell you every other driver is a donkey, or a diseased son of a whore, and be able to distinguish the subtle difference.
So they'll have to colour code it as well.
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We would say shed-yool. You cross-pond fellows, thinking you might be skollars, might aspire to sked-yool. Only Austrians say shed-ool, but they also pronounce shillings as schillings.
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Curb is a vurb.
Kerb is that bit of the pavement (sidewalk to you cross-ponders, who've been aspiring to keep your wives, mistresses and significant others, on the other side, away from the horse shit thrown up by black cabbies (or maybe Haitians) for over 150 years).
It's a subtle difference - your curb keeps you off the street. Our kerb keeps the street off us.
regards
Richard
Posted by: Richard Parker | March 15, 2008 4:54 AM