Uber robot kills cyclist

From what I've heard about Uber, I have complete confidence in their ethics and I'm absolutely positive that they'll completely fix their software before trying anything else.

Oops: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/08/uber-flying-car-prototype.html

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/may/08/ubers-self-driving-car-saw-the-pedestrian-but-didnt-swerve-report

From the Grauniad: "Although the car’s sensors detected Herzberg, its software which decides how it should react was tuned too far in favour of ignoring objects in its path which might be “false positives” (such as plastic bags), according to a report from the Information. This meant the modified Volvo XC90 did not react fast enough.

"The report also said the human safety driver was not paying close enough attention to intervene before the vehicle struck the pedestrian."

Uber has now settled out of court with the family: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/03/uber-settles-with-family-of-...

The NYTimes has some info on just how bad the Uber cars are: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/23/technology/uber-self-driving-cars-ari...

NYTimes wrote:

The cars were having trouble driving through construction zones and next to tall vehicles, like big rigs. And Uber’s human drivers had to intervene far more frequently than the drivers of competing autonomous car projects.

Waymo, formerly the self-driving car project of Google, said that in tests on roads in California last year, its cars went an average of nearly 5,600 miles before the driver had to take control from the computer to steer out of trouble. As of March, Uber was struggling to meet its target of 13 miles per “intervention” in Arizona, according to 100 pages of company documents obtained by The New York Times and two people familiar with the company’s operations in the Phoenix area but not permitted to speak publicly about it.

Yet Uber’s test drivers were being asked to do more — going on solo runs when they had worked in pairs.

Isn't that how Oldmixte checks his speedo?

I've seen the video too.

So corporate manslaughter for Uber for having a system that cannot detect pedestrians and potentially is speeding. Already banned in California as it was known that it didn't detect pedestrians. Also death by dangerous driving, or US equivalent, for the so called driver.

Cows are beautiful. Had 1 walk over and lick my wound about 20 years ago. Just a paddock. Hadn't realized they're efficient cleaners until then when a big sandpaper like moist extension of a beautiful girl licked me. Lol.
Most people are just idiots without care too assist others of other species. Freaked me out a bit when regularly garbage collecting along river. Anyway dolphins were really nice, circling me and my dog (shark bait/smell) while we swam across the 12 fathom deep channel.
She shouldn't be punished, her thoughts must be rating abnormalities. I hope they send her to a dance school such that she may clear tell regards of uber robot later.
I'm high as a kite now that I'm riding everyday and walking my ride less days. Finally, a taxi driver that speaks proper nothing.

Oh dear! Looks like the backup driver wasn't watching the road:

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/03/video-uber-driver-looks-down...

ArsTechnica wrote:

Tempe police also released internal dash cam footage showing the car's driver, Rafaela Vasquez, in the seconds before the crash. Vasquez can be seen looking down toward her lap for almost five seconds before glancing up again. Almost immediately after looking up, she gets a look of horror on her face as she realizes the car is about to hit Herzberg.

Here's an examination of the incident and the use (or not) of LIDAR:

http://ideas.4brad.com/it-certainly-looks-bad-uber

A self driving car runs over and kills a pedestrian and makes news all around the world.

Meanwhile, humans driving cars kill loads of people due to rubbish driving and no-one blinks.

I read not long ago that in not so long they'll have driverless cars capable of navigation in India; what road rules. Read was about throwing everything out the window with learning capable algorithms to copy cat the locals.

Bear in mind 40,000 people were killed in the USA in 2016 in vehicle related incidents.  This is a sad event, but given enough tech the death rates will plummet for both drivers and cyclists/pedestrians.   

Uber seem to be pushing ahead with driverless tech, whilst Google have taken much more time to gather data.  Yes someone wil pipe up bout Google car having an accident, it was slow speed incident involving a impatient bus driver eating a sandwich.

I seem to recollect  that a former Google employee moved to Uber and all of a sudden Uber were releasing driverless tech.  Maybe he missed a few pages of data.  Google Sued, Uber paid out

https://www.digitaltrends.com/business/google-sues-uber-over-self-drivin...

Just heard the Uber car was speeding, and the  human safety driver had a criminal record.

Just seen this article on this Uber incident from Charles Stross (author of The Laundry series amongst others):

http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2018/03/test-case.html

Charles Stross wrote:

Firstly, it's apparent that the current legal framework privileges corporations over individuals with respect to moral hazard. So I'm going to stick my neck out and predict that there's going to be a lot of lobbying money spent to ensure that this situation continues ... and that in the radiant Randian libertarian future, all self-driving cars will be owned by limited liability shell companies. Their "owners" will merely lease their services, and thus evade liability for any crash when they're not directly operating the controls. Indeed, the cars will probably sue any puny meatsack who has the temerity to vandalize their paint job with a gout of arterial blood, or traumatize their customers by screaming and crunching under their wheels.

Just explaining and excusing myself please. Was a king, had the crap beaten out of my face which led to a halt with local children getting pumpkin sized heads. Being a soldier, vast amounts were spent cyborging my head. Can't explain languages but can understand your English well, pyramids can be used to topography advantage with all. Mate Moz (yes real) had his brain parameter explode last year. He's recovering.
Yet aye, I breathe, I beat, I coordinate my heat, hence I'm just an equal welcoming you guys to a life like mine. I pick up other peoples rubbish daily!!! Physical plastic pickup.
The dude on manslaughter? If opinions are welcome, send to train with martial experts in a monastery for half year could be win win.
Sad about loss.

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.

Just a little reminder. And eventually a robot decided it was up to him to protect humanity from itself.

Whether or not she was in the road 'legally', calling it a robot and saying it 'killed' the pedestrian is utter rubbish, the car didn't wake up that morning and seek out a victim.

One way or another the software in the car failed to interpret its sensors in a way that predicted she would be in the road, and so it didn't take any action.  The 'operator' also failed to use his sensors (the ones in the front of his head) to predict that.  So in my book it's 50/50 human/machine, assuming the dashcam doesn't show that the victim deliberately jumped in front of it obviously.

The point that risks getting lost is, all these cars are prototypes.  The hardware will get better, software will be improved, and the point is that as soon as you improve the software for one car *all* of that model will be better as soon as they're updated.  Unlike if one human has a near-miss and thinks 'maybe I should watch out a bit more', leaving the other 99.etc% driving around in the same way. 

Two hundred years ago trains didn't go over 30mph because we thought humans might burst at that speed.  Twenty years ago I remember people saying that digital cameras would never take off because look how blocky and blurred the pictures they take are.  Progress happens.

I've read quite a few comments where people are blaming the victim because she wasn't using the cross walk so was 'jaywalking' - crossing illegally. This morning I watched a video where a guy in a wheelchair and someone pushing his chair approached a crosswalk, pressed the button and started to cross when the sign appeared. A number of cars and a bus all drove through as they attempted to cross. Again people commented that the bus and some of the cars didn't have time to stop. It's official... the motor vehicle is king.