Driverless cars honking at each other at night waking up residents.

[MT]

Who is the engineer who came up with the idea robot cars should honk at each other during parking? 

[Simon]

Programmers. It's the age old problem of thinking you have solved a problem because in a certain situation you take a particular decision that is deemed a solution. Only to discover that what you thought needed that decision every time is actually much more nuanced and can't be dealt with in a binary way.

I guess they forgot about the scenario where there are multiple self driving cars in proximity to each other as they assume the cars will always be surrounded by human driven cars and of course these cars can't possibly make a mistake.

[Siwastaja]

I remember how already many years ago some crappy plug-in hybrid "Opel Ampera" aka "Chevy Volt" car I used at a workplace had this excellent feature of automagically honking when one opens the fuel/charging door. Very nice when you want to fuel or charge during night. Honking is actually regulated by law and unnecessary honking illegal, but clearly some useless managers at car companies are free to invent a self-honking-for-no-reason-whatsoever car because it feels good in a power point coffee meeting in their twisted minds.

I still have absolutely no idea how one's mind operates to invent stuff like that.

[Halcyon]

Honking is actually regulated by law and unnecessary honking illegal, but clearly some useless managers at car companies are free to invent a self-honking-for-no-reason-whatsoever car because it feels good in a power point coffee meeting in their twisted minds.

I still have absolutely no idea how one's mind operates to invent stuff like that.

I don't either, and arguably those kinds of vehicles wouldn't be able to legally operate in countries, like Australia, with such rules. If I was still in the cops, I'd be sending the ticket/court summons straight to the company, let them explain why their vehicles aren't compliant.

For those playing along at home, in Australia, it's illegal to use a horn, except when:
(a)  it is necessary to use the horn, or warning device, to warn other road users or animals of the approach or position of the vehicle, or
(b)  the horn, or warning device, is being used as part of an anti-theft device, or an alcohol interlock device, fitted to the vehicle.

An autonomous vehicle doesn't meet the definition of either an "animal" or "road user".

[MT]

No need for honking and blinking, and what about a simple Round-robin.


3000 years later, robot battle field commando uses waves from air pressure to give commands.

[David Hess]

Seems like a good excuse to test their flammability because no rational reaction could provide relief in the courts.

[PlainName]

(a)  it is necessary to use the horn, or warning device, to warn other road users or animals of the approach or position of the vehicle, or

Seems to cover this. The self-driving car doesn't know the car it is reversing towards, or that is approaching, is another self-driver. It's "another road user", and unless there is some law that says a road user must be human then I think it matches. Plus, as I said at the start, how would it know? (Rhetorical question - the could all be programmed to recognise each other, but since they aren't they can't.)