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AI driving features

I like the focus on safety on that SafetyPilot package; here are some more ideas:

Auto mute radio: outside sirens or flashing lights (which operate at certain rates that is how they trigger intersections to turn green.)

Smart traction controlled braking; beyond ABS.

Brake control with steering assist to prevent roll overs etc. especially on ice:

Would be nice if it could help me steer away from the ditch instead of slamming on the brakes and killing any hope of steering! You have a huge disadvantage with only 1 back wheel so this should be an area of focus. We put the best wheels in the back for a reason (go ask if you don't know-- insurance corps push this because fishtailing creates more injuries.)

Smarter Cruise Control -- adjust speed for hills and later have it change with the speed limit too.

Weight estimate: use acceleration and power load to estimate the weight of the car. More useful later with a small trailer. This could help better estimate distance; or overloading the trailer.

Driver Ratings: energy use, safety, tire wear, break wear, cornering etc. Maybe this could fingerprint drivers?

Smart High Beam lights: newer feature of some cars already

Remind user of routine maintenance. I would think a brake pad estimate is possible based upon use rather than the odometer. Battery issues too. Wiper fluid level? (you know they pushed the button...telling the user to check level based upon usage.) Wipers and Tires as well. Not everybody pays attention.

On April Fools: tell user they are low on gas.

Future:

My friend watches TV shows with his Tesla because it drives too well but he over used lane assist in the previous car too. It's not safe if it works too well. Best to aim for full acceleration/braking while making the driver have to steer to pay proper attention.

26 comments

26 Comments

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john3c

Jan 17, 2021

New AI IDEA:

Driving skill warning - initially just look for really bad drivers and let them know. Such as poor reaction times; lots of wavering down the road; driving too slowly etc. This could help an elderly driver realize they are not as skilled as they think they are.

I knew a legally blind man who drove for many years until rear ending a school bus! He often bumped the edges of the roads like some drunk and never got pulled over - loved the highway because it had those bumps on the edges (which BTW is where he hit the bus.)

john3c

Jan 17, 2021

I'm for anything that lowers my insurance rates. Plus I've seen plenty of cell phone drivers despite it being illegal and I know multiple old people who insist they can drive but are quite dangerous. It takes quite a bit before they realize because their decline is extremely slow... brings up another patent-able idea:

pvsmaine

Feb 17, 2021

Replying to

I’m told insurance for cars with all the sensors and cameras used for assisted driving is actually more than for the same car without. Why? because now your bumper cost multiple times as much as a simple bumper and setting up and calibrating all the sensors, cameras and actuators takes more time.

pvsmaine

Jan 17, 2021

Don’t forget, the more of this kind of stuff added, the more expensive the Aptera wii be, the more repairs will be needed and the less likely one will be able to repair it themselves. I think most of this stuff ought to be left out. Why all of a sudden, people don’t know how to drive without a million aids.

john3c

Jan 17, 2021

Replying to

No. With the basic hardware setup everything else is software updates.

they are already including some hardware; maybe more if you pay for the safe driving package (unless that is just added software.)

It doesn't have to do everything at the start, if they want to add value and win over customers they will do feature updates for free. Some could be paid features.

Tesla has self-driving as an option which gets better with updates; some free, and it sounds like some will be subscription services.

Kerbe #12705

Jan 17, 2021

Replying to

@pvsmaine Most of these things are driven by the insurance industry: I'm old enough to remember how very hard manufacturers fought against seatbelts - saying they'd raise the cost of cars, that they'd cause serious injuries during accidents and fostering the notion that they'd trap people in burning or sinking cars.

A few years ago back-up cameras were a fanciful, unnecessary option - and now they're mandatory equipment. Same for anti-lock braking systems. Having driven vehicles with a combination of Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist and Lane Departure Waring I can verify that they make long-distance driving easier and less stressful - not because they make me less attentive, but because they make me less worried. Knowing that I have emergency braking - that warns me of a potential collision before activating - is another blessing. And the same can be said for Low-Speed Follow - a system that drives the car in stop-and-go traffic, when tempers are short and tend to flare!

As @john3c said, as more cars are "drive by wire", all of these implementations are mostly software: Special "robots" aren't added to steer the vehicle - software just activates the electric power assist motors. There's no "electric foot" that extends to press the brake pedal - software just activates the system. Cars already have cameras - software just tells the system how to interpret what they see.

One of the most devastating problems for the elderly and infirm in the US is the loss of the ability to drive a car - because we have nearly no public transit in most of the country. An example of this was the time my elderly father was in a nursing facility but needed to see his ophthalmologist, two blocks away. He had to wait for his county's "elder transit" van which arrived on time, but took FOUR HOURS to reach the destination. He missed his appointment and then had to wait an additional TWO HOURS to be picked-up and returned home. Imagine if he could have stepped into his own car and asked it to drive him to his "eye doctor": The feeling of independence and self-respect, let-alone the convenience, would have been a godsend.

my_discord_number_is_0328

Jan 14, 2021

this can improve battery range b/c less changes in speed

john3c

Dec 19, 2020

Smart Blinking Brake Lights

At a stop the brake lights are on solid but as another car approaches from behind it quickly blinks the brake lights as they approach (cool if it changed rate by how close they approached, going solid when they get to an ideal distance.)

This would reduce rear end collisions:

Gain the attention of distracted drivers not slowing down quick enough
Nudge proper distancing with some people reacting to the blink to solid light behavior. So when they get rear ended they are further back.

john3c

Dec 19, 2020

Another Idea:

On a known route-- track the street light timing and adjust the cruise control speed to hit fewer red lights (within reason.)

Actually, just provide a bit of access with an API and people could create their own ideas (just have some base limits and the API can play within those. plus sign a disclaimer...) could just limit it to college professors. That would be great!

john3c

Dec 19, 2020

Replying to

I just thought limiting access is a good idea; wouldn't want some student blinking head lights to turn all the intersection lights green! (that has happened before!)

Kerbe #12705

Dec 18, 2020

@john3c Please explain "Smarter cruise control - adjust speed for hills". I've never had cruise control that didn't maintain a constant speed or, in the case of adaptive cruise control, maintain the speed of traffic - hills or not - so I don't understand what you mean.

john3c

Dec 18, 2020

Replying to

@srmarti I said I used to; but I did have emergency braking so it likely would have stopped quick enough and I had a shorter braking distance than they did.

srmarti

Dec 19, 2020

Replying to

@john3c So now all you have to do is drive at a constant speed.....☺️ I know you said used to. The math has to factor in reaction time, hopefully your focus doesn't lapse, and the automatic breaking doesn't glitch, a rock can get kicked up, etc.

john3c

Dec 19, 2020

Replying to

@srmarti Actually when I did drafting, I only had trouble with rain; no rock issues ever. Though I didn't worry about death much; that was when I used to bicycle to work and a bicycle in traffic is 100x more dangerous; you really see how little attention people pay! Plus how pissed people get when you slow them down when they have zero physical effort involved and travel so quickly. Furthermore, they'll lose minutes then easily waste it elsewhere but ONLY seem to be concerned when in their car; acting like they own the road and everybody should do as they do etc.

Variable speed driving is not dangerous if the other drivers can pay attention. I am sure I make it safer (unless they move to pass me since every lane change is a risk.) If I change to variable speed I use brakes slightly so they notice and as long as there are hills it is actually SAFER because they have to pay attention the whole time (although they may curse me because they'd rather not pay attention to the road.) Changing speed isn't as hard as steering. It makes you pay slightly more attention. I have never been rear ended and at a stop I watch my rear view mirror and blink my brakes as the cell-phone driver pulls up-- I've avoided a few just doing this. (Almost being killed biking by distracted drivers gets you to never trust people.) If you have tracking cruise control it's not annoying (but then you can go back to day dreaming) unless your anxious about the minute it's adding to your commute (but probably saved time since I'll time the lights too so I minimize stops... Oh! another idea to suggest!)

john3c

Dec 17, 2020

Slower emergency braking or even moving forward to avoid rear end collisions by detecting the car behind. Also would be nice if the brake lights flashed to make sure they are noticed. Aren't most accidents rear end collisions?

I don't know if emergency braking systems currently do this.

Furthermore; detecting an approaching rear car blinking brake lights to get attention.

Also, why don't we have automatic HORNS? shouldn't it honk while emergency braking so everybody around knows it's happening?

my_discord_number_is_0328

Jan 14, 2021

Replying to

this will incentivize not over relying on auto drive features

Unknown member

Dec 17, 2020

Matrix auto dimming headlights. Sentry mode.

john3c

Dec 17, 2020

Automatic wiper control. if you have a camera then you should be able to detect rain. Just smaller problems to solve before full autonomy...

john3c

Dec 17, 2020

POTHOLE AVOIDANCE!

hub motors get more wear from potholes so the incentive to avoid them is greater.

Detecting them can be done by vibration (I'd guess your tablet may have sensors) and marking it by GPS (I assume you have this too) which at some point could be reported to DoT or logged for future avoidance and warn the driver each time.

Next would be to visually detect and automatically swerve or slow to avoid them if possible. You'd have to indicate to the driver before doing this.

I've had rims wrecked and alignment banged out by potholes.