So… People have been trying to get cars to drive themselves for years. But they’ve been basing this on a large array of expensive cameras, real-time 3D laser scanning, and other environmental tracking devices in order to accomplish this. I realize that this kind of tracking is relevant on terrain that isn’t as predictable as a regular paved road, but why is it that I’ve never heard of anyone building a large version of these line-followers? Throw a green stripe down in the center of a lane on the highway, put a camera on the bottom, and a small light to light up the underside of the car for added camera visibility. Sure, it may not help in confusing areas such as neighborhood streets, but on a simple loop highway there’s no reason why this wouldn’t assist with keeping people from slamming into each other.

For added control, throw a range-finder on the front of the car and have it measure the distance from the car in front of it, and modify the speed accordingly. There you have it, a car that stays in the lines and slows down/speeds up according to the cars in front of it. All that’s left is to figure out how to allow changing lanes.

One nice snow and no more visible lines on the road…

I have unsubscribed from Hackaday. The posting volume just got too high for me.

@LazyMegaMan

The biggest setback of automated highways is if there is an incident who is to blame. States and national government doesn’t want to be at the end of the law suit stick if there is an accident.

@LazyMegaMan: A system like this is used routinely in warehouses utilizing “very narrow aisles”, only it uses a buried wire and RF. A forklift can zoom down the aisle with only mere inches on either side. RF prevails over optical in this arena because of its imperviousness to dirt (which you never run out of in a warehouse.)

or make a car that drives on metal tracks, like those pickups that service the rail road. have an automatic depot system like a carwash that sets you up on the track. this system could be retro fitted to cars.

It’s already been done… for at least ten of the last thirteen years.

http://www.path.berkeley.edu/PATH/Research/magnets/

Great writeup! we did this in college a few years back and didnt even come close to those times!

As far as the off topic posts…. ill contribute to the deviation. :)

You’re right about one thing. The gov’t will not approve this because they will be the authority in charge of it and already hate the amount of liability the have.

I have driven coast to coast dozens of times, and no two states have the same road system, funding, or even architecture. THUS the need for all the expensive cameras and and sensors seems necessary. Lets not try and change the road, lets only change the car.

Keep posting guys! who cares about sheer volume!?! thats what we want!!

@ LazyMegaMan
Cars couldn’t rely solely on as line. What if the road gets dirty? Or some snow falls? There are many reasons it wouldn;t work for transportation in public.

Now, on a closed system, like say a tour of a factory, sure. Look at Wall-E – robots do follow lines in factories now.