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PJ Vogt

๐Ÿ‘ค Speaker
13769 total appearances

Appearances Over Time

Podcast Appearances

Freakonomics Radio
Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?

You want it to feel comfortable for a passenger.

Freakonomics Radio
Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?

Don says you can work out the math.

Freakonomics Radio
Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?

The lateral acceleration is two meters per second squared.

Freakonomics Radio
Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?

But the surprising thing is that number only applies on the on-ramp.

Freakonomics Radio
Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?

If I put you at a cul-de-sac in a neighborhood and you were going to do a U-turn at the end of the cul-de-sac, even though the speed is significantly slower, if you did two meters per second squared of lateral acceleration around a cul-de-sac, you would tell your driver they were crazy.

Freakonomics Radio
Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?

It would be incredibly uncomfortable.

Freakonomics Radio
Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?

Like, incredibly uncomfortable.

Freakonomics Radio
Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?

You would feel like you were in Mario Kart.

Freakonomics Radio
Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?

Yes, it would feel Mario Kart.

Freakonomics Radio
Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?

And remember, this is a force.

Freakonomics Radio
Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?

So it's a physical feeling on your body is exactly the same.

Freakonomics Radio
Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?

But the contextual awareness of the situation of speeding up to get on the highway versus making a U-turn in a residential street tricks your brain into feeling

Freakonomics Radio
Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?

opposite about the situation.

Freakonomics Radio
Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?

And so it turns out the limit for a cul-de-sac is around 0.75.

Freakonomics Radio
Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?

It's almost three times less than you would be willing to tolerate as you accelerate onto a highway.

Freakonomics Radio
Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?

And so there were things like that where you couldn't just say humans have specific physical restrictions.

Freakonomics Radio
Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?

From a forces perspective, the context matters.

Freakonomics Radio
Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?

And when the context matters, now all of a sudden anything is game.

Freakonomics Radio
Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?

So things like that is where I spent my time as a researcher trying to figure out, okay, how are we going to make this comfortable for passengers?

Freakonomics Radio
Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?

All these little problems to solve.