The article highlights the broader issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, emphasizing that while significant resources are being invested in solving the technical challenges of autonomous driving, the peripheral tasks, such as hazard signaling and vehicle maintenance, are often overlooked. It suggests that alternative solutions, like vehicle-to-vehicle alerts or other low-tech approaches, need to be developed to replace human-dependent tasks. Additionally, the article stresses the importance of addressing mundane but critical tasks, such as cleaning and charging autonomous vehicles, to ensure a practical and safe autonomous future.
Key takeaways:
- The Locomotives Act 1865 required a person to walk in front of steam-powered vehicles with a red flag, highlighting the slow pace of legislative change.
- Current US federal safety regulations require truck drivers to place reflective safety triangles around a broken-down vehicle, posing challenges for autonomous trucks without drivers.
- Aurora Innovation and Waymo proposed using bright beacons instead of triangles, but the FMCSA rejected the idea due to visibility concerns, especially on curves.
- The broader challenge for autonomous vehicles includes addressing supporting tasks like hazard warnings and vehicle maintenance, which are often overlooked in the focus on technical advancements.