(B.N. Frank) Over the years, there have been numerous safety issues as well as a few deadly accidents associated with autonomous vehicles (AVs) (see 1, 2, 3), particularly Tesla models (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13). Additionally, some environmental activists are concerned that widespread AV deployment could actually increase pollution rather than decrease it. Health experts continue to warn about biologically and environmentally harmful electromagnetic radiation emissions from AV technology as well (see 1, 2, 3, 4). Nevertheless, so far, AV manufacturers, “smart city” proponents and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are still promoting their use. Will a new report citing that it’s “highly likely” that AVs will always requires human operators make any difference to them?
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by B.N. Frank, May 23rd, 2022
From Smart Cities Dive:
Autonomous transit buses will still need skilled operators, researchers say
A new report finds automation can’t handle all the situations a driver may encounter and would add stress to human operators who might have to react at a moment’s notice.
Dan Zukowski Reporter
Even with advanced automated driving technology, transit vehicles including public transit buses and vans are “highly likely” to require the presence of a qualified human operator, according to a report issued Thursday by Traffic21, a transportation research institute at Carnegie Mellon University.
Human operators will likely be required in part because transit buses operate in a complex, ever-changing urban environment alongside pedestrians, bicyclists and other road users, the report says. Transit operators also interact with passengers and are responsible for their safety on board the vehicle.
While advanced driver assistance systems such as lane-centering and pedestrian warnings can improve safety, higher levels of automation can create their own safety issues, the report said.
When an automated driving system faces a situation it can’t resolve, it turns control over to the operator, and that’s when “the human is taking over in a very stressful, complex situation,” said Nikolas Martelaro, CMU assistant professor and an author of the report.
The act of driving, which he described as both a cognitive and physical activity, is “where people are pretty good at operating.” But, “When you’re just watching something, it can become quite tiring,” Martelaro explained. Simply put, if a driver isn’t fully alert to the situation around the vehicle they are operating, but suddenly needs to take over at a critical moment, they may not be ready.
There are other common situations that can boggle the mind of an autonomous vehicle. The study points to some occurrences that drivers encounter every day: other drivers and cyclists using hand signals to communicate; police using hand signals to direct traffic; and eye contact between drivers to resolve intent. “There is no parallel mechanism to communicate between autonomous vehicles and the rest of the world,” the study stated.
Meanwhile, some autonomous vans, buses and shuttles have already been put into limited service. Just this month, a 27-foot, 22-seat self-driving bus began operating along a 2.5-mile route between the Michigan State University campus and a commuter parking lot. A licensed bus driver and technician are onboard at all times.
EasyMile’s 12-passenger shuttles are also in use within a few business parks and residential communities. Though the EasyMile shuttles did experience a setback in 2020 when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suspended service following an incident in Columbus, Ohio, when a woman fell from her seat in one of the vehicles.
The TWU is praising new, independent research from @CarnegieMellon that urges the use of human operators onboard vehicles as public #transit agencies consider integration of automated technologies including #autonomousVehicles (AV) into their operations. @TwuSamuelsen pic.twitter.com/PetCLQtuJJ
— TWU (@transportworker) May 19, 2022
Martelaro also referenced another transportation mode where automation has been commonplace: commercial airliners. “Aviation has been automated for a very long time and those systems have made planes safer,” he said. “However, they’ve also introduced a number of complex situations that pilots have to manage.”
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Then one would have to ask – what is the point? The ONLY reason for them appears then to be CONTROL.