Eastern Railroad Discussion > OT: Riding in an autonomous big rig

The NY Times reports on "learning sessions" for a big rig on the Ronald Reagan Turnpike in Florida. With hundreds of trips so far, the big rig's sensors are learning the road, learning the curves, and building a wealth of knowledge about operating over public roads.

The article mentions that the database of "longer hauls" won't eliminate the last mile at each end of the freeway, but will remove the brutal long lonely haul in the center of the trip. However, that last piece may be handled by somebody at a desk far away, or somebody working from home by remote control.

Not a lot different than learning the rail line, the sags, the rises, the curves, the behavior of the load, adding the bulletin orders and temporary slow orders, looking out for the crossing ahead and the million other things engineers already do from the right front seat.



https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/13/business/self-driving-trucks.html?emc=edit_nn_20171113&nl=morning-briefing&nlid=8666522&te=1&_r=0

Add the vagueries of traffic and weather and just plain old computer crash and you have death on the highways.

engineerinvirginia Wrote:
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> Add the vagueries of traffic and weather and just
> plain old computer crash and you have death on the
> highways.

How true some in the homebuilt aircraft have had such happen and with no steam gauge backup they were lucky to make it back with blank CRT screens in front of them. Computers are great except when they find that one bad line of code.

engineerinvirginia Wrote:
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> Add the vagueries of traffic and weather and just
> plain old computer crash and you have death on the
> highways.


And this is different than what happens now in what way? 40,000 killed last year isn't exactly safe.

I'm not in favor of self driving cars but the argument that it will be more dangerous isn't valid.

Posted from iPhone

The long term damage to our awareness and skills will be huge.

Eng.Shadetree

shadetree Wrote:
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> The long term damage to our awareness and skills
> will be huge.
>
> Eng.Shadetree

I drove a stick shift car for 15 years, haven't driven one in the last 25 years. Hate to think of how rusty my skills are now.

The mention of the Irish computer analyst tweaking the system to compensate for the right exit turn should send a shiver up the spine of any railroad engineer.

That's precisely the part of the "machine learning" which maps the turns, how much throttle to have going into this turn, etc. Over hundreds of trials, that's where the machine maps the behavior of the load, power settings, wind, ice, rain. The art of train handling, compared to the science and mechanics. A good, experienced, engineer "knows" how a train should handle. Computers today don't know that, yet.