Here on LW, we want our nuclear-powered flying cars, dammit!
I don’t.
Flying cars are a silly SF idea. Even if we had the technological ability to make them, remember that the social success of a technology often depends on politics and the human factor, rather than technology itself. We have enough problems regularing traffic on 2D roads—imagine what kind of accidents flying cars would be capable of.
I’d first like to see the problem of safe navigation on real roads solved before we move into 3D space.
Not to mention, even if you somehow make a 100% reliable guiding mechanism, it requires drivers to completely trust the automatic controls. Are they going to do that? And the consequences of deliberate abuse would be far worse than even those with real cars.
Google’s Eric Schmidt thinks that “it’s a bug that cars were invented before computers.” It’s an interesting viewpoint, given Google’s largely successful experiments with automated driving.
Maybe. Relevant part of the article: 1,000 miles were driven without human intervention; 140,000 with occasional human intervention. I’d love to know more detail on what prompted people to intervene and when they did it but I’m surprised at even that amount of trust in a technology at its level.
Not to mention, even if you somehow make a 100% reliable guiding mechanism, it requires drivers to completely trust the automatic controls. Are they going to do that?
Allow me to rephrase this.
Not to mention, even if you somehow made a 100% reliable plane autopilot which can even land it safely, it requires the pilot and co-pilot to trust said autopilot. Are they really going to do that?
For one, airplane pilots are generally far more qualified than car drivers.
For two, civilian airplane pilots don’t usually have to deal with other planes entering their space and having to execute demanding maneuvres in real time, thanks to strict airspace regulations.
And to add another note, flying cars is not just a silly SF idea, it is a silly SF idea that is very American. Americans have an incredible car culture. Cities with less car use have lower obesity rates. (See for example here). The idea of the flying car is to take the already unhealthy and inefficient American car obsession and make it even worse.
I don’t.
Flying cars are a silly SF idea. Even if we had the technological ability to make them, remember that the social success of a technology often depends on politics and the human factor, rather than technology itself. We have enough problems regularing traffic on 2D roads—imagine what kind of accidents flying cars would be capable of.
I’ve always said that we already have flying cars—they are called “helicopters” and are currently too expensive for most people to afford.
It could well be safer, assuming appropriate navigation technology. Spreads out the congestion.
I’d first like to see the problem of safe navigation on real roads solved before we move into 3D space.
Not to mention, even if you somehow make a 100% reliable guiding mechanism, it requires drivers to completely trust the automatic controls. Are they going to do that? And the consequences of deliberate abuse would be far worse than even those with real cars.
Google’s Eric Schmidt thinks that “it’s a bug that cars were invented before computers.” It’s an interesting viewpoint, given Google’s largely successful experiments with automated driving.
Maybe. Relevant part of the article: 1,000 miles were driven without human intervention; 140,000 with occasional human intervention. I’d love to know more detail on what prompted people to intervene and when they did it but I’m surprised at even that amount of trust in a technology at its level.
Allow me to rephrase this.
Not to mention, even if you somehow made a 100% reliable plane autopilot which can even land it safely, it requires the pilot and co-pilot to trust said autopilot. Are they really going to do that?
For one, airplane pilots are generally far more qualified than car drivers.
For two, civilian airplane pilots don’t usually have to deal with other planes entering their space and having to execute demanding maneuvres in real time, thanks to strict airspace regulations.
And to add another note, flying cars is not just a silly SF idea, it is a silly SF idea that is very American. Americans have an incredible car culture. Cities with less car use have lower obesity rates. (See for example here). The idea of the flying car is to take the already unhealthy and inefficient American car obsession and make it even worse.
Fine, flying trains, super-zepplins, whatever “works.”