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Google Transportation Software Technology

Waymo Patent Shows Plans To Replace Steering Wheel, Pedals With Push Button (driverless.id) 96

Posted by BeauHD from the go-go-gadget dept.
nesaefendija shares a report from Driverless: Waymo just received approval on a patent for a push-button console that replaces not only a steering wheel in a car but the brake and gas pedals, too. This reflects Alphabet's driverless arm could remain true to its original mantra of developing cars that pilot themselves without human intervention. In many ways, the push-button controls give the riders the same level of control you might have in an elevator, largely confined to just being able to make an emergency stop or to set the vehicle into motion by pressing the "GO" button.
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Waymo Patent Shows Plans To Replace Steering Wheel, Pedals With Push Button More

Waymo Patent Shows Plans To Replace Steering Wheel, Pedals With Push Button

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  • I want to decide how the car goes by drawing the route on a map display.

    • I very much like that idea. Presumably something like the Google Maps interface, where you're shown multiple suggested routes ordered by your preferences, then you can drag points off-route if you wish.

      Assuming this is for a personal vehicle and not a self-driving taxi or rental, you'd probably also want to have it remember common destinations and routes for you.

      Now... how about the display being a large vertical panel between you and the windshield that turns opaque when it needs to be a touchscreen displ

      • Re:New control (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Hylandr ( 813770 ) on Friday August 18, 2017 @08:46PM (#55045793)

        No for the love of God NO.

        For the sake of anyone that has been taken into bad areas and killed, or in Seattle where Google maps wants to take you off then back on I-5 in the middle of the city to going to the *completely* wrong place.

        Don't get me started on the worse ones like Bing and *shudder* apple.

        Do not tie these apps to an autonomous machine on public roads moving at lethal speeds without intelligent oversight in between. Don't even try and pretend that current "AI" or "machine Learning" is better than a human. All testing so far has been done under perfectly ideal conditions without having to account for degraded infrastructure or vandalized signs. ( https://www.bleepingcomputer.c... [bleepingcomputer.com] )

        • >Do not tie these apps to an autonomous machine on public roads moving at lethal speeds without intelligent oversight in between

          My comments on a potential interface were based on a magical world where unicorns fart rainbows and self-driving cars work reliably in all conditions.

          And I was talking about the style of interface, not the back-end algorithms and the data they work on.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Hylandr ( 813770 )

            *I* understand what you meant but *please* stop putting ideas in these kids heads!

          • Google might be able to make the self driving car but they still can't make Google Maps work right in 100% of routes. That means self driving cars driving into bad places.
        • As you will surmise from your comment being modded up all the way, you are far from alone in thinking what you're thinking -- and we are also far from alone in the Real World on this subject, either. Based on anyone I've ever spoken to in the real, non-internet world, I don't see where anyone, young or old, will accept a so-called 'autonomous car' with no real controls for the human occupant. It's essentially being out of control of the thing your life depends on, and that's diametrically opposed to human n

      • Now... how about the display being a large vertical panel between you and the windshield that turns opaque when it needs to be a touchscreen display (to pick your route or to watch a movie or something during your trip) and turns clear if you want to see the world outside?

        We could also make it turn opaque when something outside might alarm you...

    • Re:New control (Score:4, Insightful)

      by sycodon ( 149926 ) on Friday August 18, 2017 @06:40PM (#55045159)

      I WILL decide where the car goes by driving it myself.

      After rebooting my laptop twice today, I have no confidence in a computer to

      1. Take me where I want and...
      2. Do it safely.

      • Twice in one day!! - must be using Windows!!
      • You are far from alone, friend, remember that.
    • this way the driver can concentrate on their smart phone while on the highway...cough, cough.
    • Hey guys! I have an idea. Google should make an Android app where you drive a car on the map by tilting the phone. The real car should follow the same route. How's that for control?

  • Yaaaayyyyy!! (Score:5, Funny)

    by NoNonAlphaCharsHere ( 2201864 ) on Friday August 18, 2017 @06:27PM (#55045075)
    An elevator with the Mac interface would have a single button, "There". After all, I'm already "Here". By all means, let's take that kind of thinking and apply it to several tons of metal with passengers aboard. What could possibly go wrong?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Anonymous Coward

      What could possibly go wrong?

      Everyone onboard dies when the car's computer fails to avoid a collision a human could have given enough control.

      No, this needs to be said. We have too many people who think: "That won't happen because of the magic box! There won't be a reason to have a steering wheel because everyone will be drove around by the box and no-one will be in direct control of the vehicle. So there's no need to control it directly. Unless you want to cause a wreck that is."

      The reality is that only ha

      • Good post...

      • What could possibly go wrong?

        Everyone onboard dies when the car's computer fails to avoid a collision a human could have given enough control.

        Well, there is the big red "stop" button.

        No, this needs to be said. We have too many people who think: "That won't happen because of the magic box! There won't be a reason to have a steering wheel because everyone will be drove around by the box and no-one will be in direct control of the vehicle. So there's no need to control it directly."

        Well, there is the big red "stop" button.

        That reality also completely disregards the fact that an auto-drive system is a high value target for would be criminals, and would be abused. Leaving the victims no possible means to defend themselves, completely at the mercy of their captors for committing the greatest offense of "getting in a car".

        Well, there is the big red "stop" button.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Hylandr ( 813770 )

        Well there's an interesting twist.

        Instead of finding someone to abduct off the street, hack their car and have them meet you out in the desert or some other remote place. Perhaps instruct their car to drive into a nearby warehouse and do what they will.

        Better and safer for all the criminals involved. No awkward screaming, fighting in public, nobody around to call the cops. Very clean.

      • > The reality is that only has a chance of working if there are no manually controlled vehicles on the road period.

        I like an expert with firm predictions. Where did you get your self driving car PhD? You should be hired at the Amish Self Driving Vehicle (ASDV) project.
    • Yea, nothing like putting your life and family and people who unfortunately got in the way in the hands of a computer. Do they have: Any OTHER bright ideas?
  • ...it has about the same nuance of control over the car that the TOS console with its handful of buttons had over Kirk's starship. :)

  • Because a button is better than a wheel (Score:5, Informative)

    by quonset ( 4839537 ) on Friday August 18, 2017 @06:42PM (#55045187)

    If these people truly believe their software and systems will never make a mistake, will never have a problem, will never be hacked, will be the perfect antidote for what ails us, they should be fired right now.

    The steering wheel and pedals are as simple as driving can be. Especially for how lazy the vast majority have become by driving automatic rather than manual gearboxes. What they are planning to do is increase the complexity which increases the chances for something to go wrong which increases the likelihood of problems.

    Simplicity is the key to everything. This is not simple.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Kjella ( 173770 )

      I think you might find that modern cars have massive complexity to present the driver with as simple an interface as possible. With electronic stabilization control, traction control systems, anti-lock braking systems etc. the wheels and pedals are now functions to say "I want to go faster/slower/left/right" with only moderate relation to what will physically happen. Not to mention all the other features like adaptive cruise control, lane assistance, red light stop assistance, collision detection, parking a

  • Prior art (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Every single sci-fi movie with autonomous vehicles ever

    How in the name of jesus christ and his seven dwarves can a button to control something be granted a patent in the 21st century?

  • Push buttons are so 20th century. What happened to just speaking "take me to the store?" We can talk to so many of our cheap gadgets, why can't we do so in a very expensive one?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by PPH ( 736903 )

      Open the pod bay doors. [postimg.org]

    • > Push buttons are so 20th century.

      Yep. They should integrate voice recognition. When passengers start yelling at the top of their lungs, the car should safely pull over. Hands-free!
  • How the bleep do you patent an emergency stop button. The drill press in my shop class had one in 1990.

  • What's a Waymo?

  • No manual option means if the car does anything wrong, you can't take over at any point, you can only turn it off or pray you make it and then get it towed

  • This is for a specific design for a center console. They didn't really patent 'using a single button'.

  • I'll keep to the steering wheel and pedals.

  • Now all they need is movement arrows and it'll look just like a game controller.

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