July 27th, 2015: Mcity, Michigan

[xoxoxoBruce]

There's a new town in town... Mcity, Michigan.
Hey, those buildings look like they belong in Rock Ridge. I wonder if they have a black sheriff?


Looks pretty new and shiny, sort of anti-Detroit. No litter or bird poop... or people.

Early this week, the University of Michigan together with Michigan Department of Transportation opened a new test environment that would enable car manufacturers and technology suppliers to test driverless cars in a controlled environment.

Called Mcity, this 32-acre simulation of urban and suburban environment is the first of its kind and includes a network of roads with intersections, traffic signs and signals, streetlights, fake building facades, sidewalks and obstacles such as construction barrier. Unlike public streets, many of Mcity's elements are movable that will allow engineers to rearrange the city’s layout to create complex intersections, blind corners and all kinds of conditions imaginable.

In addition, Mcity will also include robotic pedestrians that would pop out in front of traffic unexpectedly to see how well autonomous vehicles react.

Oh boy, suicidal robots. That's more gooder than those sissy humans who aren't willing to jump in front of vehicles for science.

At first glance it would appear the taxpayers of Michigan, via U of M, and MDOT, are financing the manufacturers testing and certification of their products. I guess it's a way for Michigan to keep an eye on these companies so they can't say, Oh yes, we tested everything and it's okey dokey, market ready. No, bitch, bring it here an show us.

They could also use this city to train SWAT teams. You know, in case those vicious Canadians invade.
Link

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Hey, those buildings look like they belong in Rock Ridge. I wonder if they have a black sherrrif.

[Taggart]Don't you worry. We'll make Rock Ridge think it's a chicken that got caught in tractor's nuts.[/Taggart]

[monster]

The potholes are missing

[monster]

Also, it needs robot stoned skateboarders in the middle of the street in the middle of night dressed in black

[smillie]

Since this is near Detroit I think they should have a few drug dealers standing in the middle of the street selling their wares and maybe a car jacker somewhere too.

[Undertoad]

I get it, but... they painted it to look like a city block to humans. That's so fuckin' funny.

University researcher: "And today we shall see how an automated car deals with our precise simulation that looks and feels exactly like a real city block. I'm switching on the car now..."

Google Car: "That's strange, someone has put up something that looks like buildings but, according to my laser radar, is entirely flat... let's see what else we got. GPS says we're in the middle of an abandoned warehouse... Galileo confirms. Three mobile towers and two known Wifi signals confirm our general location as well. There's a signal light where there isn't supposed to be one... it's not to any code for this area, so we absolutely must assume it's a fake. At the end of this block is an uncontrolled intersection where there can't be one. Mark that as an issue and let's have a human come out and detail it. But worst of all, government records show no private roads and the nearest actual road is 200 yards north. Let's just park and throw an error until we at least get a new map."

[glatt]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

I get it, but... they painted it to look like a city block to humans. That's so fuckin' funny.

It is funny, now that you point it out.

What the car sees:


It can't see paint colors.

[BigV]

so, there's no reason to paint it any particular way for the cars, since the cars will have to navigate the environment without the color cues anyhow. it's the people who will be building/training/testing the cars, and the people use color a lot. it makes sense to me to paint it this way.

[xoxoxoBruce]

And make it more realistic for the SWAT teams.

[BigV]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

I get it, but... they painted it to look like a city block to humans. That's so fuckin' funny.

University researcher: "And today we shall see how an automated car deals with our precise simulation that looks and feels exactly like a real city block. I'm switching on the car now..."

Google Car: "That's strange, someone has put up something that looks like buildings but, according to my laser radar, is entirely flat... let's see what else we got. GPS says we're in the middle of an abandoned warehouse... Galileo confirms. Three mobile towers and two known Wifi signals confirm our general location as well. There's a signal light where there isn't supposed to be one... it's not to any code for this area, so we absolutely must assume it's a fake. At the end of this block is an uncontrolled intersection where there can't be one. Mark that as an issue and let's have a human come out and detail it. But worst of all, government records show no private roads and the nearest actual road is 200 yards north. Let's just park and throw an error until we at least get a new map."

first of all, pretty funny.

next, I wonder how far an autonomous car's "vision" for lack of a better word needs to extend to get somewhere... does it need a map for the entire route? That kind of makes sense, but I don't always need a map, I mean, an understanding of exactly which uninterrupted stretch of pavement will take me from A to B. How will these cars handle unexpected obstacles. Duh, this is the kind of environment used to test the algorithms designed to let the car work out such problems.

this is really interesting stuff.

[Diaphone Jim]

"Self-driving" cars are a total boondoggle and a silly idea from start to finish.
Meeting no need, by the time an even partly functional car (one of millions on the road) the threat of climate change should make them obsolete or actual climate change useless.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Get the fuck outta here, How do I get to the grocery store? How do I get to the doctor? How do I get anywhere? If I lived in an urban environment public transportation would be an option around town, as long as I didn't leave town... as long as I stayed in the camp.

[Happy Monkey]

Partly functional autonomous cars are on the road now.

[Gravdigr]

I wonder how the self-drivers do in inclement weather? Like, say, snow and ice? Where actual judgement is required...



Also: When I first saw the picture in the op, I thought "Drivers' Testing Area". I was just thinking about the wrong kinda driver.

[Lamplighter]

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

I wonder how the self-drivers do in inclement weather? Like, say, snow and ice?
Where actual judgement is required...

Exactly...

Doing a Google Map Search for directions in the mountains can be exceedingly unsafe.

Here is the only route Google Map recommends:




But here is the "safe" winter route