L
Lincsbodger
robot-car boffins have achieved something useful: they have developed a vehicle which is capable of carrying out a J-turn of the sort favoured by stunt drivers, criminals and undercover operatives - precisely into a parking space.
Here's a vid uploaded by J Zico Kolter, PhD student at Stanford university's Computer Science department, showing the type of research you need to carry out to win your doctorate there:
Kolter and his colleagues refer to the robocar's technique of going from speedy reverse to face in the direction of travel as a "sliding park manoeuvre". However the trick is more widely known as a J-turn, or in some circles as a "Rockford" (from its frequent employment by beloved telly 'tec of yesteryear Jim Rockford) or even perhaps as a "Moonshiner's turn".
It is favoured by criminals and others who may need to make an abrupt escape from roadblocks or ambushes, as an alternative to a conventional handbrake or bootlegger turn where a car going forward skids round to face the other way.
Sharp-eyed viewers will note that there is a person in the driver's seat, but Kolter assures viewers that this individual (named Dave) has nothing to do with the handling, but he is the safety driver in case it all goes tits up. Mind you, they're not running Windows Vista, so it probably wont.
Here's a vid uploaded by J Zico Kolter, PhD student at Stanford university's Computer Science department, showing the type of research you need to carry out to win your doctorate there:
Kolter and his colleagues refer to the robocar's technique of going from speedy reverse to face in the direction of travel as a "sliding park manoeuvre". However the trick is more widely known as a J-turn, or in some circles as a "Rockford" (from its frequent employment by beloved telly 'tec of yesteryear Jim Rockford) or even perhaps as a "Moonshiner's turn".
It is favoured by criminals and others who may need to make an abrupt escape from roadblocks or ambushes, as an alternative to a conventional handbrake or bootlegger turn where a car going forward skids round to face the other way.
Sharp-eyed viewers will note that there is a person in the driver's seat, but Kolter assures viewers that this individual (named Dave) has nothing to do with the handling, but he is the safety driver in case it all goes tits up. Mind you, they're not running Windows Vista, so it probably wont.
