AI Self-Driving Cars And How They Drive In Reverse

Hi, I'm Dr. Lance Ellen and welcome to my podcast series about self-driving cars.

In this episode I'll be discussing the topic of self-driving cars going in reverse.

If you've become interested in learning more about self-driving cars, please see my website

www.ai-self-driving-cars.guru for further information.

Okay, let's get started. They say that time always marches forward, does it? Right now we

assume that time can only flow in one direction, namely going forward. Mankind has dreamt forever

that it would be nifty if time could be reversed. Time reversibility is undoubtedly a fascinating

topic. Shifting gears, you might be surprised to know that time reversibility has been given some

strightened attention in the realm of computers and computing machines, doing so in a field of

study known as reversible computing. Generally, there are two major ways to categorize

reversible computing facets. One is a means of performing physical reversibility of

computational activities, while the other has to do with undertaking a logical

semblance of computational reversibility. The two categories tend to work hand in hand.

A simple example might suffice. It seems that everyone nowadays knows that there are usually

computer bits consisting of the binary values of zero and one. We could construct an electronic

chip that would take as input a bit either in the state of one or the state of zero and

produces output the so-called opposite or inversion of the bit. If the input is a one,

then output a zero. If the input is a zero, then output a one. More commonly, this is referred to

as an inverter or a not operation. Could you receive the output of a not operation and make

things go in reverse, returning to what you started with? Well, it certainly seems straightforward.

If the output was a zero, you know that the input must have been a one. If the output is a one,

then you know that the input must have been a zero, assuming of course that the operation

worked flawlessly. Now keep in mind that most electronic chips are not made to work in reverse.

We've logically identified how to go in reverse, but the electronics might not be set up to allow

reverse physical operation to occur. As such, if we want this to happen in a real-world sense,

we might need to adapt the electronics accordingly. A reversible electronic circuit then is a circuit

that allows for bits to flow in either direction, forward or in reverse, through the circuitry.

There is no longer a fixed indication of what is input and what is output, since either side of the

circuitry could be considered available for input and equally available for output. For those of

you more interested in the software than the hardware side of things, you might enjoy knowing

that there is a reversible computing with respect to aspects of software too. Shifting gears once

again, there's another place that we tend to be primarily focused on going forward, entailing the

driving of a car. It's a pretty good bet that you spend most of your time driving in a forward

direction. Sure, you do use the reverse capability of your car from time to time,

such as when backing out of a parking spot. Here's a twist for your day. Will AI-based

self-driving cars reconsider the act of driving or reverse, or will the task of reverse driving

remain as it is today? For level 4 and level 5 true self-driving cars, keep in mind there won't be a

human driver involved in the driving task. All occupants will be passengers. The AI will be

doing the driving. Will the AI be able to drive a self-driving car in reverse? Yes, if the AI has

been set up to do so, and for which we can certainly reasonably expect that nearly all

automakers and self-driving tech firms are going to put such capabilities into place.

But there are some important caveats. First, by and large, the mainstay of the sensors on

a self-driving car today are oriented towards going forwards, not going reverse. There is usually

not as much century capability installed going in reverse as there is in going forward, which

certainly makes sense since the self-driving cars presently would be used going forward versus going

backward. Second, this means that even if the AI has been programmed or otherwise established to

drive in reverse, is doing so in a less than optimal way than it can driving forwards. And,

furthermore, this is potentially a legal liability issue that might ultimately rear its ugly head.

If a self-driving car while going reverse runs into someone, you can be sure that lawyers are going

to be asking pointed questions about how the reverse driving capabilities were designed and

implemented. Now, you might be tempted to assert, well, human drivers are relatively poor at driving

in reverse. Therefore, if the AI is similarly insufficient at driving in reverse, there were no

worse off than we are with human drivers. But I doubt that that logic will prevail. The public is

likely to have higher expectations about the AI driving systems, and especially so when going in

reverse. Another consideration to contemplate about cars is the design and construction of most

conventional cars are entirely oriented towards forward driving. You cannot drive in reverse,

really, for any prolonged period of time, nor the same heightened speeds and fluidity as you can

when driving forwards, at least in most cars. This is not simply due to the human driver,

but also due to how the reverse driving mechanisms are devised.

Here's a mind bender for you. The AI doesn't care that there's a so-called forward and so-called

backward are going to reverse. It can be crafted and drive in either direction.

As such, some question, why do we even need to use a conventional car design for the use in

creating self-driving cars? Sure, it's easier to do things that way, since such car designs already

exist. But perhaps we ought to be reconsidering that a conventional car oriented towards a

forward driving role, and instead allow for an equal capability of self-driving cars to go in

reverse as well as it goes when proceeding forwards. Now some listeners might realize I've

discussed this topic previously, including pointing out that Zooks has consistently been a has had

consistently a core goal of attaining self-driving cars that can equally proceed both forward

and in reverse. There's much debate about self-driving cars going forwards versus going

in reverse, though. For example, if this suggests that the sensory devices need to be doubled up

to allow for reverse driving, perhaps that added cost is unwarranted. On the other hand,

given the potential liability exposure, this could be considered a must in that light. Also,

some worry that since our driving world, as it exists today, is shaped around human drivers

driving principally forward, perhaps it's unsafe to have self-driving cars that can routinely

drive in reverse if they wish to do so. So which is it? Does driving in reverse for self-driving

cars seem revolutionary or simply evolutionary? It's an open question. Meanwhile, please make

sure to look carefully when driving in reverse, and perhaps keep your eyes open for self-driving

cars coming down your neighborhood streets while in reverse. Don't worry, it won't be an optical

illusion. It'll be the real thing. Well, thanks for listening. Again, I'm Dr. Lancel. I hope that

you found today's episode informative. If you're interested in learning more about self-driving

cars, see my website, www.ai-self-driving-cars.guru, for further information.

AI Self-Driving Cars And How They Drive In Reverse

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