'Drafting' technology for semi-trucks debuts on Utah roads

That is precisely why they test it so they know what will happen in those cases. How do you think advancements happen? Magic wand?

 

Yes I get that. Now look at the quality of drivers we have on the roads today. What happens when the lead driver has to make an evasive manouver such as hitting the shoulder because some idiot in a car was texting and drifted across the centerline. I guarentee you the guy in the back truck will not be paying attention since A: the truck is driving for him, all he is focused on is keeping lane position, which is not hard to do. And B: he can't see around the lead truck since he is right on his back bumper, so he has no idea of the oncoming hazard.

Comparing airplanes with trucks is like apples to oranges. Yes airplanes have flight paths they are programmed to follow, but there is not millions of planes flying in "lanes" that take them within a couple feet of other planes. They have space margins of several thousand feet. Airplanes also don't encounter thousands of other vehicles every hour. They don't just "give" a pilots license to every 16 year old who can drive around the block without hitting anything either. Sorry but as far as I'm concerned, commercial flight and driving are just too different to be accurately compared.

 

It is obvious from your posts you need to stick to 'mechanical' technology and let the people educated in programming and computer engineering take care of this kind of technology. You are right about commercial flying being nothing like trucking. Programming a truck to stop when something is wrong is childs play compared to programming a 700,000 lb airplane to stay in the air while traveling at 500 plus mph and simultaneously dealing with a plethora of conditions any one of which could cause it to fall from the sky. Technology like this is coming. Eventually they will be completely autonomous but most likely not in my lifetime.

 

No need for personal attacks or anything. You have your opinions, I have mine. Right now I believe our technology is just not advanced enough to reliably anticipate enough "real world" situations to be safely effective at this point. I won't deny that in time, technology will evolve to that point but I just don't believe that it is at that point today.

 

I did not personally attack you. I merely pointed out the absurdity of your comment. As for technology not yet being to 'that point' if it is not tested and corrected it never would be. How much technology do you use every day that seemed impossible 20 years ago?