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"To go out on January day and run around on the beach under a golden sun makes a very great change in your outlook on the universe."
- Robert Silverberg

Driverless Drones  
  One remote supervisor can drive a half-dozen drones, with some computer assistance.  

Halting State presents a completely doable version of the driverless vehicle.

A fleet of driverless BMW SUVs appear, bouncing slowly over the traffic pillows and pull in next to you, flagrantly ingnoring the red route markings and security notices. They've got diplomatic plates. Doors spring open, and you find yourself gently inserted into the empty driver's seat of the third vehicle as Liz and the leader of the hit squad slide in the back. The steering wheel twitches hesitantly, then as the doors click shut it spins hard over and the yuppiemobile accelerates fast. You try not to shudder. You hate the whole idea that some bored drone pusher in a remote driving centre has got your life - and half a dozen other lives - in his hands. At least on the motorways the cars steer themselves, that's within the capabilities of today's AI.
Technovelgy from Halting State, by Charles Stross.
Published by Ace in 2007
Additional resources -

A bit later on, you get some idea of what the drone supervisor has to see with.

There are probably webcams in the headlight and brake light assemblies; you certainly hope your driver can see better than you can."

Compare to the remote control taxicab from Philip K. Dick's 1957 novella The Unreconstructed M.

The idea of a car that can steer itself on special highways is seen in Robert Heinlein's 1941 novel Methuselah's Children; see the entry for Camden speedster.

Here's a quick list of articles demonstrating the progress that is being made towards the goal of driverless cars.

Comment/Join this discussion ( 1 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |

Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from Halting State
  More Ideas and Technology by Charles Stross
  Tech news articles related to Halting State
  Tech news articles related to works by Charles Stross

Driverless Drones-related news articles:
  - Ready For Your Halting State Driverless Drone Future?
  - Uber's Robotics Plans Could Use Advice From SF Authors
  - Einride Remote Operator Controls Multiple Vehicles
  - 5G Will Be Crucial Backup For Self-Driving Cars
  - Tesla Vs... Domino's? The Race For Autonomous Vehicles
  - Einride Remote Pod Operators Control Multiple Pods
  - 'Autonomous' Waymo Improves Driving With Remote Human Operators
  - Tele-Driving Offers Jobs For Tele-Drivers, Not AIs
  - Has Musk Given Up On Full Self Driving (FSD)?
  - Tesla 'Fleet Response Agents' Bolster FSD Autonomy

Articles related to Vehicle
Maybe It's Too Soon To Require Autonomous Mode
Caterpillar Electric Mining Loader Not Yet Ready For Moon
Engineer Creates Crazy Motorized Track Hospital Bed
Xiaomi Self-Driving Self-Balancing Scooter

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