My Charter

The social, political and technological trends that affect how we live may interact unpredictably, but that doesn't mean logic and imagination can't guide us to better outcomes. Blaugury observes the strange goings on and raises a red flag, when needed.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Seasons Greetings To Our Robot Driver Overlords


My last post provided links to some news items regarding the arrival of self-driving cars, in timeframes that, upon inspection, seem more than a little optimistic. In famously robot-friendly Japan, Nissan has vowed they’ll be selling autonomous vehicles by the year 2020. Upping the ante, Sweden boasts Volvo will be putting 100 self-driving automobiles on the streets of Gothenburg in 2017. 
Pardon me, but Google has already jumped that shark, though quietly, testing self-driving cars on public roads in California since 2010. Their controlling software is called Google Chauffeur. The project is led by Sebastian Thrun, director of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and co-leader of the team that won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge (for autonomous vehicles).
While it’s most unlikely that Google wants to be in the business of building robot cars, they surely do want to be in the business of controlling them. Along with, it may be presumed, prime chunks of the environments in which they operate. 
There is power/money in assisting autonomous vehicles to play nicely with each other and with other elements of the environment, particularly on crowded city streets. There is power/money in collecting, parsing and distributing the data that nourishes these systems. There is power/money in being the hub that ties it all together.
Google is positioning itself to do that. That makes me glad. And a little worried. Yes, I’ve read the company’s announcements. Google says robot drivers will save lives by cutting traffic fatalities in half. They will save automotive fuel with increases in efficiency impossible for human operators to achieve. They will adhere to the company motto, Don’t be evilThe other goals are nice, but it’s Google's motto that really gets me. I badly want them to adhere to that motto. 
Without question, demonstrations of Google’s self-driving tech are impressive. At a 2011 TED Conference some journalists from Popular Science got a ride in a Chauffeured Prius. The car was equipped with $150K in aftermarket modifications, including a roof-mounted LIDAR (laser radar) range finder. The setting was the rooftop of a large municipal parking structure. The video is linked below.


I wonder how many viewers were surprised by what they saw in the video. The PS journalist clearly was.
We're Not Ready
Don’t get me wrong, I love what Google is doing for the Internet Age. The amazing Google Maps/Satellite/Earth services have become invaluable to my personal and professional lives. I am unapologetically dependent upon Google’s most excellent search engine. I think I’m hooked on Blogger, the drop-dead simple system that allows me to produce and publish Blaugury. (I’m even considering -- hard as it is for a Mac-head to admit -- an Android-based smart phone!)
Still, I’m not sure their so-far excellent record for enhancing our virtual world is quite enough to sell me on their ability to deliver a real-world self-driving car. Develop and test, yes, but viable on a wide commercial scale? Given the strong likelihood of deep and wide societal impacts, shouldn’t we be thinking of solutions in generational terms? Are our state and federal governments
On March 1, 2012, Nevada passed the first law permitting the operation of autonomous cars. A month later Florida was the second state to do so; in September, California was the third. Michigan joined the club in 2013, and more will follow. Somewhat obviously Google led the lobbying for the Nevada law. (Though I hope not for that “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” thing.) A little more surprising, however, was Google’s recent acquisition of Boston Dynamics, a developer of fast, agile, animal-like robots for military applications. 
Want a cold chill? Watch these demonstrations.
CHEETAH


SAND FLEA




BIG DOG




After seeing those BD robots in action, you should have no trouble remembering that Google’s still working with DARPA. Google-powered robots dominated the Defense Agency’s most recent Robotics Challenge. 
Now, I’m as aware as anyone that military applications have been the (cough) driver for all manner of excellent inventions, things that have benefitted society and the world at large -- including, it must be said, the Internet that brings these fine pixels to your screen. Google’s broad-spectrum efforts to automate transportation -- at every conceivable level and to every conceivable purpose -- will no doubt lead to many more amazing and wonderful technology products and services, things that will enrich our future selves immensely. 
Or they could, as some Netizens have suggested, turn into Skynet.
(That last part really doesn't bother me. Plenty of other things could go wrong before that ever happens.)
Bumps in the Road is my next post.
A sincere Happy Holidays to all . . . !!!


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