cheapest transport system.

[gameleaper]

The trams use tram lines and cost a lot to create, instead you can paint lines and have driverless vehicles, I believe they have done it in china somewhere, if you ever remember old 70s sci fi movies they had robots following colored lines. its just a camera and a motor on the stering, any vehicle could be adapted very cheap, trams could be made to use this for chicken feed prices.

[Batman]

this post makes me yearn for a pratt analysis

[trailrunner]

http://wtop.com/dc-transit/2017/07/everybodys-gonna-safe-self-driving-car-tests-says-va-gov-mcauliffe/

I spent some time developing sensors for autonomous vehicles.  There are various ways of embedding nav aids, whether optical (such as your paint idea) or otherwise.  At some point in the future I envision several layers of smart roads, not only for autonomy, but also for traffic optimization.  Embedded nav aids could be a key part of it, but it is not as simple as you think, and we have a long, long way to go.

[gameleaper]

they have a driverless buss in china that uses a line right now, I don't have the info as it was on TV a few weeks ago.

All you need is an light sensor , if it vears right then you turn a motor on the steering, if it veers left again turn a motor on the steering. the line can have colors or several white lines to indicate the direction veered.

I have done physics & have certificates in electronics, & I could modify a car bymyself for $500

what your saying is smarter cars, the problem is really very simple.

I do believe they have had robots follow lines in a few places over the years,

[trailrunner]

Sure, I could have made a PackBot follow a stripe on the floor of my lab.  One of my engineers could have done that in less than a week, probably two days.  But that's a long way from a system that can operate in the real world.

[gameleaper]

I know you need a brake for anything infront, but the current driverless cars already have that, and there is already a buss in china, I wish I had the link.

[gameleaper]

there digging up roards and roads in the UK to make trams for millions, but all they need do is paint lines

[MikeGER]

the tram runs on rails not to find its way, they are on rails because it reduce the rolling friction!
which is necessary for to move a heavy vehicle (like also freight trains instead of a trucks convoy) with as less energy as possible.

and btw
if you have an autonomous bus it don't need no silly line paint on the road any more , 'the line' is in 'the map' in the bus driving software and followed by (differential)GPS

[bayonetbrant]

it's all good and well until some asshole goes out and starts painting fake tram-stripes everywhere and then suddenly there's stripper leading a tram into Starfury's living room

[gameleaper]

If the GPS is as accurate as cm then that sounds good. what I'm really trying to say is you would not have to build tram lines or anything, the trams in the UK are just like a buss for a few people not freight.

and you could use special paint, so you could not just paint a line, plus people don't need a tram line to vandalise , they can do all sorts of things already, so maybe they will sometimes, but think about train lines no one does much to them

[MikeGER]

If the GPS is as accurate as cm then that sounds good.

that's what differential-GPS is used for ...i has in addition fixed GPS-transmitters on the ground to add precision
(its a standard method used in actual geo survey if precision is needed)