So, how many of you have ever gotten behind the wheel1 of a car when you really shouldn't 2 have been driving? Maybe3 you're out on the road for a long day, and you just wanted to get home. You were tired, but you felt4 you could drive
a few more miles. Maybe you thought5, I've had less to drink than everybody else6, I should be the one to go home. Or maybe your mind was just entirely elsewhere7.
Does this sound familiar to you? Now, in those situations, wouldn't it be great if there was8 a button on your dashboard9 that you could push10, and the car would get you home safely11? Now, that's been the promise of the self-driving car12, the autonomous vehicle, and it's been
the dream since at least13 1939, when General Motors showcased14 this idea at their Futurama booth15 at the
World's Fair.
Now, it's been one of those dreams that's always seemed16 about 20 years in the future. Now, two weeks ago, that dream took a step forward17, when the state of Nevada granted18 Google's
self-driving car the very first license for an autonomous
vehicle, clearly establishing that it's legal for them to test it on the roads in Nevada. Now, California's considering similar19
legislation, and this would make
sure20 that the autonomous car is not one of those things that has to
stay in Vegas.
Now, in my lab at Stanford, we've been
working on autonomous cars too, but with a slightly21 different spin22 on things. You see, we've been developing23 robotic
race cars, cars that can actually24
push themselves to the very limits of physical performance.
Now, why would we want to do such a thing25? Well, there's two really good reasons
for this. First, we believe that before people turn over control26 to an autonomous car, that autonomous
car should be at least as
good as27 the very best human
drivers28. Now, if you're like me, and the other 70
percent of the population who know that we are above-average28
drivers, you understand that's a very high bar30. There's another reason as well. Just like31 race car drivers can use all of the
friction between the tire32
and the road, all of the car's capabilities to go as fast as
possible, we want to use all of those capabilities to avoid33 any accident we can.
Now, you may push34 the car to the limits not because you're driving too fast, but because you've hit an icy patch35 of road, conditions have changed. In those situations, we want a car that is capable enough36 to avoid any accident that can physically be avoided. I must confess37,
there's kind of a third motivation as well. You see, I have a passion for racing. In the past, I've been a race car owner38, a crew
chief39 and a driving
coach40, although41 maybe not at the level that you're currently42
expecting. One of the things that we've developed in the lab -- we've developed several43 vehicles -- is what we believe is the world's first autonomously drifting car44. It's another one of those categories where maybe there's not a lot of
competition.
But this is P1. It's an entirely student-built45
electric vehicle, which through using its rear-wheel drive46 and
front-wheel steer-by-wire47 can drift
around corners48. It can get sideways49 like a rally car driver,always able to
take the tightest curve50, even on slippery51, changing surfaces, never spinning out.
We've also worked with Volkswagen
Oracle, on Shelley, an autonomous race car that has raced at 150 miles an hour through the
Bonneville Salt Flats52, gone around Thunderhill Raceway Park in
the sun,the wind and the rain, and navigated the 153 turns and 12.4
miles of the Pikes Peak Hill Climb route in Colorado with nobody at the wheel53.
Vocabulary
1. behind the wheel = atrás do volante
2. shouldn't = não deveria
3. Maybe = talvez
4. Felt = sentiu
5. Thought = pensou
6.
than everybody else = do que qualquer outra pessoa
7.
elsewhere = em algum outro lugar
8. wouldn't it be great if there was = não seria ótimo se houvesse
9. dashboard = painel
10. could push = poderia pressionar
11. safely = em segurança
12. self-driving car = carro
que dirige sozinho
13. since at least = desde pelo menos
14. showcased = apresentou
15. booth = estande
16. seemed = parecia
17. took a step forward = deu
um passo a frente
18. granted = concedeu
19. similar = semelhante
20. make sure = certificar-se de
21. slightly = ligeiramente, levemente
22. spin = gira
23. developing = desenvolvendo
24. actually = na verdade
25. to do such a thing = fazer uma coisa assim
26. turn over control = transferir o controle
27. at least as good as = pelo menos tão bom quanto
28. human drivers = condutores humanos
29. above-average = acima da media
30. bar = faixa, nível
31. Just like = assim como
32. Tire = pneu
33. avoid = evitar
34. push = forçar, pressionar
35. hit an icy patch = atingir um trecho gelado
36. capable enough = capaz o suficiente
37. I must confess = eu devo confessar
38. Owner = dono
39. crew chief = chefe de equipe
40. driving coach = instrutor de direção
41. although = embora
42. currently = atualmente
43. several = vários
44. drifting car = carro de derrapagem
45. entirely student-built = inteiramente construido por estudantes
46. rear-wheel drive = tração traseira
47. steer-by-wire=
Sistema de controle de tração
48. drift around corners = derrapar em
curvas
49. sideways = lateralmente
50. the tightest curve = a curva mais
apertada
51. slippery = escorregadio
52. Salt Flats = planícies de sal
53. nobody at the wheel = ninguém ao volante