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Transportation

Hyundai To Release "Semi-Autonomous" Car This Year 113

Posted by samzenpus from the joinging-the-club dept.
jfruh writes While self-driving cars from Google and others remain in the prototype stage, Korean carmaker Hyundai intends to release a premium sedan called the Equus this year that includes self-driving features. While a car's ability to navigate complex urban environments on its own is still a ways off, the Equus will allow the driver to take their hands off the wheel and feet off the brakes during highway driving.
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Hyundai To Release "Semi-Autonomous" Car This Year More

Hyundai To Release "Semi-Autonomous" Car This Year

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  • my car is autonomous.. (Score:5, Funny)

    by ThatsDrDangerToYou ( 3480047 ) on Monday April 06, 2015 @01:09PM (#49415983)
    It starts some days, if it feels like it.

  • Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Monday April 06, 2015 @01:13PM (#49416011)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Please, 30 years ago Chrysler was making shitty, bio-degradable K-cars and other feats of engineering crap on the assumption people would just keep buying them.

      Hyundai surpassed Honda a few years ago in terms of reliability.

      But I still see front-wheel drive American cars with the hump in the back seat where a drive shaft used to go, or a live-rear axle in a front-wheel drive so that the car can flail about as much as possible when going over uneven terrain.

      Everything you describe I can tell you about a Dodg

      • Weird, I don't see Hyundai on either of these lists.

        http://www.consumerreports.org... [consumerreports.org]
        http://autos.jdpower.com/conte... [jdpower.com]

      • But I still see front-wheel drive American cars with the hump in the back seat where a drive shaft used to go, or a live-rear axle in a front-wheel drive so that the car can flail about as much as possible when going over uneven terrain.

        You mean a Torsion bar? That Civic that spanks the 'ring like a bitch has one of those in the back. You don't even.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by mjwx ( 966435 )

          But I still see front-wheel drive American cars with the hump in the back seat where a drive shaft used to go, or a live-rear axle in a front-wheel drive so that the car can flail about as much as possible when going over uneven terrain.

          You mean a Torsion bar? That Civic that spanks the 'ring like a bitch has one of those in the back. You don't even.

          A Torsion bar is not a live rear axle, especially in an FWD car where the entire rear axle is dead.

          A live axle in this context is literally a bit of pig iron connecting the two wheels usually suspended by leaf springs. The reason it is bad is because there is a lot of sideways play and dont move independently so when the right wheel digs in during a tight turn, the left wheel is lifted off the tarmac. Torsion bars allow more vertical play in the axle, obviously not as much as independent rear suspension

          • But I still see front-wheel drive American cars with the hump in the back seat where a drive shaft used to go, or a live-rear axle in a front-wheel drive so that the car can flail about as much as possible when going over uneven terrain.

            You mean a Torsion bar? That Civic that spanks the 'ring like a bitch has one of those in the back. You don't even.

            A Torsion bar is not a live rear axle, especially in an FWD car where the entire rear axle is dead.

            You don't even know what a live axle is. A live axle is what you have in the back of a typical pickup truck. If it's not powered, it's called a dead axle.

            A live axle in this context is literally a bit of pig iron connecting the two wheels usually suspended by leaf springs.

            No, a live axle is a powered axle [autozine.org] which consists of a tube with a housing in the middle containing the differential, or at least a ring and pinion.

            Correct me when I'm wrong, but first make sure I'm wrong. FWD cars don't have live axles in the rear by definition, genius. Now, when you figure out what is being said, and learn what these automotive parts are

  • Queue in the lawsuits (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    From the people inside the car, the people in the cars in front, the cyclists riding on the shoulder, and the non-cautious pedestrians. A big pie with large pieces for everyone!

    A new subtype of lawyers will be born: the self-driving car chasers.

    • Re:Queue in the lawsuits (Score:4, Insightful)

      by jellomizer ( 103300 ) on Monday April 06, 2015 @01:34PM (#49416197)

      I expect it will be a lot like cruise control where it will only kick on when particular conditions are set.

      For the most part I see this as a great safety feature. Having driven highway for 5-6 hours in one shot, your eyes get strained from staying focused, and your instinct is to just close your eyes to let them rest a bit. Just having a feature to keep you in your lane, and not ramming into the car in front of you, is useful, where you can let your eyes focus on something easier for a few minutes, or away from some glare.
      Oddly enough if you are not so intent in watching out for danger, you can be less focused and see what is happening around you much easier.

  • Hyundais are so narcoleptically boring to drive they might as well just drive themselves and let the owner take a nap. Equally true for Toyota and Honda, even though Hyundai is Korean and the other two Japanese.

    • Re:Might as well (Score:4, Insightful)

      by CastrTroy ( 595695 ) on Monday April 06, 2015 @01:29PM (#49416147)
      Driving is boring, people don't pay attention to the road, is the solution to make it more boring?

      This is always my concern. If the car is semi-autonomous, that means the driver should be ready to take control of the car if something goes wrong. But if the person has their hands off the wheel, and foot off the brake, what are the odds that the person will be able to take control when they need to?

      I'm just envisioning the near future, where most days people don't have to touch the controls. People get complacent, and start reading books, watching a movie, or browsing the net while driving, because it's so boring and they never have to do anything anyway. Then once in a while something bad happens, and the person is unable to do anything about it, because they weren't paying attention. Sure you could blame the person, but you could put some blame on the car/manufacturer for giving them a false sense of security.

      That or people just don't buy the self driving car, because if I have to pay attention all the time anyway, there's no way I'm paying for the self driving car unless I can actually do something else while driving.

      • Re:Might as well (Score:4, Insightful)

        by gstoddart ( 321705 ) on Monday April 06, 2015 @01:44PM (#49416313) Homepage

        People get complacent, and start reading books, watching a movie, or browsing the net while driving, because it's so boring and they never have to do anything anyway

        Honestly, have you looked around at other drivers?

        I see so many people with their face glued to their phone that I assume they're doing all this and more. I know damned well I've seen bad driver shows in which idiots watch TV on their cell phone while driving.

        I'm forced to conclude that at least 1/3 of all drivers are barely aware of their surroundings while driving.

        I could stand at an intersection for an hour and see a huge amount of drivers with their face looking down at their phone. How the police can't seem to do this I have no idea.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by cusco ( 717999 )

        People already read books, watch movies and browse the net while driving, or haven't you driven in the Puget Sound area?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by rastos1 ( 601318 )

        Driving is boring, people don't pay attention to the road, is the solution to make it more boring?

        I'm not sure if we want to make it more boring. But I'll take "more boring" over "adrenaline rush" any day when I just want to drive a car.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 ) *

        This level of automation may be illegal in some countries anyway. In the UK, for example, it could fall foul of the very poorly defined "driving without care and attention" rule. Whenever the cops are on TV talking about how to avoid being accused of this they say things like "keep your hands on the wheel at all times", which is obviously completely stupid and moronic, but the point is you need to be seen to be in control the of the vehicle. It's all about perception, specific a cop's perception and if he d

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by dave420 ( 699308 )
          They don't literally mean "at all times", just "don't mess around with stuff - keeping your hands on the wheel when you're driving helps with that".

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by PRMan ( 959735 )
      I have a Mercedes that already has this feature for the most part (won't hit the car in front of you and buzzes on lane markers if the turn signal isn't on). It's very relaxing. This car is NOT boring to drive by any stretch, but just being able to take my mind off the road except for emergency situations is very relaxing and I get home with less stress.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by mjwx ( 966435 )

        I have a Mercedes that already has this feature for the most part (won't hit the car in front of you and buzzes on lane markers if the turn signal isn't on). It's very relaxing. This car is NOT boring to drive by any stretch, but just being able to take my mind off the road except for emergency situations is very relaxing and I get home with less stress.

        Driving isn't boring,

        People are boring and they bring their boringness into everything they do. Anyone who cant have fun driving an old Hyundai Getz to the raggedy edge has problems (in fact there are racing leagues based on Hyundai Getz's).

        Half the problem people having with driving is that they buy automatics and other features that deliberately disconnect them from the driving experience. I've driven automatic supercars around a track, A Nissan GTR and McLaren MP4, neither of them were as connected

    • Honestly? Thank heaven. I love my hyundai. it's quiet, safe, and I can drive for 20+ hours at a stretch without falling asleep (less road noise/vibration, methinks).

      People who want to rumble around in loud, turbulent metal machines, well, fair enough. I'd rather get from point A to B (and whatever's in between) relaxed and as rested as possible.

      • People who want to rumble around in loud, turbulent metal machines, well, fair enough.

        No, what I am after is not that, either.

        My gripe about >>99% of all Asian cars (and frankly most of the cars sold by the American brands as well) is that they disconnect the driver from the road and from the driving experience in general. It isn't just that they are quiet. They are quiet and they don't accelerate well, they don't handle well, they don't transmit any feel of the road, and perhaps worst of all the seats don't encourage drivers to care about any of this.

        Yeah, most sedans have seat

      • I can drive for 20+ hours at a stretch without falling asleep

        Wow, you're a cock.

  • Lane following in good weather on well marked restricted entry freeways is pretty simple these days. Please note all the qualifications in that statement.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by starless ( 60879 )

      And yet I see so many vehicles in the left-hand lane on US highways weaving onto the left-hand shoulder.

      Surprisingly that seems to include the self-driving car I was behind today.

      At least I assume it was self-driving as the woman in the driver's seat was spending quite some time using both
      hands to adjust her hair....

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward
        It is possible to steer with your knees. I do this every day on the highway while eating breakfast. No accidents in 10 years.

        • It is possible to steer with your knees. I do this every day on the highway while eating breakfast. No accidents in 10 years.

          Car articles certainly bring out the morons on slashdot. I'm waiting next for the "I drive better after a few stiff whiskies" line.

    • A huge percentage of commuter driving meets those qualifications. So it's a great place to start.

  • I like my cruise control plenty fine but I don't want anything taking my focus off the road. Not to mention if they take the Airbus theory of automation (automation knows better than pilot) rather than the Boeing theory of automation (pilot can override automation at any time), I won't even sit in one of these cars. Of course I've flown in an Airbus but airplanes have a lot better known (or at least consistent) set of conditions than cars do.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by fisted ( 2295862 )
      You do realize that mere days ago someone used the autopilot to crash an Airbus into a mountain, while also overriding the cockpit door locks? How is that not the "Boeing [idea] of automation?"

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by mjwx ( 966435 )

        You do realize that mere days ago someone used the autopilot to crash an Airbus into a mountain, while also overriding the cockpit door locks? How is that not the "Boeing [idea] of automation?"

        As tragic as the Germanwings accident was, it should really be the last nail in the coffin that Airbus automation overrides the pilot.

        It was the same with AF447 (Airbus A330). The pilots turned off the autopilot and stall warning, then increased the angle of attack until it stalled. Both accidents were pilot error.

        That being said, Airbus and Boeing are both great manufacturers and anyone who'd hesitate to get on either one out of sheer fanboyism is a complete idiot and should be forced to fly on an ol

  • Is this the first car with this extent of automation? I'm totally geeking out about this. It seems like a bigger deal than everyone is letting on.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by PRMan ( 959735 )
      No. My 2014 Mercedes already won't hit the car in front of me on cruise control (unless it's an emergency stop situation or someone cuts you off hard from the lane next to you). This is slow continuous improvement.

  • Equus? (Score:4, Funny)

    by PPH ( 736903 ) on Monday April 06, 2015 @01:34PM (#49416195)

    Get a horse!

    • The ads will feature a reanimated Richard Burton.

    • I hear the Mustang is nice.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by mjwx ( 966435 )

        I hear the Mustang is nice.

        The Mustang is barely more advanced than a horse and doesn't smell much better (although that last point is mainly due to the odour of the owner).

        When Chevrolet relaunched the Camaro, they didn't do what Ford had been doing with the Mustang for 40 odd years by bolting it together out of old bits of Detroit. Instead they went overseas to find the talent and ingenuity needed to make a semi modern car. Yes, they went to Australia. The Camaro was based on a mediocre Australian car called the Commodore which

  • How can someone be sure that when the car is driving itself that it'll properly react to something that goes wrong? Let's say the system that follows the lane is fine but the system that is supposed to avoid sudden obstacles isn't. What can you do? How can you find out?

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      "How can someone be sure that when the car is driving itself that it'll properly react to something that goes wrong? Let's say the system that follows the lane is fine but the system that is supposed to avoid sudden obstacles isn't. What can you do? How can you find out?"

      Just use your sex doll for something useful and let somebody throw it in front of your car.

      High end Mercedes, VW and BMW have had similar systems for years.

    • Well, the sudden stop on impact should be a good indicator...

      Honestly though, a lot of it will likely be active monitoring. Software doesn't go bad - either it's the version released from the factory (easily tested via hash-check when starting) which will behave as designed, or it's not. If it's not, the car should refuse to run it. If there's a problem with the cameras/lidar/etc. that too should give some clear telltales. If the signal quality is not within expected parameters, or contradictory inform

      • I think the concern is more around sensors that provide input, such "big object ahead"!!! Sensors like that needs some form of validation routine that says "I can still see stuff"

        • Well, since none of the sensors will report "big object ahead", that shouldn't be a problem. They'll all report a 1- or 2-D map of quantized data, which the software will then analyze to make sense out of. So long as it continuously cross-compares data from different sensors and "panics" if there's a substantial discrepancy (camera sees something that lidar doesn't, etc) it should be okay.

  • Don't drive with your foot on the brake (Score:3)

    by hawguy ( 1600213 ) on Monday April 06, 2015 @01:36PM (#49416221)

    If you're driving down the highway with your foot on the brake, then you *need* one of these systems.

  • This could be loads of fun (Score:4, Interesting)

    by overshoot ( 39700 ) on Monday April 06, 2015 @01:39PM (#49416257)
    I have a new Subaru with their collision-avoidance system and by and large it's very nice, but its lane-boundary warning system can get ... confused by tar-patched road cracks and especially by rutted snow. Which is OK by me when it's just a warning but if the car decides to actually act on that it's going to be a wee bit exciting.

  • The journey to autonomous vehicles will probably be bumpy. Yes there will be lawsuits, yes sometimes the technology will misperform. It is possible that by relieving the driver of too many duties you encourage complacence that causes more accidents (or at least accidents to occur at times other than they would have, even if others are avoided).

    Likely how to deal with distracted semi-autonomous operators will evolve quickly.

    I have a neighbor with early onset Parkinson's disease, it would seem a good idea for his driving to have some sort of semi-autonomous assistance (yes he is still driving). How about the elderly? It is all fine and good to be indignant about the possible threat these vehicles pose (during a relatively short adoption period). But what about for those whose independence hinges on this sort of assist?

    Seems there are many who forbid any period of transition with a zero tolerance policy for any mishaps regardless of how many lives might be saved.

    I also assume the major auto makers who will be rolling these things out have lots a legal council and are being best advised on how to do so without being sued into bankruptcy after the first accident. The future is autonomous vehicles and the only way to be around 10 years from now as a car manufacturer is to get on the bandwagon early – despite the litigation risks.

    • Seems there are many who forbid any period of transition with a zero tolerance policy for any mishaps regardless of how many lives might be saved.

      Until you can prove the lives saved will outweigh any "mishaps", you're just blindly assuming the technology is a net benefit. In this case "mishap" could include major traffic accident resulting in death, so let's not downplay that to sound like it's just a technical glitch with no harm.

      And, really, if we're trading the independence of the old or disabled agains

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by cusco ( 717999 )

        Well, I know that 2/3 of the drivers in my neighborhood are idiots on the road (they may be great software engineers, but utter morons behind the wheel) I'm not terribly frightened by this technology. An autonomous vehicle that makes the wrong decision in 10% of situations will still be an improvement. I once saw one of my neighbor's kids BACKING UP on the freeway in rush hour traffic because he had missed his exit. I can pretty much guarantee that Hyundai's car won't do that.

        • 10% of the situations is an incredibly bad percentage, and there are levels of bad as well, humans are not good at making perfect decisions but they are usually good enough. You make many decisions when you drive, hundreds if not thousand, most of them unconscious, If you died 1 out 10 times you would probably not make it down a good size street.

          Put it this way, if I died when my computer crashed, I would most certainly dead within a year.

    • Automakers have long dealt with lawsuits over their various poorly engineered "death traps" - it's just a cost of doing business, it's not going to send them to bankruptcy unless they're already barely holding on.

      I agree though that semi-antonymous/driving assisted vehicles have some serious attention issues. I rather like the current batch coming out though - if it can operate fully autonomously on the highway where things are relatively simple (and assuming it can handle crisis situations), then you rele

  • Just today I saw this story Vegas woman gets $200 distracted driving ticket for applying lip balm at a red light [washingtonpost.com]. Apparently in Vegas the law is pretty vague, but strictly enforced.

    “[The ordinance] states that when a person is operating a vehicle they must provide full attention to the driving so that it won’t render that action to be unsafe

    So the big question is how would that law treat a car which drives itself? And how will cops make a decision whether behavior of the person in the drivers seat counts as distracted driving or is simply the person taking advantage of an autonomous mode? I can see a lot of people being pulled over and booked when they were not a

    • Well, It would seem reasonable to argue that if the car is driving itself in fully autonomous mode, then you are not operating it. Would you charge a passenger with distracted driving?

      As for recognizing the system in action... that's a reasonable issue. Perhaps indicators could be installed - sort of like "student driver" signs on training cars. Switch on autonomous mode and the signs light up, letting everyone around you know that this car is not under human control. Be great for DUIs as well, especial

      • DUIs are a cash cow. They aren't going anywhere and haven't been about safety sense 0.010 or earlier.

      • Well, It would seem reasonable to argue that if the car is driving itself in fully autonomous mode

        There is the rub. So far every automated vehicle such as Google's has to have a driver ready to take over when the vehicle AI can not deal with a situation. While the vehicle can handle most situations on a well scanned road there are many that it can not handle. The question is when will we get to fully autonomous cars. The current state of the art can not even recognize a traffic signal without having information on exactly where to look. Google does this by pre-scanning the road and having a human mark a

  • at least it seems that way observing the driving habits of those around me.
  • Equus will not be released. It is the Equis, and it already exists. They are just going to put this tech in it.

    Fucking slashdot.

  • Highway driving, especially at night, is wonderful for drowsy drivers. Give the option to not even do anything and they will soon be fast asleep as the car barrels down the highway.

    Miss an exit? Run out of gas? How will the car know when to wake the driver up if they aren't doing anything?

    I'm sure they thought of this, but it does seem like a possible trouble point.

    My exit is in ten miles... I'll just close my eyes for a bit... And then 200 miles later...

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by bmo ( 77928 )

      How will the car know when to wake the driver up

      You mean as opposed to now?

      I used to fall asleep every morning on the way to work because I had two jobs and school. Without rumble strips I'd be dead.

      Semi-autonomous driving would have been safer.

      --
      BMO

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by bmo ( 77928 )

      Follow-up...

      My exit is in ten miles... I'll just close my eyes for a bit... And then 200 miles later...

      IKR!?

      >going to new job
      >see road sign "welcome to new hampshire"

      I was supposed to be in Uxbridge MA.

      From Rhode Island.

      --
      BMO

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by PPH ( 736903 )

      A computer generated voice: "Next exit, one mile."

      "Next exit, one half mile."
      "Next exit, one quarter mile."
      "Next exit, one eighth mile."
      "Next exit, one sixteenth mile."
      "Next exit, one thirty-second mile."
      .....

  • What's really funny is... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Last_Available_Usern ( 756093 ) on Monday April 06, 2015 @02:12PM (#49416615)
    These kind of features might actually make people more aware while driving because they'll be so scared the car is going to make a mistake that they won't have time to goof around on their cell phone.

  • Feet off the brakes? (Score:3)

    by wonkey_monkey ( 2592601 ) on Monday April 06, 2015 @03:02PM (#49417067) Homepage

    feet off the brakes during highway driving.

    Firstly - feet, plural?

    Secondly, you don't usually need to have even one foot on the brake pedal. In fact, I think some cars even let you drive without a foot on the accelerator...

  • I would never trust Hyundai with software (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    I have a 2013 Veloster.

    It has a radio/mp3 player/whatever console in the center.

    It won't resume playback of MP3s after the car resets (always begins at the beginning of the first track). It won't retain stereo settings. The clock loses minutes. The shuffle isn't random. Despite having at least a half dozen buttons and two knobs, it doesn't use any of them for UI interaction (always requires touch). A lot of the buttons (soft and hard) are about as far from the driver's reach as possible. The screen is

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