Being a programmer, a sci-fi fan, and always excited by new developments even from a young age, I thought I'd never reach a time where I would find it difficult to accept new technology. Clones, immortality, interstellar travel, tech-enabled telepathy, bring it on.
I now realise that sitting in a self-driving car will cause me to press on the ghost brake pedal while sweating with anxiety every time it needs to slow down, while kids who will grow up with these things will not even raise their pulse by 1 beat per minute.
Do you "ghost brake" when driving in the back of a limousine?
Yep. I'm frequently uncomfortable when someone else is driving. There's a handful of people in the world who don't make me uncomfortable when driving... my parents, a few friends who drive "safely"... Oh, and taxi drivers (where somehow my lizard brain appreciates that though I am not in control, the creature that IS in control has 100+ times more experience of driving than me, and is therefore unarguably a better driver). Though not all taxi drivers - some of the minicab (as opposed to licensed black cab) drivers make me nervous.
So for this technology to work for me and not make me nervous each time I step into it, I'll have to really get to trust it.
I'm not sure putting a cute face on the front of the car is gonna do that for me, but the effort is definitely worthwhile.
Another key thing about cars - microsecond response as opposed to millisecond response. There are a number of (but not all) situations where that 1000x reduced latency will make a difference between a collision and a miss.
More importantly, the automated car will be able to scan 360 degrees for endless amounts of time with that same microsecond response.
The tipping point for automated cars is going to happen faster than anyone today would ever imagine.
Don't get me wrong - I totally support self-driving cars and I will - once the technology is cooked enough - feel much safer in those than in normal cars... well, as long as we get all the other non-self-driving idiots off the roads, of course.
I was just responding to the parent of my reply that yes, I do "ghost-brake", and so yes, efforts to make the car appear safer are a great idea, that will impact more people than the parent thought.
Self-driving cars will have reflexes and driving skills so great that they will be able to navigate complex obstructions and other machine driven traffic using nanosecond turning choices and G-forces that will leave you as jelly on the side of the car, in no capacity to do any backseat driving, and then pour you out at your destination microseconds faster.
Nothing to be anxious about it will all be over soon.
Just a guess here - how about "driving" in an elevator? Would you brake if you didn't see the outside and feel the movement? The glasses can be dimmed on request pretty easily...
My point was that self-driving cars change the paradigm completely. What was once necessary is now no longer so... so there are plenty of new options to explore. All in all, I am guessing it won't be (much) worse than it is now. (well, apart from privacy standpoint and similar... :)
I understand that facing backwards is safer in a head-on collision but a lot of people suffer from motion sickness (myself included).
It has a lot to do with ability to see where you are going and hence predict/be aware of the vehicles movements. To put the extent of this in perspective, I am noticibly more likely to feel motion sick sitting in the back seat compared to sitting in the front seat. This effect is reduced by sitting in the middle, where there are no seats/people obscuring your view. Additionally sitting in any seat except the drivers seat while travelling on windy mountain roads is a surefire way to bring up lunch. Reading while in a car is completely out of the question.
Comfort should be a consideration of any type of transport and the thought of facing backwards in a car makes me uncomfortable. While this shouldn't outweigh safety, it certainly shouldn't be ignored either.
It'd be interesting to see if visual cues predicting the steering would counter motion sickness, I suspect so. A projection on the windshield could signal all upcoming steering movement over a threshold, giving your body time to brace.
I don't think safety is even an issue here - I think self-driving cars will be MUCH safer by default, so this kind of safety precautions (turning the front seats) will probably not be needed. I am thinking more in terms of travelling comfort (talking with fellow passengers, playing cards,...).
That said, I agree with your comment on motion sickness. I am guessing that there will be much research in this area - it might be possible to eliminate sickeness by properly adjusting tilt of the car through curves and when braking / accelerating. It would love to play with this, though not in a role of a tester. ;)
I do this myself, but I really experience it as bracing myself using my feet, to avoid having my torso and head move forward when the car brakes. The handle is handy (!) for the same purpose.
People always seem to think that I'm "ghost-braking", but I'm pretty certain I'm just trying to stabilize my body because it's uncomfortable to be jostled around. I don't "ghost-blinker" at corners ...
This happens because of lack of trust in the new driver - like in real life. When you see that the new driver is driving well, you'd forget it and start reading a book instead.
That happens to me when the driver is braking later than I would have. However I suspect that self-driving cars will, at least initially, be much more conservative and defensive that most human drivers, so that effect may not be triggered as often as you suspect.
I now realise that sitting in a self-driving car will cause me to press on the ghost brake pedal while sweating with anxiety every time it needs to slow down, while kids who will grow up with these things will not even raise their pulse by 1 beat per minute.