It sounds like useful technology, but I wander what the problems will be? When the new technology fails, i.e. a sensor is covered with bug guts, or the radar from the car next to you interferes with your radar, then who is liable for the accident? The driver who is not watching because he trusts the car to drive, or the car company because it failed? Or what of the driver who forgets to turn it off, and then can't change lanes to get off the freeway?
As to driving and phone/texting, life is dangerous. The question is do people who know phoning and texting are dangerous, also think that it is a reasonalbe risk to take for the benefit of phoning and texting while driving? Based on the statistics they obviously do think the benefit is worth the risk. How do we convince them otherwise?
Here, here, Rob. I completely agree with you. My guess is that this technology will evolve just like GPS technology has evolved. More and more cars come with it and drivers take advantage of different levels of the capabilities. Likely the same here.
While I can understand resistance to this technology from attentive drivers who don't wish to relinquish any control over the vehicle, I still see this as a welcome advance. Inattentiveness aside, any technology that can help avoid a collision or lessen the impact of that collision will certainly save lives.
Yes, Beth, I particularly liked the findings of the AAA study. It said that 95% of drivers see phoning and texting as serious threats, yet 68% have made cell calls and 35% have texted or e-mailed. We all complain, yet most of us do it.
It feels like a mixed message from Mr. Salinger. I don't necessarily want to crawl into the back seat with an autonomous vehicle, but isn't the point to remove the dangers of an inattentive driver? The one who puts all focus on that important text, not seeing the traffic stopped to the front?
We all know that texting and checking email while driving--even answering the phone and trying to dial out a number--is risky business, but I imagine it's the rare few that don't indulge in this dangerous practice on occasion, myself included. That said, some of the semi-authonomous driving capabilities would be a welcome extra in terms of safety, but my concern is then being overly reliant on the car taking care of basic driving and safety functions, only encouraging the driver to engage more freely in those guilty distractions.
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New versions of BASF's Ecovio line are both compostable and designed for either injection molding or thermoforming. These combinations are becoming more common for the single-use bioplastics used in food service and food packaging applications, but are still not widely available.
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For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
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