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Showing posts with label AUTONOMOUS CAR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AUTONOMOUS CAR. Show all posts

Honda announces autonomous vehicle ecosystem at CES 2017

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HONDA 2017

Honda unveiled a new self-driving concept at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017 in Las Vegas, called the Cooperative Mobility Ecosystem.
The ecosystem aims to “connect the power of artificial intelligence, robotics and big data to transform the mobility experience,” providing drivers with a selection of entertainment systems while the car takes them to their destination.
Another automaker talks with Google to build self-driving vehicles
Honda previewed an “electric automated mini-vehicle concept” that will utilize parts of the open ecosystem. The vehicle be able to communicate with other vehicle-to-vehicle connected cars and smart city infrastructure, reducing traffic congestion and improving road safety for pedestrians.
Visa, DreamWorks Animation, and startups in Honda’s Xcelerator innovation program have announced collaborations to build productivity and entertainment experiences. The automaker’s Silicon Valley Lab will become an incubator for some startup projects.



Honda wants to feel you, man

Honda plans to build an “emotion engine” for drivers, which will use artificial intelligence to understand a consumer’s problems and offer in-vehicle solutions. The automaker did not say who it was working with to build the AI personal assistant.
“Since our founding, Honda has focused on creating technologies that help people,” said Yoshiyuki Matsumoto, president & CEO of Honda R&D. “Our goal is to showcase a future technology path that results in a redefined mobility experience.”
Honda also announced a self-balancing motorcycle at CES 2017, able to keep its balance without stabilizers. The motorcycle is in concept stage, but could be pushed to a commercial motorcycle in the near future.
This year’s CES has been awash in autonomous car news, with Hyundai announcing a planned cheaper autonomous car, Ford advancing its autonomous fleet production timelines, Faraday Future’s autonomous debut/stumble and BMW demonstrating its connected technology by letting editorial teams — like us here at Mashblur — take a new 5 Series for a self-driven spin on the highway.

Smart cars just aren’t ready for the car wash

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With progressing technology, autonomous vehicles are able to differentiate between dangerous obstacles and non-threatening objects much more easily and accurately than they used to.
However, the car computers have still not perfected the process to the level that is needed for circumstances outside the norm.  For example, driving one of these smart cars through a car wash can be complicated if the override system is not easily provided.  The systems in some of these vehicles experience difficulties in knowing when it is necessary to turn on the brakes or override impulses.
See also:  Are self-driving cars speeding past smartphones?
The reason behind this problem is that the radar sensors view the soapy lathered brushes and large water jets as an impending threat. Therefore, a car equipped with these sensors can get confused and kick into safety mode in order to avoid an anticipated collision.
Adam Korngold, President of Waves Car Wash, states “We are just starting to see this issue come up.  Some of the vehicle manufacturers have put in safety devices that sense a car in front of the vehicle and the vehicle will automatically apply the break.  We’ve seen a couple times that a few of the higher end cars will recognize our curtains in the wash and automatically cause the car to stop.”




Are cars too smart for the car wash?

Craig Fitzgerald, Editor of BestRide.com, recently conducted a car wash test, while in a 2017 Kia Cadenza.  When he drove in and the conveyer belt tried to move him forward, the car wouldn’t move because the autohold break, a safety feature to keep the car from moving when it is parked in neutral, was on.  However, he said that it was really easy to turn that feature off by pressing a button.
He went on to explain that other cars, such as the Volvo XC90, are not nearly as easy to override.  The Volvo XC90 has its override information located deep in the middle of the owner’s manual, and the instructions to turn off the system are a bit more complicated.
Some vehicle companies such as Tesla have considered these kinds of scenarios and have provided an easy method for owners to turn off the vehicle assistance when going through a car wash.  As autonomous vehicles become more and more popular, these bugs are sure to be worked out.  Until then, owners just need to be prepared and know how to override the safety systems when necessary.

BMW will launch iNext autonomous car in China, too

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BMW has every intention of launching iNext, its first autonomous car, concurrently in China, Europe, and the United States, barring any regulatory resistance.

Speaking at an artificial intelligence and robotics conference in Shenzhen, Maximilian Doemling, the senior manager of the autonomous group, said:

“If you’re expecting autonomous function where you can be on the highway, press the button and the car does everything for you, like lane changing and driving, and you can play with smartphone, and you’re al
ways safe, we had the big announcement with Intel and Mobileye that we will have the iNext in 2021.”

It’s not surprising that BMW is prepared to launch iNext in China in the opening year. The country buys more cars than anywhere else, and in the past ten years people have started moving from General Motors, Toyota, and Volkswagen to more luxury brands, like BMW and Mercedes Benz.



BMW wants in on booming China market

Electric cars are also becoming a lot more popular in China, as residents in large cities see the impacts of pollution everyday and seek to reduce their own.

Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk has said in the near future the company may start manufacturing cars in the country, due to the high demand for the Model S and expected demand for the Model 3.

BMW has a 2021 release date for the iNext, though that is only preliminary. While Tesla and Google may boast that self-driving is already safer, it still needs to get through a lot of regulatory hurdles before people can drive without looking at the road.

That said, BMW is positioning itself as a key player in the market, partnering with Intel and Mobileye to build a driverless system. BMW is also part of a consortium of German manufacturers that purchased Here Maps, giving them another resource for its self-driving endeavour.

Google teaches car to honk; flipping the bird next?

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This month’s report on Google’s autonomous car fleet reveals two new features coming to the company’s prototype car, the ability to honk the horn and a hum similar to most non-electric cars.
The sound of a car horn might be the stuff of nightmares for frequent drivers, but Google believes it can be a powerful tool that may prevent accidents on the road. For the first few months, the car honked internally, but Google recently made the honk audible to nearby cars.
See Also: Musk to Apple: Try and keep up, ok?
“Our self-driving cars are designed to see 360 degrees and not be distracted, unlike human drivers, who are not always fully aware of their surroundings. Our self-driving software is designed to recognize when honking may help alert other drivers to our presence — for example, when a driver begins swerving into our lane or backing out of a blind driveway,” said Google in the report.



Honk if you love attention

The self-driving system has two types of honk: two short honks as a friendly heads up to the other driver, and one long honk for urgent situations. Google’s testers report back to engineers on all honks, to make sure that the car is not being obnoxious on the road.
Google also wants to make sure pedestrians, cyclists, and visually impaired drivers know the car is active, and has added a ‘hum’ that is similar to most non-electric cars.
During the testing phase of the hum, Google explored a variety of sounds, including ambient art sculptures, consumer electronic products, and ocra noises. We hope when the car is available, Google adds these fake engine noises in a variety pack.
Google’s autonomous fleet, which totals 70 cars, reported one crash this month on May 3. The crash, according to the report, happened when a human driver was in control and nobody was hurt.

Queen’s speech legalizes autonomous cars in U.K

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Autonomous car manufacturers might start to look at the United Kingdom as a viable alternative to Europe or the U.S., thanks to proposed new reforms on insurance legislation that now covering autonomous cars.
Announced in the Queen’s Speech to Parliament earlier today, the reforms allow autonomous cars to be tested and purchased in the U.K. When passed by Parliament, it will be the first legislation of its kind to cover an entire country.
See Also: General Motors flags down Lyft to start autonomous taxi trial
We don’t think this means fully autonomous cars are purchasable, but autonomous features will be allowed inside U.K. cars. This means things like Tesla’s Model S autonomous lane switching or Ford’s self-parking should be available in the next few years.
Nissan, a major automotive supplier in the U.K., plans to add autonomous features to its Qashqai cars in 2017.
Volvo and Jaguar Land Rover are testing autonomous cars in the U.K. already, in project cities like London and Milton Keynes, and will now be able to test the cars across the country. Volvo has also chosen the U.K. as its headquarters for autonomous car development.


U.K. to be a self-driving hotspot?

We suspect other European-based automotive companies may look at the U.K., which is less restrictive than other European countries on autonomous cars. Take France, for example, only one automotive company is allowed to test cars in the country, the PSA Group.
Germany is another country behind the times with autonomous cars, but Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she’ll address the situation. Italy and Spain have also only had tests in the country; no meaningful legislation to legalize autonomous cars has been implemented in the countries.
It is not just autonomous cars where the U.K. is racing ahead, the country has been praisedfor its relaxed drone laws. The British government has invested millions into IoT and big data developments, in an effort to make the U.K. (and more specifically London) a tech center equivalent to Silicon Valley.

Volvo also wants an autonomous car on the road by 2020

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Plenty of automotive companies have announced plans to have an autonomous car on the roads at the start of the next decade, but Volvo went a step further and said no human supervision will be needed for its self-driving vehicle.
“The thing that is unique is that we are trying to deploy the technology in reality. And when I say that, I mean self-driving cars that allow drivers to do something else behind the steering wheel,” said Erik Coelingh, senior technical leader for driver support technologies, to Tech Insider.
See Also: Are live drivers too scared to merge with self-driving cars?
Volvo essentially wants to reach Level 5 autonomy, or completely driverless. Currently, a few cars are testing Level 3 (hands-off) technologies, like Tesla’s AutoPilot or Ford’s self-parking, but Level 4 (mind-off) and Level 5 are still off-limits on all public roads.
To prepare for this autonomous future, Volvo plans to launch a program next year, called DriveMe. It will give 100 normal customers the chance to drive an autonomous car in Gothenburg, Sweden, London, and select cities in China. This program will come on top of tests in China and Sweden, which are already underway.



DriveMe takes Volvo to next level

“What is unique with DriveMe, is that we are not only building a concept car or doing demos, we are really doing research to help us understand how we can bring self-driving cars to the real world, to public roads with ordinary customers behind the wheel,” said Coelingh. “And by accomplishing that objective, we will learn about the reality of self-driving cars, that it’s not just a fantasy. We will learn about technology, we will learn about the human factors, and how self-driving cars will impact society.”
Volvo also plans to add a semi-autonomous system to select cars in 2017, similar to Tesla’s AutoPilot. This public testing has been invaluable to Tesla, providing the company over one million miles of autonomous driving data to analyze.
Another plus for Volvo is the U.K.’s recent legalization of autonomous cars on public roads. Announced in the Queen’s Speech, the new legislation allows autonomous car owners to apply for insurance and test self-driving features in the country.

BMW to launch iNext autonomous car in 2021

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BMW has confirmed plans to launch an electric, autonomous car by 2021, named the iNext. Chief executive Harald Krueger revealed the plans during the company’s celebration of 100 years in business.
“We are further expanding the BMW i line-up,” said Krueger. “In just a few weeks, we will offer an i3 with 50 per cent more battery capacity. In 2018, we will launch a BMW i8 Roadster. This will be followed in 2021 by the BMW iNext, our new innovation driver, with autonomous driving, digital connectivity, intelligent lightweight design, a totally new interior and the next generation of electro-mobility.”
See Also: Germany’s largest rail service wants to self-drive you home
Krueger didn’t give any details on the design or performance of the BMW iNext, we suspect a most of the autonomous car is still being worked on.
It is an interesting development however, since only a few automotive manufacturers have confirmed plans to launch autonomous cars. BMW has been one of the quicker car companies to embrace self-driving, with plans to install automatic parking on most cars by 2018.
An interesting part of the comment from Krueger is “the next generation of electro-mobility”, which suggests redefining of “automotive” from the company.


BMW and others considering “Cars-as-a-Service”?

We’ve heard that automotive companies are looking into offering several autonomous cars on a flat rate, so you could use a sporty car to get to work and then an SUV to take the family somewhere special on the weekends.
The cars would wait in a garage for your call and customers would pay monthly for the package. BMW has not mentioned that scenario in the announcement of the iNext, but it is a possibility.
While BMW is one of the first to announce plans to launch an autonomous car, it is not alone in the race. Tesla is starting to implement self-driving systems on highways already, General Motors recently acquired an autonomous car startup for $1 billion, Audi, Ford, Toyota,Mitsubishi, PSA Group, and Fiat Chrysler are working on their own systems or in partnership with Google.

Google paying lucky Arizonans just to drive around

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Want to test drive Google’s autonomous car? The company has a new opening in Chandler, Arizona, for test drivers willing to get inside the self-driving vehicle and let it drive.
Not any average joe can step into the autonomous car, Google wants employees to have a bachelor’s degree and excellent communication skills. The applicant must also be able to take over the car at any time, in case the autonomous system fails.
See Also: Google self-driving car shakes fist at Palo Alto drivers
Google pairs two employees to a self-driving car, one in the driver’s seat and the other taking notes. At the end of the day, the notes will be given to the engineering team, alongside any feedback on the drive.
“Test drivers play an important role in developing our self-driving technology,” said Brian Torcellini, head of operations for Google’s Self-Driving Car testing program, to AZCentral. “They give our engineers feedback about how our cars are driving and interacting with others on the road, and can take control of the vehicle if needed.”


Google paying $20/hour to drive around

Google will pay employees $20 per hour and expects them to drive for six to eight hours per day, for 12 to 24 months. Assuming it’s a Monday to Friday gig, you could earn up to $38,400, a decent salary for driving around Phoenix everyday.
“The role of a test driver is so new that there isn’t a particular type of person that we look for,” Torcellini said. “We’ve hired people from all types of backgrounds, from English teachers to orbital welders. In general, they need to be excellent drivers who pay really close attention to the road and can predict the social aspects of driving. Local drivers will be great for testing in the Phoenix area because they know the roads and local driving norms better.”
Google has already clocked in over one million miles in its autonomous car, but learning about different cities may be incredibly useful for the system to understand unique traffic quirks only adopted in some parts of the United States.

Europe’s largest railway wants to self-drive you home

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Commuters in Germany may be able to order an autonomous car to help them arrive at the train station on time.
Deutsche Bahn, the largest railway service in Europe, has started tests aimed at helping commuters on the “final mile” of their trip, which can often be the most strenuous.
See Also: Will elderly and disabled gain the most from autonomous cars?
Instead of hailing a ludicrously expensive taxi or waiting for the potentially late bus, commuters will be able to open the Deutsche Bahn app and order an autonomous vehicle to pick them up.
Rüdiger Grube, the CEO of Deutsche Bahn, didn’t detail when the autonomous fleet would be ready. In an interview with German magazine Wirtschafts Woche, he said that autonomous functionality could also come to the company’s trains, and predicted a centralized system would run the train network sometime next decade.
Connecting public transport networks together is one of the fundamentals of most “smart city” manifestos, which gives commuters a single fare across the city. While Deutsche Bahn is focused on the “last mile” journey, it could easily branch out with a few thousand more cars to cover some of the major cities in Germany.



Europe still hasn’t approved autonomous cars

Autonomous cars are still illegal in Europe, but the EU commission recently granted a few companies the ability to test “level three” autonomy, also known as “hands off” — the next two levels are “mind off” and “driverless”, both are not allowed on public roads.
That might change in a few years though, as the pace of autonomous car adoption starts to ramp up. General Motors, Ford, PSA Group, Fiat Chrysler and almost every other major automotive company are starting to test autonomous features, either in-house or with a tech company like Google, Uber, or Lyft, which will put more pressure on governments to let tests happen on public roads.
Germany is quite far ahead in this regard, Chancellor Angela Merkel said to automakers thatlegal barriers may be removed and the government would be willing to invest in electric, autonomous cars in the near future.

Google self-driving car shakes fist at Palo Alto drivers

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Google has published its monthly report on the self-driving project, detailing any updates, advances, and accidents that have happened.
In the month of April, two accidents occurred involving the self-driving Lexuses. Both were minor incidents, which apparently stemmed from the other party hitting the self-driving car.
The first accident dinged one car’s side mirror, and happened while the Lexus SUV was stationary. The second involved the offending driver bumping into the side of the car, which – like any good teen-aged new driver – Google claims was not their fault.
Passengers in the self-driving cars were not harmed in the accidents.
See Also: Apple joins autonomous vehicle land rush in Silicon Valley
Google has been transparent about accidents for a few months, since news of several crashes emerged. They’ve even fessed  up about a recent accident by posting video, showing the self-driving car at fault during a crash with a bus.


It’s all Palo Alto’s fault

Despite the crashes, which number in the dozens now, Google insists that self-driving will lower the amount of crashes by over 50 percent. It claims that 94 percent of crashes are due to human error, which a fully autonomous world would fix.
Google is adding 100 more cars — Chrysler Pacifica minivans to be exact — to its fleet in the next year. Bringing variety to its self-driving project may give the company more understanding of how different sized cars should interact on the roads, which may lead to less scuffles.
The cars are tested in four locations: Kirkland, Washington; Mountain View, California; Phoenix, Arizona; and Austin, Texas. Both of the accidents were in Palo Alto, a 12-minute drive from Mountain View, where Google is headquartered.
The accidents might put some lawmakers off removing restrictions, but attitude towards self-driving cars has become less hostile in the last few months, as more investment comes in from traditional automakers.

First autonomous car track day set for this May

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By the end of the year, we’ll have the first racing tournament dedicated to autonomous cars, and we will also have the first track day.
Joshua Schachter, the creator of Delicious and ex-Googler, has organized the track day for startups and big brands to test their cars. It will take place on May 28-29 at Thunderhill Raceway in California.
See Also: Will elderly and disabled gain the most from autonomous cars? 
All sorts of autonomous vehicles can run on the track, in the words of Schachter, “if you squint at it, and it’s automotive, come try it on the track.” That sounds more like an engineering field day than a chance to see fast cars hitting peak speeds, and indeed Schachter said he would be surprised if any autonomous car completed a lap during the two days.
For startups or enthusiasts, this is a great place to test moving sensors or automated vehicles in a controlled environment. It gives cars a precise route to follow and hundreds of miles to.


Track slots are filling up

Already, Schachter has confirmed AutonomouStuff, Hyperdrive, and Varden Labs will be attending the event. 11 other companies have signed up for the event, including Renovo, which introduced a half-a-million dollar autonomous car at CES 2015 and has developed an autonomous Delorean that can self-drift.
Schachter said that unlike Roborace, the autonomous race that will support Formula E in the 2016-2017 season, he doesn’t want an event where you build from the bottom up. Instead, he wants developers to bring their projects and test them in a convenient environment and potentially make connections with others in the industry.
While General Motors, Audi, and Google might not make the trip, we suspect a few more startups will venture out to Willow, California to test whatever device or vehicle they’ve been testing.

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