http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=41254

So how long before someone hacks it so they don't have to touch the steering wheel every 10 seconds?

Dang and my car doesn't even have cruise control.

Good, now I'll be less likely to spill my beer when changing lanes on the highway...

I would NOT trust the driving of my car by a machine, no matter how advanced it is. I probably never grow that trust.

This is nothing new.

That's a pretty great thing. I know of a lot of people from my area that have fallen asleep at the wheel. It beeps every ten seconds if you let go of the wheel.

Really? Please point me towards any production model cars you can buy that have automated steering control as an option.

I know what you're saying though. Computers have been driving since at least as early as 1991 (I don't know of anyone who's successfully had a computer drive a car before that), and then there's the whole recent business of the DARPA Grand Challenge...

Then what is the point? I fail to see how the functionality of this justifies the extra cost, or even its existence for that matter. It basically does a small part of the driver's job for him, however still requires him to be there keeping an eye on things? Did I miss something? That is stupid. That is like buying a robotic lawnmower that requires you to simply walk along side it to make sure it does its job. There are plenty of ways that are much more practical to ensure a driver does not fall asleep. This is of course disregarding the fact that it's your own responsibility to stay awake at the wheel, and anybody who cannot distinguish whether or not they have enough energy to finish any given trip without falling asleep has no business touching a car in the first place.

There is no reason why anybody who is fully qualified to drive a car cannot nudge the wheel left or right the required ammount to keep your car within the lane at highway speeds, especially if you must have your hands on the wheel to begin with. Same goes for adjusting the speed of the car in response to surrounding traffic.

DUH!!!

Firstly, you can feel wide awake before starting a journey and feel fine, but as soon as the monotony of motorway driving kicks in your brain will assume it's safe to fall asleep. I doubt there is a single person alive who can correctly work out whether they can make the journey without getting a bit dreary-eyed, everytime.

Secondly, the fact is that people DO drive when they're too tired to do so, and whilst it's their responsibility this isn't a whole lot of consolation to the families of anybody they kill when they fall asleep. Surely an additional backup measure is always a good idea? Yes, it costs quite a bit now, but eventually it might become an affordable standard feature that saves lives.

be quiet

That would actually be neat for a lazyass like me... if I didn't want a teleport instead of lame cars.