The upcoming Mercedes S type saloon has eye movement sensor technology. If your eyes don't move for a period or they shut one of the many on-board computers takes over from you, steers and brakes etc.
The car can maintain a safe braking distance between you and the vehicle in front. It can also parallel park by itself, with you being totally hands free.
The possibility of a software glitch or a hack on a vehicle with these capabilities is terrifying.
They say that the technology in top of the range cars such as the Mercedes takes about 6 years to trickle down to the average car.
This is a little paranoid I know but the thought occurs to me that, even if only one in ten cars could be computer controlled, this presents a whole new area for terrorists to operate in.
As I say, a little paranoid but worth considering, John

I would welcome improvements in technology to aid increasingly distracted drivers, but I think the system needs to be limited in what it can do (so it's explicitly prohibited from doing anything dangerous, like slamming on the brakes while going 70 mph, or suddenly making a sharp 90-degree turn).

johnwillyums said:

The possibility of a software glitch or a hack on a vehicle with these capabilities is terrifying.
They say that the technology in top of the range cars such as the Mercedes takes about 6 years to trickle down to the average car.
This is a little paranoid I know but the thought occurs to me that, even if only one in ten cars could be computer controlled, this presents a whole new area for terrorists to operate in.
As I say, a little paranoid but worth considering, John

Exactly...stuff like this worries me.

I have to admit I chuckled a bit when I took the car in & they told me they had to gave it a "software upgrade", but then, what happens when you're cruising down the road and some software glitch causes a huge accident.

If they're going to equip cars with software, they better have some darn good fail-safe systems. The first time something fails and takes a life, there's going to be one hell of a lawsuit, not just against the car manufacturer, but the software company & who knows who else

HAl has determined that you have used your allotted fuel rations for this month. Shutting down all systems.

But I'm in the middle of the desert!

HAL can not have excuses made about where one is located when allotted fuel rations have been reached.

But, but,......

HAL is shutting down.

Wait, I need to make a satellite call for someone to pick me up.

This is not possible as that uses fuel to power the batteries which have been depleted due to all fuel rations have been consumed.

AAAAaarrrrrfrRRRRAAAAHHAHHSHDHDHD

"then we cut to the help desk of the manufacturer or whatever"

There must have been a glitch in the system that did not warn you that your fuel rations would exceed the trip you were trying to take. You should have done the calculations ahead of time to make sure you have the rations available for the trip you took. We are sorry to hear of you inconvenience, but that responsibility lies with you.

You mean I am supposed to be responsible for my actions?

Only in matters that cause damage to you that we could not foresee. Otherwise, no.

Tepid said:

HAl has determined that you have used your allotted fuel rations for this month. Shutting down all systems.

But I'm in the middle of the desert!

HAL can not have excuses made about where one is located when allotted fuel rations have been reached.

But, but,......

HAL is shutting down.

Wait, I need to make a satellite call for someone to pick me up.

This is not possible as that uses fuel to power the batteries which have been depleted due to all fuel rations have been consumed.

AAAAaarrrrrfrRRRRAAAAHHAHHSHDHDHD

"then we cut to the help desk of the manufacturer or whatever"

There must have been a glitch in the system that did not warn you that your fuel rations would exceed the trip you were trying to take. You should have done the calculations ahead of time to make sure you have the rations available for the trip you took. We are sorry to hear of you inconvenience, but that responsibility lies with you.

You mean I am supposed to be responsible for my actions?

Only in matters that cause damage to you that we could not foresee. Otherwise, no.

Funny, but also kinda scary. It's not totally unrealistic to expect that this kind of software may eventually be used to monitor/control people's car usage, and that worries me.

It would only be possible to "hack" a vehicle, if there was some sort of network connection to its computer based components. All they have to do is design the car so that critical components are not connected to any sort of network--which would have to be mobile or wireless.

Of course, if they are foolish enough to make it so that the breaking system can be reached over wifi, then yeah: all hell will break loose. lol.

dranfu said:

It would only be possible to "hack" a vehicle, if there was some sort of network connection to its computer based components. All they have to do is design the car so that critical components are not connected to any sort of network--which would have to be mobile or wireless.

Of course, if they are foolish enough to make it so that the breaking system can be reached over wifi, then yeah: all hell will break loose. lol.

Yepperz...they did that..and that's the start

Researchers at the University of South Carolina and Rutgers University tested two tire pressure monitoring systems and found the security to be lacking. They were able to turn the low-tire-pressure warning lights on and off from another car traveling at highway speeds from 40 meters (120 feet) away and using low-cost equipment. A video about the research is available here.

It would only be possible to "hack" a vehicle, if there was some sort of network connection to its computer based components. All they have to do is design the car so that critical components are not connected to any sort of network--which would have to be mobile or wireless.

Of course, if they are foolish enough to make it so that the breaking system can be reached over wifi, then yeah: all hell will break loose. lol.

Uhhhhh,,,,,,,,, On-Star is calling.
They are asking from which rock you live under.

Just Kidding. :)

Funny, but also kinda scary. It's not totally unrealistic to expect that this kind of software may eventually be used to monitor/control people's car usage, and that worries me.

It's happening.

Rental car tracking spurs suit (more on those horrible overcharges)

If you rent a car, you can't get away with much anymore.

WHEN Genelle and Art Rohe rented a car for a trip from Arizona to Texas last November, they expected to pay about $200. They didn’t notice that the fine print called for much higher fees if they left state, but when they returned the rental car to Tucson, the bill was more than $2,000.
“I just went, ‘huh,’” says Genelle Rohe. “I didn’t know what else to say. I was just numb.”
So what happened?
“She said, ‘Our tracking records show you had this car in Texas, at a Motel 6,’” says Rohe.
That’s right. Budget Rent-a-Car in Tucson, an independent dealer separate from the well-known national company, had a record of their entire trip.

Using GPS, the global positioning system of satellites, Budget can pinpoint the location of every vehicle equipped with a receiver and charge customers extra when they leave Arizona without permission — a provision that few customers notice in the contract, and at a price that shocked the Rohes.
“Who would reasonably expect to return a vehicle on time, undamaged, and be presented with a bill for [up to] $7,000?” says Lynne Trenery, an attorney representing the Rohes.

James Turner complained about Acme Rent-A-Car of New Haven for using his rented minivan's global positioning system to clock his speed. The tracking system is frequently used as a navigational aid.
Acme billed Turner $150 for each of three alleged speeding violations last fall. Turner, 44, is suing in small claims court in New Haven to recover the money.

And this was a few years ago....nowadays you've got a black box in your car that the insurance can recover data from