Self-driving vehicles are synonymous with sophisticated sensors producing terabytes of data being analyzed by powerful computers. But it seems the success of this transportation revolution hinges on a decidedly low-tech material: Paint.That’s because when it comes to getting the nation’s infrastructure ready for autonomous traffic, the most critical upgrade amounts to making sure the lines on our 4 million miles of roads are solid, bright and preferably white so they can be picked up by computer vision gear.“The (self-driving car companies) actually said make sure you have really good paint lines,” says Kirk Steudle, director of Michigan’s Department of Transportation. “So, where there are lines, we have to make sure they’re really good.”If only things were that simple. A USA TODAY Network survey of nearly a dozen states hoping to lead the way in self-driving cars and trucks reveals varying degrees of readiness as officials balance anticipating a huge shift in mobility with a reluctance to spend limited infrastructure funds on the wrong improvements.That one-foot-in, one-foot-out stance is echoed in guidelines recently published by the Governors Highway Safety Association.In doling out advice for state officials on the coming age of self-driving cars, the recommendations balance action (“Be a player in… Read full this story
- View: Prepare for the second coming - the US resurrects the Islamic State
- 6 Vital Ways to Future-Proof Your Smart Home
- History is Bunk: The Future of Transportation Will Be Like Nothing You’ve Seen Before
- The Night American Terrorists Bombed the U.S. Capitol
- In Saudi Arabia, World Oil Supplies Are in Flames
- The turmoil of today's world: leading writers respond to the refugee crisis
- A HARVEST OF PARADOXES: Missed lessons from the Nigeria Civil War – PAT UTOMI
Ready or not, states get ready for self-driving revolution have 285 words, post on www.usatoday.com at June 24, 2017. This is cached page on Vietnam Colors. If you want remove this page, please contact us.