This is Amazing, BMW Drives Itself Options

[Supersprynt]

KITT is one MAJOR step closer to being feasible.

http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/83226/detail/

[BloodyStupidDave...]

KITT is one MAJOR step closer to being feasible.

http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/83226/detail/

That's not so amazing. Check out the DARPAUrban Challenge '07. Cars that stop at traffic lights, predict the possibility of children running into the road after a football, giving way to human and other robot cars at junctions.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=IQjjprRREnY&...feature=related
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BSS0MZvoltw&...feature=related
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dpEY3mAjpdk
http://www.bbcworld.com/Pages/ProgrammeFea...p;FeatureID=492

One of them (Carnegie Mellon Tartan Racing's 'BOSS' - the one with the GM logo on the front) actually drove pretty damn fast:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6SfaCkhhQT8&NR=1


This post has been edited by BloodyStupidDavey: Dec 7, 2007 - 9:04 PM

[Supersprynt]

Alright - but from the look of those links theres a LOT more computer power and electronics to make the cars go relatively slowly around a track. Granted the stop signs and what not is a cool feature, but your basically comparing a government funded project to BMW creating this technology in a BMW that looks just like any other BMW and it's going around a track up to 100mph...

So it's still not so amazing?

[BloodyStupidDave...]

Alright - but from the look of those links theres a LOT more computer power and electronics to make the cars go relatively slowly around a track. Granted the stop signs and what not is a cool feature, but your basically comparing a government funded project to BMW creating this technology in a BMW that looks just like any other BMW and it's going around a track up to 100mph...

So it's still not so amazing?

Okay, yea it is pretty impressive. But I'm not sure how much predictive driving the car is doing on Top Gear. I got the impression that it was basically a record and playback facility - it recreates a specific journey in precise detail. Could be very useful for forensic science - essentially recording and recreating the events leading up to a crash, for instance.

[Supersprynt]

The "black box" that's found on aircraft has already been applied to cars although Im not sure how widespread it is.

Nevertheless, the object of the thread is to let people see how far technology is going with robotics and what not. Your post supports that too.