The joint company is known as Sony Honda Mobility (SHM), has yet to release any details on what the EVs themselves may be like, if they will be built on existing Honda platforms (I’d bet so) or pricing or how they’ll be branded or anything like that, but they have talked a bit about the sorts of interesting contributions from the Sony side, which will include software systems and sensors and other related technology for the automated driving systems for the car, which are said to include both Level 2 semi-automated driving and the highly confusing Level 3 conditional automated driving.
Sony Honda Mobility president Izumi Kawanishi tells of goals for the joint venture’s products (emphasis mine): Now, Kawanishi isn’t wrong per se, in that as things evolve and technology around automated driving advances, yes, the amount of concentration required to drive absolutely will be reduced, but based on the goals stated by SHM, as listed in their press release …neither of the driving automation levels mentioned – Level 3 or Level 2+, which is a made-up bullshit thing that’s not really part of the admittedly flawed SAE Autonomy Levels – is what you would need to actually not pay attention to driving and “enjoy and spend time in the cabin space.”
The press release goes on to specify a bit more about the sorts of entertainment options that SHM is planning on offering, describing it as So, “real and virtual worlds” sounds like some pretty immersive stuff, exactly the kind of thing a car with L2 or L3 automation should not be offering to its drivers. – SHM aims to evolve mobility space into entertainment and emotional space, by seamlessly integrating real and virtual worlds, and exploring new entertainment Let’s break it down really quick: Level 2 semi-automation requires a driver to be alert and ready to take over at all times. It doesn’t matter one slimy bit how good or full-featured the system is, if it’s designed to be a Level 2 system, then the driver is always a crucial part of the operating loop. They may need to take control with no warning. They can’t be fucking around in “virtual worlds.”
Level 3 is actually much worse than Level 2, perversely. This is because as flawed as Level 2 semi-automation is – and it absolutely is, deeply and inherently, as a recent IIHS study reminded us all – Level 3 is even worse, because Level 3 is fundamentally and deeply confusing. I’ve covered this in painful detail in an earlier article, but I’ll recap for you here really quickly. Essentially, here’s how the SAE defines Level 3 automation: and, crucially, Level 3 also includes this: The problem here is that this sets up the sort of paradox that makes evil computers explode when they try to rationalize it. Level 3 says it does the driving, not you, unless it somehow needs you to drive, in which case, you must. But no one so far has defined the conditions that may require a human takeover, or what sort of time you may have to prepare, or what the system will do should the driver be unresponsive, perhaps lost in a delightfully erotic virtual world. Nobody knows jack feces about exactly how Level 3 could actually work, and yet here is Honda and Sony, already planning for exciting virtual reality escapism while you whiz down the highway. They’re doing it backwards. Really, the whole industry is, because if anyone has figured out an answer to how Level 3 is going to deal with the handoff to a human, they’ve kept it pretty quiet, and autonomy experts I’ve consulted have told me that “everyone is just guessing.” If SHM has some solution to this scenario, I’d love to hear it: You’re driving on a highway, and have engaged the Level 3 system. You turn on one of those virtual world entertainment whatevers that have been teased, and get really, really into it. While this is happening, let’s say road conditions degrade to the point where the cameras can no longer identify lane markings, or perhaps a bird shits over a crucial sensor, or maybe a rock from a gravel truck takes a side camera out. It doesn’t really matter what, there’s so many options here, just say that something causes the computer to decide it needs the human to take over. But you’re absolutely not paying attention, because you’re about to get to sixth base with a mermaid. So what does the car do? Does it just stop, in the middle of a lane, like an idiot? I hope not.
Does it pull over? If so, how, especially if its automated driving system has been somehow impaired. Does it call for help from surrounding vehicles or infrastructure? The point is, I don’t know, and so far I’ve seen zero evidence anyone knows. I reached out to SHM for comment on this sort of situation, and I’ll report what they tell me as soon as I find out. Maybe they have this all solved! If so, that would be a huge deal, and I’ll be the first to sing – no, scream their praises. Until then, I have to say I feel like even talking about in-car entertainment options in the context of the reduced concentration demanded of the driver is foolish, even dangerous. This is not the problem that needs to be solved. First, figure out how the hell Level 3 handoffs or failovers are supposed to work, then work on letting the driver play immersive Roblox or whatever. Honestly, it seems absurd this even has to be said. But here we are. And suddenly her sultry voice is interrupted by a loud electronic beeping, the screen turns bright, solid red except for the single word DRIVE, and just as quickly the gauges take over the screen and the in-cabin beeping replaced by piped-in simulated IC engine noise (old-school VTEC since this is a Honda). If the three or so seconds the alarm phase takes isn’t long enough to snap you out of your fishy reverie as evidenced by you grabbing the wheel, then more severe failover protocols kick in. This makes sense. Much progress is apparently being made in this area but I don’t expect autonomous vehicles to advance to a point where I would be comfortable riding in one in my lifetime (I am 76). Wait, I think I just talked myself into your viewpoint… Lexus has commercials out right now, this very moment, where the entirety of said commercial is them telling you that their cars have Apple CarPlay. No mention of any features that the vehicle has other than car play. The next twenty years are going to be painfully stupid, far more so that the past twenty years. BTW – this is a great read on the state of autonomy: https://rodneybrooks.com/predictions-scorecard-2022-january-01 It’s also fascinating to see how the automotive industry continue to ignore research from other domains on automation’s effect on humans, and consequently, how to use it. It’s no news that draining a person of tasks and then suddenly expecting him/her to regain control of a vehicle is a terrible, terrible idea. We already learned that decades ago from various disasters within nuclear, aviation and maritime. So how’s that coming along? Oh yeah: https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/12/23303191/car-v2v-fcc-spectrum-wifi-court-ruling I believe Honda has a vehicle available in Japan that is certified Level 3 with no plans to export in the near future.
