self parking car

Alin10123

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LOL
I've seen it. Not the video itself, but the car that can park itself. It's way cool. Albeit it'll do it slowly, and you still have to have your foot on the brake, but it'll steer itself in the spot.
 

RA40

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The recently released Lexus LS460 has this as one of the trim options. We got a demo a few days back and it is a pretty amazing integration of technology. The nav screen with reverse camera imposes a rectangle area and you touch position where you want the car to be. You see the location displayed as it back's in to the space. It was pretty slick, the driver/operator will take some familarity to realize how to place the car though.
 

scott.cr

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While I do agree that this is a neat use of technology, I am definitely uneasy on several points; (1) I don't like it when a computer does my driving, and (2) the last thing the typical American driver needs is something that reduces the number of skills they need behind the wheel.

My personal bad experience with traction control was in my 2001 Volkswagen GTI. My daily commute involved a sweeping right-hand turn freeway on ramp. One day while merging (accelerating and turning up the ramp) the tires started to slip a little. No problem because it was predictable and I could counter-steer it. BUT!!! The overzealous traction control cut power to the engine, and in a nose-heavy front-wheel-drive car that's BAD when turning. My car plowed straight ahead and into the retaining wall.

Not a hard hit, but boy was I ANNOYED...
 

Big_Ed

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Neat technology, but I think that parrallel parking is one of those little things that help sharpen your driving skills. I think everyone should learn to parrallel park themselves. What's next, automatic braking and accelerating? I guess my opinion on this reminds me of how years ago my dad used to rant about new drivers not learning to drive a manual transmission-equipped car.
 

270winchester

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AFAIK in my part of California, the DMV doesn't even test for parallel parking any more, at least when I took my driving test.

But of course I have been parallel parking since I was 12... :D

One thing parents should teach their kids to how to drive in reverse. It's a crucial skill that could save your life one day(I mean faster than crawling).
 

bwaites

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Uhhhh...guys, the part about automatic braking is already here...

Several models that offer automatic collision avoidance packages that include automatic slowing based upon speed and vehicle closure rates are available.

Trust me, with the way the traffic patterns in major cities are, you are going to see "black box" controls that limit speed in certain areas within the next 10-15 years, maybe sooner. In fact, you may see systems that automatically route you based upon congestion within that time, and I'm not talking about voluntary rerouting based on your desires, but on the preconfigured routing some "traffic specialist" configures based upon traffic flow and rate of speed.

Forutnately, I live WAY outside any city that might do this, but in the "configurable" traffic options that some city/highway planners are considering, none of the above is out of the question.
 

jtr1962

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bwaites said:
Trust me, with the way the traffic patterns in major cities are, you are going to see "black box" controls that limit speed in certain areas within the next 10-15 years, maybe sooner.
I'd say we're 20 to 25 years away from not having humans drive at all. Bad for those who like to drive, good for virtually eliminating traffic accidents as well as greatly increasing speeds on limited access highways. The latter is the main reason the general public would buy into it. Computer control would all but eliminate traffic jams while ~125 to 150 mph highway speeds in total safety would cut your travel time in half or less. It would also be a boon to an aging population where many can't or shouldn't drive any more, as well as freeing parents in suburbia from being chaffeurs (their underage kids could use the car as readily as adults since all you do is program in the destination then enjoy the ride).

I personally think blackbox limited speeds before that happens isn't going to accomplish anything as far as reducing accidents. If we had to limit anything I'd say use the blackbox to reduce acceleration rates in congested areas. Quick acceleration allows a lot of the stupid maneuvers drivers make which in turn leads to accidents. Limiting acceleration on urban streets to about the same as a city bus (0 - 30 mph in 10 seconds) would eliminate the "red light grand prix", jockeying for position, plus a whole host of other retarded driving behavoir I see nowadays.
 

PhotonWrangler

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Big_Ed said:
Neat technology, but I think that parrallel parking is one of those little things that help sharpen your driving skills. I think everyone should learn to parrallel park themselves. What's next, automatic braking and accelerating? I guess my opinion on this reminds me of how years ago my dad used to rant about new drivers not learning to drive a manual transmission-equipped car.

I saw a Lexus 460 presentation recently and I found it amusing that they claimed that these features "help sharpen your driving skills." Yah, the same way that calculators helped sharpen our math skills!
:laughing:
 
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RA40

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Gadgetry attempts to make life simpler/easier for some but the reliance and lack of judgment hampers ones ability to learn good driver skills.

One guy I came across relayed to me he wanted a car with ABS cause he tended to tailgate...the ABS would prevent him from ever rear ending (another) a car because the brakes would be sooo good. :huh2: :hairpull:

The self-park has a place but is no means a substitute to abandon the experience gained through doing it manually.
 

jtr1962

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RA40 said:
Gadgetry attempts to make life simpler/easier for some but the reliance and lack of judgment hampers ones ability to learn good driver skills.
I think you and others are kind of missing the point. You're quite correct in what you say-gadgetry does in effect reduce the level of driving competence needed to perform a given task. No arguments from me there. However, at the same time gadgetry frees you up to do something else. For example, how many people wash clothes with a scrub board nowadays? Isn't the skill of washing clothes by hand more or less lost? Well, in the future I see piloting an automobile as a skill which the vast majority will not need to learn at all (unless they're looking for a career in racing). This will free them to do other things on their trip-sleep, make a phone call, surf the Internet, catch up on some movies, read the paper, or even just enjoy watching the scenery go by. Self-parking cars, ABS, collision sensors, and so forth are just the first step to getting there.
 

RA40

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On a car forum, the discussion about parking assist brought up similar innovations to look forward to.

In the day, features like Nav, front/rear proximity sensors, back-up cameras...all aids to assist the driver. Back then, there was skepticism about the usefulness of these electronic devices...now they are common and desirable features. If I had bought the year later, mine would have had an auto tilting side mirror (among other features) when the car is put into reverse.
 

jtr1962

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RA40 said:
If I had bought the year later, mine would have had an auto tilting side mirror (among other features) when the car is put into reverse.
My mom's new 300C has that feature as well as a backup sensor. Very useful device. The irony is that maybe ten years ago me and my friend were working on a similar device. I actually had it measuring the distance in feet to an obstacle. We never go it into production though.
 

scott.cr

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jtr1962 said:
I think you and others are kind of missing the point.

Yes--you're right. Actually even though I already posted my "vehement" reply against automated driving aids, the neato-factor of the technology wasn't lost on me, and probably not lost on others.

In my case, I love driving and consider automated aids to remove pleasure from the driving experience. I can honest-to-goodness drive better without ABS or traction control. (That's passenger car stuff though, with high safety margins. Can't comment on the Porsche or Ferrari traction controls, which I'm sure allow the driver to get pretty sloppy before they intervene.)

Other mentions of limits being clamped on cars from outside control sources and driverless roads really scare the crap outta me. However I do wonder what the litigous society we live in will be like when there's a pile-up on an automated freeway. After all, isn't Big Guv taking our safety 100% into their hands?
 

Lit Up

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I'd rather just sleep through the automatic car. Wake me when they start teleporting something more than subatomic particles.
 
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