Comments on: Audi’s Dumb New Smart Technology

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:37:54 +0000

“good point about the front of queues being a good place for taxis to catch fares” - Not always so, but I was happy that everyone thought so.

As a NYC taxi driver long ago, I realized that whenever two or more drivers were racing and jockeying to be first as the green wave advanced, they got so focused on racing and jockeying that they often did not see the fares. By dropping back to a position where I could afford to take my eyes off the lights and the other cabs, I picked up fares that the others blew right past.

Part of the phenomenon was how the sight of onrushing, desperate taxi drivers swerving and cutting each other off compelled people to retreat toward the curb from the usual hailing stance.

By: Susan

Susan — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 14:20:17 +0000

this is BAD news!!!! this will CAUSE crashes if it has not already, and some WILL be fatal. There’s data galore that intersections with traffic lights are far more dangerous than 4-way stop signs. This technology assumes that drivers are rational: NOT!!!! Hopefully Audi will realize this. if not, I hope they are sued into recalling it.

By: Shek

Shek — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 17:54:08 +0000

I dont want anybody at any time to take their eyes off the streets while driving. People continue to do that by talking on their cell phones or adjusting the radio or both.
Now, Audi drivers can do that while approaching trivial traffic lights. Sweet. I am sure Geico will love that: guaranteed high insurance rates for Audi owners. Not so good for others on the road though!

By: Bloys

Bloys — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 17:04:28 +0000

But what if you can’t see the next light?
Also, have you taken into account that in a lot of European countries (including Germany, where they are doing these tests) traffic lights operate a quite differently from the US?
In Europe the system often is traffic dependent, which means that if there is no traffic in a particular lane, that light won’t go green. You should never have to wait at a red signal for no apparent reason. Vehicles however are not detected until approximately 60m from a traffic light. That is what Audi is turning around in this project. Of course there is a lot more to it than just that.
I’m not an expert in the field, but my guess is that it would work really well in an ideal world…

By: Tom Vanderbilt

Tom Vanderbilt — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:35:12 +0000

That’s a good point about the front of queues being a good place for taxis to catch fares. I’m curious about the pricing structure, and whether one driving strategy versus another really earns more over time — apart from merely dropping someone as quickly as possible to get a new fare. Of course, if NYC switched all taxis to Priuses, all that braking would at least be generating energy…

By: Brad Templeton

Brad Templeton — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:34:38 +0000

You got this one wrong, Tom. This implementation may not be what you want, but this is a an important wave of the future.

Consider an implementation where the gas pedal resists you a little if you try going so fast that you’ll just stop at the light. I’m not saying it would stop you from pushing the pedal, just signal you subtly (if you don’t have a turn signal on, of course.) Could also use audio, or vibration or a number of other items.

In spite of your praise for the brain, most people don’t do this and find themselves unable to moderate themselves. But it turns out that an ordinary gas car gets as good a mileage as a Prius if you time it perfectly to timed lights, and don’t stop and start all the time.

As Dylan Thomas said, “Go gentle and your foot be light, and not rage, range against the timing of the lights.”

By: Steven Levy

Steven Levy — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 20:22:24 +0000

Re NYC taxi behavior: I drove a taxi in NYC for a while in the mid-70s. It’s practical queueing theory. There are two reasons for an empty cab to be first at a red light. 1) Folks often hail taxis at corners, especially if they’re walking down a cross-street to one of the avenues. So you want to be there first to maximize the chance of a hail. 2) Folks in the next block will hail a cab stopped at a light. You again want to be there first to make mutual eye contact. More often than not, if there are multiple cabs going after a fare who has hailed, the fare will take the one with which he/she made eye contact.

For a full cab, the deal used to be — and perhaps still is — you got a certain amount of money per mile and additional money per time sitting idle — e.g., at a light or stuck in traffic. This behavior may optimize the amount of idle time without actually increasing the overall travel time, thus boosting the fare. This is speculation on the strategy, since I never employed it; I guess I wasn’t smart enough in my 20s.

By: Joseph Logan

Joseph Logan — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:57:02 +0000

Loving the book, and i can see that Audi is going against some of the safeguards our minds create in order to make driving manageable. As you describe, what’s going on in your brain is not quite front-of-mind, but rather instinctual or borne of enough practice to have become rote habit. What Audi is doing would seem to surface these instincts, which would in turn make them less instinctive. Sometimes efforts to help people translate into learned helplessness.