Highway Safety

On Sun, 20 Oct 2019 17:51:35 -0500, AMuzi wrote:

On 10/20/2019 5:11 PM, Andre Jute wrote:
On Sunday, October 20, 2019 at 8:12:19 PM UTC+1, Leroy N. Soetoro wrote:
https://www.insurancejournal.com/new.../18/545801.htm

The preliminary report disclosed the vehicle’s radar systems observed the
pedestrian six seconds before impact but “the self-driving system software
classified the pedestrian as an unknown object, as a vehicle, and then as
a bicycle with varying expectations of future travel path.�

What I find interesting is the moments between the software identifying an "object", the "as a vehicle" and finally "as a bicycle". How many of the six seconds between identification and reaction, were the Volvo's active safety systems left to their own devices, were left before it was decided "a bicycle with varying expectations of future travel path" was in the way?

In my middle years our Volvo, bought only to convey our child to school, used to irritate the hell out of me with their nannying and scolding, so that eventually I ripped out the throat of the software voice. But for software which recognises a cyclist and can forecast his path (if Uber doesn't switch it off!) I would put up with the hectoring voice.

Andre Jute
The voice of command the voice of the nanny


I was astounded to read last year (and I think I mentioned
it here on RBT) that these various "AI" systems are woefully
misnamed.

They are all just big lookup tables, only as good, and as
fresh, as the data set. Pothole after a rain? Uh, not in
the database yet. Fallen tree or road sign? ditto. In such
cases, just as the woman jaywalking with her bicycle, the
mystery object has to be compared to an image database which
takes time. Maybe not as much time as a half drunk texting
idiot pilot with meatware, but time.

Given that the only thing an AI system actually "knows" is the
difference between 1 and zero they don't do too bad. Probably better
then the drunk :-)

(slightly off topic)
Jeff Foxworthy tells a joke, "If you are putting your make-up on with
your non smoking hand while steering with your knee..." His punch
line is "You might be a Red Neck". Mine would be "You might hit a
bicycle" :-)
--
cheers,

John B.