Sorry for being naive on this, but I have some questions:
Looking at this, it appears that they have mounted this device on a car and just had it taking in all sorts of data to effectively feed dataset into a map that can be used by self driving cars, correct?
If I were doing a project like this - I would attempt to work with waste disposal companies to put these sensors on every garbage company. Garbage companies will literally map out every potential road which can be driven on - as they will make rounds to nearly every structure to retrieve their waste - and will even drive down alleys, apartment/condo complexes/gated communities etc...
Has anyone attempted to work with waste companies? (I have some contacts who work with the bay area waste management company if anyone needs to find out how to talk to them)
I think you’re right. Garbage collection companies, seen as a mobile sensor platform, probably can generate data (maps, wardriving, street view, AVL) worth more than their actual core business.
I think what’s more telling is the opposite implication. That despite ample sources of data, it’s not actually that valuable.
Did you ever consider that the reason that self driving cars are overhyped is because the underlying science is bad, not that there is insufficient data? Wouldn’t it be in Waymo’s interest for everyone to believe that it’s all about data, while they bide time trying to make something that works?
The problem itself is difficult and the cost of making mistake is high. Thats why the progress is relatively slow.
Also, at least to my opinion, its not very clear that the market is big enough. Its highly unlikely that one single company can monopolize the market as there are quite a few rich companies with deep pocket and extremely talented team are investing in the same space.
If more than a dozen companies comes out with very similar performing self-driving solution. The markey may not be big enough to recoup the investment into this technology.
For the longest time I thought waymo was way ahead of everyone else - but the nature of their slow and passive progress in to the market doesn't give me a lot of confidence in their abilities.
They have a hardtime in relatively peaceful streets of developed world, how will technilogy work on the streets of developing countries where most people live?
I think the problem is extremely hard. And it will take a lot longer than most people initially though it would.
I don’t know about garbage companies specifically, but all the major self-driving players have or are trying to get deals with various fleet operators to use their vehicles to gather data
I have mix feeling about comma.ai I like what they stand for and what they're trying to achieve. But after reading their Openpilot code, it seems completely irresponsible releasing the Eon dev kit they way it is especially after their NHTSA stunt (I only reviewed the code when it first came out so things may have changed). I also wonder why this code is not being ported to something like a Jetson TX2. Especially with the new 4GB version priced at $199, I cannot see the argument of cost savings to using an OnePlus 3.
A phone is actually a very nice and reliable piece of hardware. It has everything you need CPU, GPU, DSP, two cameras (front and back), a backup battery, a screen and wifi/lte to upload your data.
Unfortunately the code powering OpenPilot is not very reliable. As the OP alluded to it's time-sensitive code written in (very hard to understand) Python.
It's not really that time sensitive. The main event loop for something like this only has to run at like 50hz.
I didn't find the code to be all that hard to understand either (at least the car interface bits needed to port to another car).
That’s the sort of speed that has game developers, who can tolerate occasional pauses without getting anybody killed (although I’m sure some gamers act like they’re dying when it happens), avoiding memory allocations and tuning garbage collectors. That’s similar to how often the render callback for audio code will run, code where you carefully avoid taking locks or calling most system APIs and write the whole thing in C or simple C++ so implicit behaviors don’t result in audible glitches.
Python is good for many things (my whole web site runs on it) but it’s completely unsuitable for this job.
You're conflating speed and latency. The main event loop running at 50hz may or may not be fine, but a 50-100ms pause is certainly unacceptable, especially in the drive-by-wire / car interface components which are inexplicably combined with the entire platform and run on the same hardware.
How can this be not "really time sensitive"? The stability of these kind of controllers depend on smooth periods without jitter.
Putting these kind of controller on a phone written in Python is OK for a student project driving at 20 km/h on a closed off area. It actually madness and most likey illegal to use these modifications on public roads. Atleast it should be ...
The most recent Eon isn't a OnePlus 3 it's a LeEco LePro 3.
I don't see how it's really irresponsible also, it is a relatively complicated set up ( getting easier all the time ), but people definitely are aware this isn't a fully fledged product and that they should be keeping an eye at all times.
I was wondering what they were using since the Oneplus3 have been discontinued for so long.
It's irresponsible because they wrote an apk that patches to a python script... They could at least have some portion written in some hardware language like C++, especially the safety check section. Also, when I first read it there was zero redundancy. They could at a minimum do a soft watchdog how ROS does it. Putting your Drive by Wire node and the logic processing all in one unit is a horrible idea. They should have one device to do the inference like the TX2 and another do the DBW (the LePro 3).
Jetson Tx2 4GB module is expected to be <$200 and released in Q3 of 2019. It's expected to replace the TX1 in price but double the CUDA cores. It's pretty much a budget version of the current TX2 since Xavier started rolling out.
Hmm not too sure about using it in the industry and their over-promises. However, I did buy a TX2 to build my portfolio personally and it's been pretty fun so far. 256 CUDA cores is definitely not a lot to play with though.
Thanks for taking the time to share the link, was interested in diving into the deep rabbit hole for a self-driving contraption and 300$ off is quite an incentive.
It’s a nice board for sure (I have a few). I personally use a more powerful desktop setup with a few nvidia 1080ti cards, mounted in a trunk of a 2017 Honda. The tx2 is definitely a good platform for a powerful RC car setup or similar, especially with the discount. When it comes down to it, during the dev/learning cycle, any general setup will do.
Great to see this is still going! This space needs competition, and I can't see a future where this potentially life-threatening (and also life-saving) technology is close source. It only seems logical it will eventually be 100% open, in order to gain public trust.
I really like the idea of all of this tech being open source, but I don't think it's logical that eventually it will all be 100% open. There's tons of safety critical software now that's closed source (avionics software, utility and power plant software, spacecraft control systems, etc).
I think society will eventually demand it, all it will take is a few fatalities, and even if society doesn't, I can't help but think that some company will win out _because_ they are open, like Red Hat.
Society cares about working products, not the tech behind it - I don't see calls specifically for making critical software open source any time sooner than the year of the Linux desktop.
Regulations and fines are proven tools, and even if it doesn't make autonomous cars significantly safer, it will make them expensive enough to reduce fatalities.
We really should be demanding that Waymo be opensource by default from our congress though. May take a few more generations to overtake the current old-brain congress though.
From jailbreaking to self-driving cars. What an interesting path in life. Goes to show that you really never know where you will end up, and everything you learn along the way will help.
comma.ai has never ceased to impress me. Im interested to see if they will begin a transition from level 2 to level 4 as OpenPilot becomes more polished.
Looking at this, it appears that they have mounted this device on a car and just had it taking in all sorts of data to effectively feed dataset into a map that can be used by self driving cars, correct?
If I were doing a project like this - I would attempt to work with waste disposal companies to put these sensors on every garbage company. Garbage companies will literally map out every potential road which can be driven on - as they will make rounds to nearly every structure to retrieve their waste - and will even drive down alleys, apartment/condo complexes/gated communities etc...
Has anyone attempted to work with waste companies? (I have some contacts who work with the bay area waste management company if anyone needs to find out how to talk to them)