With results from Audi’s driverless attempt at Pikes Peak certified, it seems that we have nothing to fear from the GPS-based autonomous drifting machine. Audi’s press release notes:
Overall, the Autonomous Audi TTS Pikes Peak completed the mountain course in 27 minutes, as verified by Pikes Peak International Hill Climb officials. No human rally driver has completed the course in fewer than 10 minutes, despite driving cars that produced more than 900 hp. The Autonomous Audi TTS Pikes Peak generates 265 hp. Race officials told researchers they would expect an expert race driver on the course to finish in around 17 minutes in a car similar to the TTS.
Take that robots! You may build cars better than humans, but you’ve still got a thing or two to learn about driving.
[UPDATE: the Stanford team writes in to remind us that the point of the exercise was to safely develop driver-assistance systems, and that the 27 minute time was ” just a measurement of our safety plan and the speed we set for the lead vehicle.” Call us insecure, but we’re still calling this a victory for H.Sapiens.]
Take that robots! You may build cars better than humans, but you’ve still got a thing or two to learn about driving.
True, and they will.
Oh, the engineers will win it’s only a matter of time.
One day it will seem old fashioned to operate a car yourself, just as those who drive manual transmissions today are sneered at as being out of step.
It will be presented as a safety issue because the robot never gets tired, rarely if ever makes a mistake, has better vision than you, etc. etc..
Sure will make track days less fun.
Generally speaking, robo drivers won’t compete with human drivers except in novelty competitions.
Track days will as fun as ever.
Ok, but better save your vintage 2010 or earlier car because by 2030 you’ll just hop into a new car and tell it where you want to go and it will do the rest.
Override the robochauffeur™? Nope, that would be unsafe, just like you can’t turn of the ABS in cars today.
Morea, I’m only 40 years old, but I truly hope to not live long enough to see the day when that happens. And I STILL love the feel of driving my manual tranny cars…
I can ride a skateboard. That means I’m in the same league as Tony Hawk, Right? GPS-based autonomous cars are a huge technological break through but until they can induce oversteer, power rotate around a turn and exit on a four wheel drift, they can’t be competitive at the Pikes Peak IHC.
Indeed good for our team!
However I suspect that the robots will eventually do better, as they have no fear of rolling off a cliff, not to mention death.
Can’t wait for the day when kids will wish to grow up to be race-car passengers.
lol
robo drivers won’t compete with human drivers except in novelty competitions.
Track days will as fun as ever.
Watching quiet electric cars go around a track at 400 kmph while being guided by sensors in the vehicles and the track will be scientifically interesting but probably not much fun to watch.
However the fans will be sitting in the cars having parties and won’t have to bake in the sun.
I thought I read an article, or heard somewhere that they were going to pave the pikes peak course because all of the gravel was changing the mountains native soil (or something to that effect)