Opinions On Self-driving Trucks Please!

Here is a thought to add to the absurdity of this concept...

“The more dependent we become on technology, the more vulnerable we become to imminent and potentially crippling attacks on basic infrastructure.”

Apply this to this thread and then insist we are safer with trucks that are fully computerized.

And this is not an original thought by me; this is something that was discussed in a conference focused on security that I attended about 8 years ago, when I was still in IT. The talk was delivered by a former 2-Star General who was responsible for DOD security.

Just look at the FaceBook breach a few days ago... point being, any attempt to automate truck operation to the level approaching autonomous, just increases the risk of becoming a target. Imagine a rogue state sponsored cyber-attack on platooning software...catastrophic consequences are probable.

Here is a thought to add to the absurdity of this concept...

“The more dependent we become on technology, the more vulnerable we become to imminent and potentially crippling attacks on basic infrastructure.”

Apply this to this thread and then insist we are safer with trucks that are fully computerized.

And this is not an original thought by me; this is something that was discussed in a conference focused on security that I attended about 8 years ago, when I was still in IT. The talk was delivered by a former 2-Star General who was responsible for DOD security.

Just look at the FaceBook breach a few days ago... point being, any attempt to automate truck operation to the level approaching autonomous, just increases the risk of becoming a target. Imagine a rogue state sponsored cyber-attack on platooning software...catastrophic consequences are probable.

Absolutely. And it doesn't necessarily need to be terrorism. Some kid learning to hack could see it as a proof of concept project. They already did it with a Jeep that wasn't self driving

Computer engineers and psychologists have worked hard to understand and manage the thorny problem of automation complacency. Even aviation, which has paid so much attention to thoughtful ****pit automation, is rethinking its approach after several high-profile accidents, most notably the crash of Air France 447 off the coast of Brazil in 2009, that reflect problems at the machine–pilot interface. In that tragedy, a failure of the plane’s speed sensors threw off many of the Airbus A330’s automated ****pit systems, and a junior pilot found himself flying a plane that he was, in essence, unfamiliar with. His incorrect response to the plane’s stall — pulling the nose up when he should have pointed it down to regain airspeed — ultimately doomed the 228 people on board. Two major thrusts of aviation’s new approach are to train pilots to fly the plane even when the automation fails, and to prompt them to switch off the autopilot at regular intervals to ensure that they remain engaged and alert.

We also needed to address another problem that is not limited to healthcare: overtrust in the technology. As Captain Sullenberger, the “Miracle on the Hudson” pilot, told me, aviation faces a similar need to balance trust in the machine and human instinct. The fact that today’s ****pit technology is so reliable means that pilots tend to defer to the computer. “But we need to be capable of independent critical thought,” Sully said. “We need to do reasonableness tests on whatever the situation is. You know, is that enough fuel for this flight? Does the airplane really weigh that much, or is it more or less? Are these takeoff speeds reasonable for this weight on this runway? Everything should make sense.”

These are two paragraphs I found in an article about a teen who was overdosed with a medication at UCSF because of a variety of humans not paying enough attention and putting too much faith in the computer systems. from Wired about the teen

My opinion, sometimes I wish I had a self driving mode on my truck. Then I could relax for a few minutes without stopping. To bad that is so far in the future, I won't see it. Battery powered trucks are a long way off. The oil companies will take care of that.

My car is self-driving and while it's a really neat talking point if it's any indication of where we are in that area of tech, the humans have a LOT more work to do with translating all possible (I'll even take most over all) scenarios to the real world and even SAFE working logic.

My car makes WILD assumptions at times based on logic it's been programmed with and I'm having to become smarter than the car so I know to give it x input, to keep it from doing y output for various situations as to not startle the driver behind me.

Not even talking about who will be responsible from an insurance standpoint when a vehicle is programmed to drive off a cliff instead of running over a child when there's 0% chance of a safe stop.