Ergonomics??... Usability???... What's all that???

Tesla

Tesla is a superior car that drives automaticly. No need for ergonomics or usability. Isn't it?

Probably the opposite, as the 'driver' has less time driving and therefore less time to familiarise themselves with the controls, it is essential that the controls are ergonomic, unambiguously shaped and logically placed, when the driver has to take command.

... Especially so where the driver has only a second or two to overcome the startle factor and actually wake up to take the correct action to avert disaster...


When the automation fails, it usually means that the vehicle is already at the limit of performance, or that something "unexpected" and out of the ordinary has already happened... We really need to get some warning beforehand!

(Oooops... Shouldn't this be in the Aviation thread about the problems of outdated cockpit design and Full-Self-Flying?...)


Fly Drive safe?
Martin

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

(Oooops... Shouldn't this be in the Aviation thread about the problems of outdated cockpit design and Full-Self-Flying?...)

When will we have comprehensive accident statistics which will evaluate the impact of modern car cockpits to road safety compared to e.g. the car generation before (which in my opinion had been almost perfect in terms of ergonomics and usability: no touch displays; instead buttons and knobs; a small display with menus just for rarely used functions, e.g. general preferences)?

All these advanced systems still require an ancient chemical analogue computing system that hasn’t changed much in millennia. When all goes wrong and “out the window” it’s all up to you to figure it out if you have enough time to do so.

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Quite. On all aircraft autopilot systems they have a disengage point when it goes beyond their abilities. The problem is the pilot (or driver) will not realize how much input the servos are providing at the moment of disengagement. That leads to situations, even fatal ones.

A major Queensland highway could remain closed for days after a truck carrying half of a wind turbine collided with a bridge.

The Queensland Police Service said its initial investigation revealed the truck failed to follow pilot vehicles and escorting vehicles up an off-ramp.

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Grant
Darwin NT

SOP

Well the price of dumping 750kg of metal shards on the M1 motorway last week is nearing the $2m (au) figure now.

The company responsible for the shredding of countless tyres on a major motorway has now been slapped with a massive bill.

NJ Ashton Group general manager Daniel Falconer said the company has received about “800 to 900 emails” regarding claims and 620 had already been processed.

Mr Falconer told 2GB that the 30km stretch of metal shards from Ourimbah to Mount White on the NSW Central Coast had cost the company “up towards the two mark”.

The company was working closely with its insurance company to help settle up with impacted drivers, he said.......

An update on this incident.

A driver has been charged after an estimated 840 kilograms of metal allegedly spilled from his truck on a busy highway north of Sydney earlier this month.
More than 300 vehicles were damaged in the incident, according to NSW Police, who allege "the secondary locking handles on the trailer were not properly engaged".

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Grant
Darwin NT

Oh dear.
Mexican Navy ship crashes into New York's Brooklyn Bridge.
Probably just as well- the bridge slowed it down significantly, otherwise it would have hit the wharf quite hard.

It went under the bridge backwards- i'm wondering if it broke free from its anchorage & was moving out of control due to wind & tide.

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Grant
Darwin NT

There's some unofficial reports that the ship lost power but I couldn't find anything in the NY Post articles...

Updated information (about 1 hour ago 9:40 AM EDT) via the New York Post;

Harrowing video shows Mexican sailors clinging to the rigging of the tall ship that smashed into the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday night — after dozens of crew members were seen standing on the masts of the vessel as it careened out of control.

Two sailors were killed and 17 were injured after the ship, Mexican navy training vessel collided with iconic bridge just before 8:30 p.m. Saturday night.

Video taken at the moment of the crash shows dozens of sailors lined up on the 147-foot masts as it set off on its journey for Iceland with 277 on board following a goodwill visit to New York City.

... “Following our preliminary inspection, we can confirm that the bridge sustained no damage and is now open to the public...”

CNN is now reporting...
Mexican Navy training ship that hit Brooklyn Bridge, killing 2, was moving in the ‘wrong direction,’ city official says

Updated 12:10 PM EDT, Sun May 18, 2025

According to the senior official, Cuauhtémoc’s captain has told investigators he lost steering of the vessel after the rudder stooped working.

“They had some sort of mechanical issue, they lost power so without being able to use the rudder, they could not steer,” the official said, cautioning all information is preliminary and subject to change.

The city is also investigating the role of a tug boat that can be seen in video appearing to lead the Cuauhtémoc through the river.

The senior official said city divers are expected to go into the water today to inspect the Cuauhtémoc’s rudder to determine if the ship can be moved.

As if our roads wern't bad enough Elon has thrown his bit in. :-O

Tesla, Musk complete ‘full self driving’ tests on Australian roads.

Tesla’s “full self driving” feature looks set to hit Australia following successful tests on local roads.

The EV giant published a video on X.com of a Tesla Model 3 with prototype software successful negotiating busy streets in inner-city Melbourne.

It even nailed the “hook turn” that frustrates interstate travellers.

The brand’s country director for Australia, Thom Drew, says an expansion of Tesla’s driverless features is high on Elon Musk’s list of priorities.

“That’s Elon’s push,” Drew said.......

That's scary considering that Tesla Fails Wile E. Coyote Test.

I don't know it, but I suspect that straight, lonely, and monotonous highways can be very tiring for drivers. Autopilot is theoretically a great solution.

At the same time, it would increase driver's negligence even further.

Can't this be tested in extensive field tests?

Anyone who has looked at the Australian road network know that while there are many long apparently straight roads knows that those longs straights are not as straight as they look. They have many hidden 3-dimensional features to trap the unwary (dips, chicanes, truck devouring hollows etc.), not to mention self mobile hazards (blowing sand, tumbling bushes, large wildlife), other road users, not to mention many, many kilometres of road which are poorly differentiated from the surrounding terrane ("smooth" driving surface, brown, soft boarded by smooth run-off areas, the same hade of brown, then brown desert with scrubby bushes (armed with thorns designed to wreck tyres, legs, arms.....). A great test environment for both human and non-human drivers, but comparable to navigating city streets?

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

A major Queensland highway could remain closed for days after a truck carrying half of a wind turbine collided with a bridge.

The Queensland Police Service said its initial investigation revealed the truck failed to follow pilot vehicles and escorting vehicles up an off-ramp.

An update-

The damage bill from a truck crash on a major Queensland highway is expected to run into the tens of millions of dollars...

The crash forced the closure of the highway's westbound lanes for two-and-a-half days, disrupting freight and local traffic.
One lane on the overpass reopened Tuesday, but the bridge won't be able to carry heavy vehicles until permanent repairs are completed.

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Grant
Darwin NT

Norwegian woke up, just to find the view from his house at the Trondheim Fjord changed somewhat:

135m container vessel, crew of 16 on board, accidentally hit land just meters next to a house

Now that's definitely an UFF DA moment!

Very few people have their own container vessel in their front yard...

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Grant
Darwin NT

Now that will finally block the sun glare off the water.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5h_eyhuwRQ
Cargo ship refloated after narrowly missing Norwegian man's home | REUTERS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5h_eyhuwRQ
Cargo ship refloated after narrowly missing Norwegian man's home | REUTERS

Uhh... in the article last weak they hoped for quickly refloating the cargo ship with the next high tide within hours.