• 4am@lemmy.zip
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    3 days ago

    If you could make self driving reliable you’d have a good point. Currently that tech isn’t good enough, and may never be.

    The problem is that ground travel is uncontrolled space, and there is very little room for error.

    • Earthwormjim91@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      Highway driving is the easiest to get right though. There are plenty of cars out there already that can handle the highway autonomously just fine.

      • jpreston2005@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        So, like, automated truck driving on the highway, then they pull into a trucking hub for delivery drivers to take over once they reach their destination city? hmmm interesting

        • Earthwormjim91@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          That’s generally been considered the first step to fully automated trucking, yeah. Autonomous on the highway, then to a hub where a human takes over the last mile type stuff that requires more skill. Or you could even just have regional hubs that then break it down into smaller trucks for local delivery, reducing the need for full size 53’ trucks in town at all.

          You need fewer drivers overall, need almost no long haul drivers since drivers would be local to the area and only handle the in town stuff, and don’t have to worry about seat time limits on the highway.

          It would also make going full electric on semis easier.

    • dance_ninja@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      That’s why I’m focusing on highway travel: it’s the more controlled environment. The fact that car companies are offering hands-free highway driving is evidence of that. Local roads are a much more complex problem, and that’s where a human driver is much more capable.

    • Fallibilist@feddit.uk
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      3 days ago

      and may never be.

      Yes, if we destroy ourselves some other way before we get there. Otherwise it’s absolutely going to be.

      Never is a forecast of infinity. That’s a really long time.

      • athatet@lemmy.zip
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        3 days ago

        I do believe that’s what that “may” is there for. Short for maybe, it gives them an out if (and it’s a rather large if) they actually manage to make cars that drive themselves.