Driverless taxis' human problem

[FrodosPet]

Note: The term "driverless" in the headline is a misnomer. Appropriate terminology would be "Autonomous Automobile", "Self Driving Car", or more casually, "Robot Car". That said, still a fascinating read.
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Driverless taxis' human problem

As Uber and NuTonomy announce field tests, a big question: How can autonomous cabs encourage people to be good passengers?

http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20160829-driverless-taxis-human-problem

By Matthew Phenix | 31 August 2016

Trust is a big deal when it comes to autonomous cars, but the discussion to this point has been almost entirely one-sided: Can humans trust driverless vehicles? But developments at two US-based companies last week — on-demand ride service Uber's plan to put driverless Volvo sport-utility vehicles on the streets of the US city of Pittsburgh, and robotics startup NuTonomy's deployment of driverless taxicabs in the tech-centric One-North district of Singapore — prompt another question: Can driverless cars trust human passengers?

As any taxi driver will readily attest, there's more to the job than simply driving the car. Drivers may be called upon to apply fuzzy logic to "translate" slurred or syntactically incorrect destination requests, or even play "destination Pictionary" with riders for whom the language gap proves insurmountable. Even with technological advances like natural language processing and real-time translation, how can a car's passenger interface assist the passenger who, for instance, doesn't realise there are two "65th and Broadway" intersections in New York City, six miles apart? And just how will the taxi of tomorrow react to the breathless movie hero who leaps in, points, and yells, "Follow that car!"?

Human drivers also serve other, distinctly human functions — reacting appropriately when a passenger leaves a duffel bag full of cash on the back seat, or simply closing the rear door when a drunken passenger fails to oblige. And what will a driverless car do when a passenger vomits — or worse — in the back seat? The needs are apparent, but the solutions won't be simple. For now, NuTonomy is shying away from specifics. Said the company in a statement: "We are working to implement additional systems that will ensure the comfort, safety, and convenience of all passengers throughout their journey."

~ snip ~

The presence of a taxi driver also dissuades a variety of illicit passenger behavior, including vandalism, drug use, and, of course, self-expression of a sexual nature. During NuTonomy's Singapore taxi test, says the company, an engineer will ride along "to observe system performance and assume control if needed to ensure passenger comfort and safety." Eventually, though, it will be just car and passenger. Are the cars ready for responsibility?

~ snip ~

[Kablooie]

1. Call a cab to take you to the airport...

And it drives up with seats sliced by knives, graffiti painted and carved all over and smelling like piss with gobs of vomit on the floor. And then there was the jokester who left an open jar of Liquid Ass stuck behind the seat.

Welcome to the future of driverless public cars.
I can hardly wait.