http://SmartDrivingCar.com/7.42-HereWeGo-101119
[log in to unmask]"
alt=""
class=""
width="48"
height="25">
Waymo
to customers:
“Completely
driverless
Waymo cars are
on the way”
The email entitled “Completely driverless Waymo cars are on the way” was sent to customers that use its ride-hailing app in the suburbs of Phoenix.
Both the early rider program and Waymo One service use self-driving Chrysler Pacifica minivans to shuttle Phoenix residents in a geofenced area that covers several suburbs including Chandler and Tempe. All of these “self-driving rides” have a human safety driver behind the wheel.
- If you get matched with a fully driverless car, you'll see a notification in your Waymo app that confirms the car won't have a trained driver up front....
- you can enjoy having the car all to yourself....
And yet, there remains a number of questions. It’s unclear how many of these driverless rides there will be or the what constraints Waymo will place on them. It’s likely that these will operate in more simple, controlled environments for months before it expands to more complex situations." Read more Hmmmm... This is VERY big news!!!
I am certain that the Waymo lawyers understand very well that the risk of a crash has an extremely high cost. The lawyers understand that much, if not all, of Adam Jonas' $70B reduction in valuation of Waymo and Uber's $60B reduction in valuation from Goldman's $120B peg can be attributed to one crash... the Elaine Herzberg crash. Consequently, Waymo's staff must have provided the lawyers with credible evidence that the probability of a crash in this ODD is essentially infinitesimal. (Of course, it would be nice to have that discussion/evidence made public, but I'm not holding my breath.) Here We go!! Be conservative and be safe!!! Alain
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="">
Smart
Driving Cars
Podcast
Episode 128
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""
width="156"
height="24">
Tesla’s
Smart Summon
is a glitchy
‘science
experiment,’
Consumer
Reports says
R.
Mitchell, Oct
9, "Consumer
Reports tested
Tesla’s new Smart
Summon
feature and
found it
wanting.
Smart Summon “was
glitchy and at
times worked
intermittently,
without a lot
of benefit for
consumers,”
the product
and
service-testing
organization
said
Wednesday....
Consumer Reports tested Smart Summon on a Tesla Model 3 over several days at its Connecticut test track and in nearby parking lots. Among its findings:...
Smart Summon has drawn criticism from safety officials and some driverless car technology advocates. Alain Kornhauser, head of Princeton University’s driverless vehicle program, called the feature StupidSummon on his Smart Driving Cars website. Kornhauser is an enthusiastic advocate of driverless transportation, especially for the benefits it could offer to the elderly and the disabled, but he thinks Tesla’s aggressive attempts to deploy the technology could scare the public and slow development.
Tesla’s
latest feature
“may well
cause the
public sector
to overreact
and ruin the
opportunity of
responsible
driverless
mobility to
substantially
enhance the
quality-of-life
of those who
can’t or
choose not to
drive a car,”
Kornhauser
wrote...." Read
more Hmmmm... Yup!. Alain
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""
width="78"
height="32">
NJ
Transit wants
to test out
self-driving
buses to help
get you to
work
L.
Higgs, Oct 9,
"The driver of
the NJ Transit
bus of the
future could
be no one.
The agency
plans to test
three tiny
buses that
drive
themselves,
with the help
of a lot of
sensors and
computers.
Officials
unveiled the
tiny shuttle
buses in
Edison on
Tuesday, but
their real
test will come
later as they
maneuver the
grounds of the
former Fort
Monmouth in
Eatontown and
Oceanport.
The shuttle
buses and
multi-year
testing
program would
be financed by
a $950,000
Federal
Transit
Administration
grant that the
agency has
applied for. A
decision could
be made this
winter, a
spokesman
said.
The first part
of the testing
would be
operating
self-driving
buses on a
closed 40-acre
test course in
Fort Monmouth.
The former
Army base has
internal
streets and a
road network
that are
similar to
residential
streets and
boulevards..."
Read
more Hmmmm... This is a major
advancement
for New
Jersey. I
tried and
completely
failed for
more than 5
years
promoting Fort
Monmouth as an
ideal test
site for this
technology.
Fort
Monmouth
remains an
ideal test
site. Kudos
to Kevin
Corbett, NJ
Transit CEO
and president,
for putting
forth such a
proposal.
Given that the
proposal has
the blessing
of NJ Transit,
it should be a
shoo-in to win
approval from
the Federal
Transit
Administration.
Alain
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""
width="156"
height="24">
Editorial:
Tesla’s Smart
Summon is a
potential
self-driving
nightmare, and
regulators are
ignoring the
risk
Editorial
Board, Oct 8,
"Here we go
again. In the
rush to roll
out driverless
cars, Tesla is
playing fast
and loose with
public safety
by putting
untested,
uncontrolled
autonomous
vehicles on
city streets.
Last month the
car company
released Smart
Summon, a
software
update that
allows Tesla
owners who
have purchased
a “full
self-driving”
package to use
a smartphone
app to command
their vehicle
to turn itself
on, pull out
of a parking
space and
drive to the
smartphone
holder’s
location. The
app works on
Teslas parked
up to 200 feet
away.
Tesla beamed
Smart Summon
to customers
with
instructions
to use only in
private
parking lots
and driveways,
and only if
the app user
can see the
car at all
times “because
it may not
detect all
obstacles.” Oh
and yes, “be
especially
careful around
quick moving
people,
bicycles and
cars.” You
think?..." Read
more Hmmmm... You think??? Alain
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Roadshow
explains the
SAE’s new
self-driving
testing
guidelines
K.
Hyatt, Oct 6,
"... To help
steer the auto
and tech
industries
towards safer
testing
practices and
safer
vehicles, the
SAE recently
released a
substantially
updated
version of its
original J3018
document in
September. We
got our hands
on a copy, and
we're going to
simplify some
of the
language and
shine a light
on what the
SAE believes
AV testing
should look
like. ...
Operational
Design Domain
(ODD): This is
a big one. ODD
is the SAE's
term for the
total
operating
conditions
(e.g.
geographic
location plus
weather
conditions
plus time of
day, plus
state of
traffic, plus
road
condition,
etc.) in
which an
automated
vehicle is
meant to
operate....
If
you're curious
about the
SAE's
guidelines for
self-driving
car testing,
you can visit
their website
and purchase
the updated
version of
J3018 for
yourself."
..." Read
more Hmmmm... Most unfortunately, this
document
continues to
have as its
fundamental
premise is
that these
vehicles are
owned and
operated by
individuals/consumers
and rather
than be
vehicles
managed by a
fleet operator
providing
Mobility-as-a-Service.
SAE should
just state
that at the
beginning and
be dealing
with those
vehicles and
set out on a
completely
different
agenda with
respect to
driverless
vehicles
providing
Mobility-as-a-Service.
These are such
different
"animals" that
they deserve
their own "SAE
J3018" and
I'll repeat my
suggestion tht
the difference
is so great
that
Driverless
vehicles
providing
Mobility-as-a-Service
deserve to
have their own
modal
designation
and their own
regulatory/legislative/policy oversight within the US Department of
Transportation.
Commercial
Vehicles do (Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration),
Airplanes do (Federal Aviation Administration),
Railroads do (Federal Railroad Administration),
... We need a
Federal
Driverless/Affordable
Mobility-as-a-Service Administration. Alain
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""
width="156"
height="24">
Letters to the Editor: LAX figured out how to
make itself an
even worse
airport
Editorial
Board, Oct. 8,
"Here we go
again. In the
rush to roll
out driverless
cars, Tesla is
playing fast
and loose with
public safety
by putting
untested,
uncontrolled
autonomous
vehicles on
city streets.
Last month the
car company
released Smart
Summon, a
software
update that
allows Tesla
owners who
have purchased
a “full
self-driving”
package to use
a smartphone
app to command
their vehicle
to turn itself
on, pull out
of a parking
space and
drive to the
smartphone
holder’s
location. The
app works on
Teslas parked
up to 200 feet
away.
Tesla beamed
Smart Summon
to customers
with
instructions
to use only in
private
parking lots
and driveways,
and only if
the app user
can see the
car at all
times “because
it may not
detect all
obstacles.” Oh
and yes, “be
especially
careful around
quick moving
people,
bicycles and
cars.” You
think? ..." Read more Hmmmm....
Amen! Alain
[log in to unmask]"
alt=""
class="">
Is Johnson
County getting
greener?
Uber-like
transit
system, bike
lanes
Keep in mind that the above requires driverless and ride-sharing:
- Without ride-sharing and without an attendant: This requires twice as many vans, which doubles the vehicle miles, which doubles the amount of gas, and the maintenance and depreciation costs.
- With an attendant, and with ridesharing: This is the
operation as
it exists
today, which looses
$12.50 on each
ride. Alain
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""
width="135"
height="22">
Toyota's
autonomous pod
to transport
athletes
around Tokyo
2020 Olympics
P. Ridden, Oct 9, "The 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo look set to be a showcase for technology as well as human sporting achievement.... Now the company has confirmed that its e-Palette people mover will be transporting athletes throughout the Olympic and Paralympic villages. ....
The
e-Palettes
will have a
safety
operator
aboard, but
the vehicles
will be
controlled by
an automated
driving system
that makes use
of cameras and
LiDAR, 3D
mapping and
control
software so
they can
trundle along
at up to 19
km/h (12
mph)..." Read
more Hmmmm.... 12 mph and safety
operator
aboard. Just
another in a
long series of
"Olympic
showcases"
that fades
into nothing
more than
memory as fast
as the Olympic
events. Alain
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""
width="156"
height="24">
Letters
to the Editor:
LAX figured
out how to
make itself an
even worse
airport
Oct.
8, "Moving
taxi and
rideshare
pickups at Los
Angeles
International
Airport
to an off-site
location
accessed only
by shuttle
buses is
worst plan
ever devised.
You try
landing at LAX
with three
kids, a
stroller and
six bags to
wait for a
shuttle, load
onto the
shuttle and
then load off,
all with no
help.
Why not
consider
alternatives?
... Why not
consider
allowing 90
minutes of
free parking
in the
terminal-adjacent
garages so no
one has to
drive around
while waiting
to pick up
passengers?
Why not
consider
clearing out
the ground
floor of each
parking garage
to use as
staging areas
for taxis and
rideshare
cars?
LAX is one of
the least
passenger-friendly
airports in
the world.
..." Read more Hmmmm....
Excellent
ideas
especially wrt
to the use of
the parking
garages.
Using them as
staging area
with free WiFi
for cars
waiting to
pick up people
is the easy
solution.
Cars dropping
off departing
passengers is
easy because
no waiting is
involved.
Cars picking
up arriving
passengers are
quagmired in
waiting.
Having it
free,
convenient and
located at the
entrance to
LAX passenger
arrival would
eliminate the
circling and
make the
pickup as
efficient as
the drop off.
Everyone now
has a Cell
phone can
coordinate the
pickup so as
to minimize
delay which no
one wants to
incur.
Problem is
that using
part of the
parking for
this purpose
fro free might
be seen as
reducing
revenue.
Seems like a
small price to
pay to bring
some sanity to
the LAX
experience,
especially
during time of
construction.
Alain
C'mon Man! (These folks didn't get/read the memo)
Simply ClickBait
Corrections
In http://SmartDrivingCar.com/7.40-PrincetonFuture-092819 comments on Alphabet’s Waymo valuation cut 40% by Morgan Stanley to $105 billion amid challenges in self-driving car market I Hmmmmed.... "$105B is still not bad for an entity that has yet to generate its first dollar of revenue."Calendar of Upcoming Events:
[log in to unmask]"
alt="imap:[log in to unmask]:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX%3E3022058?part=1.5&filename=lmjdiniodjkflpia.png"
class=""
width="46"
height="52"
border="0">
On the More Technical Side
http://orfe.princeton.edu/~alaink/SmartDrivingCars/Papers/[log in to unmask]" alt="" class="">
Recent PodCasts
Smart
Driving Cars
Podcast
Episode 126 -
Sturges &
Caudill
Smart
Driving Cars
Podcast
Episode 125
Smart
Driving Cars
Podcast
Episode 124
Smart
Driving Cars
Podcast
Episode 123 -
K. Kolodge JD
Power
Smart
Driving Cars
Podcast
Episode 122
Smart
Driving Cars
Podcast
Episode 121 -
Ken Pyle
Smart
Driving Cars
Podcast
Episode 120
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 119
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 118 - Michael
Sena
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 116 - Jerome
Lutin
F. Fishkin, July 20, "Can technology dramatically improve the safety of bus transportation for pedestrians, riders and drivers? The lead investigator in a national study, Jerry Lutin, joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin on episode 116 of the Smart Driving Cars Podcast. Plus...Tesla's new safety report, the latest from Lyft, Aptiv and a NY Times report on why driverless cars are taking longer than expected. Tune in and subscribe!."
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 112 - J.
Hardiman NJM
F. Fishkin, June 9, "Should the insurance industry be pushing more safety and autonomous tech in cars? It's a win, win says Princeton's Alain Kornhauser. Joining him in the discussion along with co-host Fred Fishkin is NJM's John Hardiman, a board member of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Also...Fiat Chrysler, Ford and more."
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 110 - Lance
Elliot
F. Fishkin, May 25, " The untold secrets of driverless car videos. Dr. Lance Eliot joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for a liveley discussion. Plus...Waymo brings back self driving trucks, so will Daimler and is the future driverless for Uber and Lyft. Tune in and subscribe!"
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 108 3rd
Summit Wrapup
F. Fishkin, May 18, "Wrapping up the 3rd annual Princeton Smart Driving Car Summit, Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin zero in on mobility for all and more. It's just getting started. Plus the headlines from Nissan, Tesla, Uber and Lyft. Tune in and subscribe!"
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 107 3rd Summit
Leilei
Shinohara
& Staff
Sergeant
Terence
McDonnell
F.
Fishkin, May
18,
"In
this special
edition from
the 3rd Annual
Princeton
Smart Driving
Cars Summit,
Alain
Kornhauser and
co-host Fred
Fishkin are
joined by
RoboSense VP
Leilei
Shinohara on
the LiDAR's
benefits. And
view of
autonomous
technology
from law
enforcement
with New York
State Police Staff Sergeant Terence McDonnell."
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 106 3rd Summit
David Kidd
& Cecillia
Feeley
F.
Fishkin, May
18,
"From the 3rd
Annual
Princeton
Smart Driving
Car Summit,
David Kidd
from the
Highway Loss
Data Institute
joins Alain
Kornhauser and
co-host Fred
Fishkin and
then on site
preliminary
research
results on
mobility for
all with
Cecilia Feeley
and Andrea
Lubin from
Rutgers."
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 104 3rd Summit
Anil Lewis
&
Katherine
Freund
F. Fishkin, May 18,, "From the 3rd Annual Princeton Smart Driving Car Summit, join Professor Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin. In this special edition, the summit's focus on mobility for all with guests Anil Lewis, Executive Director of Blindness Initiatives at the National Federation of the Blind and ITN America Founder Katherine Freund."
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 100 - Andrei
Greenawalt'99/Via
April 5, F. Fishkin, "The success of on demand transit company Via is proving that ride sharing systems can work. Public Policy head Andrei Greenawalt joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for a wide ranging discussion. Also: Uber, Tesla, Audi, Apple and Nuro are making headlines"
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 98- Matt Daus
April 5, F. Fishkin, "Here comes congestion pricing in New York City...but what will it mean? Former city Taxi and Limousine Commission head and transportation expert Matthew Daus joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin. Also...Tesla, VW and even Brexit! All on Episode 98 of Smart Driving Cars."
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 97 - Michael
Sena'69
March 28, F. Fishkin, "The Future Networked Car? From Sweden, The Dispatcher publisher, Michael Sena, joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for the latest edition of Smart Driving Cars. Plus ...the Boeing story has much to do with autonomous vehicles and more. Tune in and subscribe."
Smart
Driving Cars
Podcast
Episode 82 - Intel,
Sciarappo
& Jitsik,
Loeb
F. Fishkin,
Jan.
9, "One of
the top chip
makers in the
world and a
start up.
Intel's
strategic
marketing
director for
autonomous
driving Jill
Sciarappo and
the founder of
Jitsik, Dr.
Helen Loeb
join co-hosts
Alain
Kornhauser of
Princeton
University and
Fred Fishkin
for Episode 82
of the Smart
Driving Cars
podcast from
CES."
Smart
Driving Cars
Podcast
Episode 81 - nVIDIA,
Shapiro &
Local Motors
/ Olli, Hodge
F. Fishkin,
Jan.
9, "How
NVIDIA is
paving the way
for self
driving cars
and a new OLLI
automated
transport from
Local Motors.
NVIDIA's
Senior
Director for
Automotive,
Danny Shapiro
and Kurtis
Hodge of Local
Motors join
co-hosts Alain
Kornhauser of
Princeton
University and
Fred Fishkin
for another
edition of
Smart Driving
Cars from CES
2019.."
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 75 - PAVE; Nantel, Erlich, Riccobono
F. Fishkin, Jan. 9, "From CES in Las Vegas, a new industry organization, PAVE, is formed. Partners for Automated Vehicle Education. And some founding members join co-hosts Alain Kornhauser of Princeton University and Fred Fishkin for an on site discussion. Guests include National Safety Council VP Kelly Nantel, Voyage VP Justin Erlich and National Federation of the Blind President Mark Riccobono."
Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 71-Nader'55
F. Fishkin, Dec. 13, "When it comes to self driving cars, Ralph Nader says "Not so fast." The renowned political activist and author takes the government and the industry to task in a super sized Episode 71 of the Smart Driving Cars Podcast. Join Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for that and more!"Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 69 - Chunka Mui
F. Fishkin, Nov 29, "What will it take for driverless vehicles to become a leading form of transportation? Futurist and author Chunka Mui joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for Episode 69 of the Smart Driving Cars podcast. Plus...Waymo, GM, Amazon and more. Tune in and subscribe! "Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 68 - Dick Mudge
F. Fishkin, Nov 22, "The insurance industry hears about the outlook for automated vehicles. Co-author Dick Mudge joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for Episode 68 of the Smart Driving Cars podcast. Plus...Uber, GM Cruise, Waymo, VW and more. Tune in and subscribe!"Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 66 - Bishop & Zimmerman
F. Fishkin, Nov 8, "Daimler is partnering with Bosch to bring an autonomous ride hailing service to San Jose next year. In this edition, the Director of Engineering at Bosch joins Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin to outline how it will work. Plus Richard Bishop joins us fresh from an International Task Force on Vehicle Highway Automation in Denmark. And more!"Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 65 - Bernard Soriano, CA DMV
F. Fishkin, Nov 1, "California gives Waymo the green light for fully driverless vehicle testing on public roads and the state's deputy director of the Department of Motor Vehicles, Bernard Soriano, joins the Smart Driving Cars podcast with the no nonsense details. Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin explore that and more. Tune in and subscribe!"Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 58-Keith Code, Motorcycles
F. Fishkin, Sept 22 "In this edition of the Smart Driving Cars Podcast, Alain Kornhauser of Princeton University and co-host Fred Fishkin are joined by the founder of the Superbike School, Keith Code. Keith is an instructor, coach, author and researcher into motorcycle safety...and a champion racer. Beyond that....he's an old high school friend of Alain's! And there's more on BMW, Apple, VW and more! . Tune in and subscribe!"Smart Driving Cars Podcast Episode 55-Larry Burns, Autonomy
F. Fishkin, Sept 6, "The coming new world of driverless cars! In Episode 55 of the Smart Driving Cars podcast former GM VP and adviser to Waymo Larry Burns chats with Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and Fred Fishkin about his new book "Autonomy: The Quest to Build the Driverless Car and How it Will Reshape Our World"
Recent Highlights of:
[log in to unmask]" class="" width="129"
height="76"
border="0">
Friday, October 11, 2019
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""
width="156"
height="24">
Your
Tesla Can Now
Pick You Up
R.
Mitchell, Oct.
4, " Smart
Summon is for
parking lot
use. But
drivers have
other ideas.
Tesla unleashed the latest twist in driverless car technology last week, raising more questions about whether autonomous vehicles are outracing public officials and safety regulators.
...Using
a smartphone,
a person can
now command a
Tesla to turn
itself on,
back out of a
parking space
and drive to
the smartphone
holder's
location - say
at a curb in
front of a
Costco
store.." Read
more Hmmmm.... Russ, great article. A
must read!
Elon,
please stop.
StupidSummon
was a bad
Valley-entitled
idea before
you released
it. Now that
it is out
there it will
ruin all that
is good about
Tesla,
AutoPilot and
Driverless
cars. The
shorters are
going to have
a field day.
While
you are at it
also remove
all of the
DistractTainment
add ons or
limit their
use when
AutoPilot is
NOT on and
drivers are
engaged in
driving. Just
go back to
V09! Along
the way also
get the
Automated
Emergency
Braking (AEB)
system to work
properly (See
NTSB
below).
To do that,
maybe you
should take a
serious look
at Velodyne's
new
Tesla LiDAR.
It may be able
to tell you if
the stationary
object in the
lane ahead is
high enough
above the road
surface before
your AEB
system decides
to disregard
it. Then
Tesla's may
stop decapitating
drivers.
If you don't remove StupidSummon
then at least
be sure to
limit its use
to the Tesla
owner's own
private
property by
responsible
users. (You
know the GPS
coordinates of
where each
owner lives,
so you can
geofence it.
You also know
each
irresponsible
use (You get
the videos).
Irresponsible
use (use in
the violation
of the
conditions
spelled out in
the user's
manual) should
void its
future
availability
in that car
unless proper
amend are
made. If not,
then insurance
companies
should clearly
state that
insuring the
use of this
feature
requires a
substantial
additional
premium; else,
you're not
covered.
Courts should
view that use
of this
feature
implies
premeditated
harm and
demonstrates
an extreme
indifference
to human
life. Parking
Lot owners
should install
signs
forbidding the
use of this
feature on
their property
to protect
themselves
from being
dragged into
the claims
process.
Saturday, September 28, 2019
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""
width="116"
height="32">Public
forum will
explore
possibility of
transit on
demand in
Princeton
K. Knapp, Sept
22, "What
would it take
to make
Princeton an
accessible
community for
all, even
those who
cannot or
choose not to
own or drive a
car? Princeton
Future will
explore the
question at a
public forum
from 9 a.m. to
noon on Sept.
28 in the
community room
at the
Princeton
Public
Library.Princeton Future is a non-profit community group that studies issues related to planning, development, and affordability. Speakers will discuss the capabilities of a transit-on-demand system where small, driverless shuttles could be summoned by a smart phone app to a location within walking distance of a resident’s home...." Read more Hmmmm.... Listen to a summary of the event in Episode 126 of the SmartDrivingcars PodCasts. See below for other info. Alain
Friday, September 20, 2019
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Waymo’s
robotaxi pilot
surpassed
6,200 riders
in its first
month in
California
K. Korosec,
Sept 16,
"Waymo
transported
6,299
passengers in
self-driving ...drivered,
not
driverless...Chrysler
Pacifica
minivans in
its first
month
participating
in a robotaxi
pilot program
in California,
according to a
quarterly
report the
company filed
with the
California
Public
Utilities
Commission.
In all, the
company
completed
4,678
passenger
trips in July
— plus another
12 trips for
educational
purposes. It’s
a noteworthy
figure for an
inaugural
effort that
pencils out to
an average of
156 trips
every day that
month. And it
demonstrates
that Waymo has
the resources,
staff and
vehicles to
operate a
self-driving
vehicle pilot
while
continuing to
test its
technology in
multiple
cities and
ramp up its
Waymo One
ride-hailing
service in
Arizona...
The CPUC
authorized in
May 2018 two
pilot programs
for
transporting
passengers in
autonomous
vehicles. The
first one,
called the Drivered
Autonomous
Vehicle
Passenger
Service Pilot
program,
allows
companies to
operate a
ride-hailing
service using
autonomous
vehicles as
long as they
follow
specific
rules.
Companies are
not allowed to
charge for
rides, a human
safety driver
must be behind
the wheel and
certain data
must be
reported
quarterly.
The second
CPUC pilot
would allow
driverless
passenger
service —
although no
company has
yet to obtain
that
permit...."Read
more Hmmmm.... Be sure to look at the Waymo
Quarterly
Report and
that of the
other 3
companies: Zoox,
AutoX
and Pony.ai.
Those 4
companies
reported
respectively [ 4,678; 103; 9; 0] vehicleTrips; [
6,299; 134;
13; 0]
personTrips;
[59,917; 352; ?; 0] vehicleMiles, and [
55; 10; 1; 0]
number
of unique
vehicles used
throughout the
quarter. Note
Waymo only
began
operating on
July 2, the
last month of
the quarter [May, June, July]. Note: the CPUC does not permit
casual
shared-ride
services
(serving
individuals or
groups of
individuals
who weren't
predisposed to
travel
together). Go
figure??? Alain
Also note: This is Drivered Service,
meaning there
is an
attendant/driver
inside each
vehicle for
each trip; so
this is
actually
conventional
ride-hailing,
a la Lyft/Uber
with fancy
schmancy
vehicles. The
CPUC did NOT
require
"disengagement
reporting" so
one has no
idea as to the
extent of
driver/attendant
involvement is
the provision
of the
Drivered
service. It
will be
interesting to
learn if Waymo
considers this
activity to be
part of its AV
testing
program and
includes the
disengagement
performance of
these vehicles
in its
disengagement
report to the
CA DMV at the
end of the
year. We'll be able to infer if that the
disengagement
performance is
exemplary when
Waymo decides
to begin Driverless
service
(w/o an
attendant, as
opposed to Drivered
service).
Friday, September 13, 2019
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""
width="50"
height="39">
California
Passes
Landmark Bill
to Remake Gig
Economy
Friday, September 6, 2019
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""
width="78"
height="23"> Lessons
Gleaned From
The NTSB
Report For A
Tesla
Autopilot-Engaged Car Crash
- "Vehicle
Data Recorder
Specialist's
Factual
Findings":
especially the
charts of
"Vehicle drive
mode
information":
Figures 1 for
the hour
leading up to
the crash and
Figure 2, for
just the 15
minutes
prior. It is
very
interesting to
have the
precision and
richness of
data of the
vehicle's
behavior prior
to the crash.
Armed with
this
information,
no wonder Elon
wants to
insure these
cars.
What is most
interesting
about these
data is the
chart of Lead
Vehicle
Distance (m).
It shows that
"lead vehicle
distance" is
not the
instantaneous
value obtained
by the radar
but some
smoothed out
value of {
previous
readings plus
the latest
radar value}
(else, there
would be some
discrete jumps
in the data
when other
cars either
cut-in or
cut-out of the
Tesla's lane
ahead.).
Moreover, the
appearance of
a stationary
object
(approach
speed = Tesla
speed) in the
lane ahead is
disregarded
(or very
lightly
weighted) in
the
determination
of "lead
vehicle
distance". (it
grew to its
saturated
value (that
was much
greater than
the distance
to the
firetruck)
once the lead
SUV had
changed lanes
(whenever that
was determined
to have
occurred). At
some point
(possibly
490msec before
the crash, see
below), the
system decided
that the
stationary
object
detected ahead
was not a
"false
reading" but
actually a
stationary
object that
should no
longer be
disregarded.
Since it was
being
disregarded
the Traffic
Aware Cruise
Control (TACC)
operated using
a large value
for "lead
vehicle
distance" so
it began to
accelerate to
its desired
cruise speed,
as would be
expected if
"lead vehicle
distance" is a
large value.
Yipe!!!!! If
Elon hasn't
already
demanded, NTSB
should require
Tesla, and all
other
manufacturers,
to: 1.
The
software/logic
governing
TACC's
behavior
during
transitions
involving a
cut-out or a
cut-in needs
to be
substantially
improved!, and
2. The
reliability in
the
identification
of stationary
objects in the
lane ahead
needs to be
substantially
improved so
that they
cease to be
assumed to be
false alarms.
- "Vehicle
Automation
Data Summary
Report":
especially:
1. Figure 4, The speed of the Tesla in the last 221 seconds before the crash showing that the Tesla was traveling rather slowly in the 100 seconds before the crash (under 20 mph), but then accelerated (as discussed above) in the 3 seconds just prior to the crash, beginning as soon as the lead SUV changed lanes,
2. Figure 5, the distance between the Tesla and its lead vehicle, showing that the TACC worked really well until the lead vehicle "disappeared" (changed lanes), and"... Data show that at about 490 msec before the crash, the system detected a stationary object in path of the Tesla. At that time, the forward collision warning was activated; the system presented a visual and auditory warning. Data also shows that the AEB did not engage and that there was no driver-applied braking of steering prior to the crash. According to Tesla, the AEB was active at the time of the crash, and considering that the stopped fire truck was detected about half a second before impact, there likely was not sufficient time to activate the AEB." ...This implies that the AEB and its functioning in collaboration with the TACC needs to be substantially re-evaluated/re-designed. Alain
3. Figure 6 which clearly depicts the movement of the Tesla relative to the lead vehicle and the Firetruck in the 15 seconds before the crash. The Tesla's radar and front facing camera mush have "seen' the firetruck 4 seconds before the crash and every sensing loop (1/10th of a second) during the last 4 seconds yet...
Friday, August 30, 2019
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""
width="50"
height="39">
Former
Star Google
and Uber
Engineer
Charged With
Theft of Trade
Secrets
M. Isaac,
Aug 27,
"Anthony
Levandowski
was once one
of Silicon
Valley’s most
sought after
technologists.
As a pioneer
of
self-driving
car
technology, he
became a
confidant of
Larry Page, a
co-founder of
Google, and
helped develop
the search
giant’s
autonomous
vehicles. Uber
wooed him to
gain an edge
in
self-driving
techniques.
Venture
capitalists
threw their
money at him.
But on
Tuesday, Mr.
Levandowski,
39, fell far
from that
favored
stature.
Federal
prosecutors
charged him
with 33 counts
of theft and
attempted
theft of trade
secrets from
Google. ...
The criminal
indictment
against Mr.
Levandowski
from the
United States
Attorney’s
Office for the
Northern
District of
California
opens a new
chapter in a
legal battle
that has
embroiled
Google, its
self-driving
car spinoff
Waymo and its
rival Uber in
the
high-stakes
contest over
autonomous
vehicles. The
case also
highlights
Silicon
Valley’s
no-holds-barred
culture, where
gaining an
edge in new
technologies
versus
competitors
can be
paramount....
According to the indictment, Mr. Levandowski downloaded more than 14,000 files containing critical information about Google’s autonomous-vehicle research before leaving the company in 2016. He then made an unauthorized transfer of the files to his personal laptop, the indictment said. Mr. Levandowski joined Uber later that year when the ride-hailing firm bought his new self-driving trucking start-up, which was called Otto....
“The Bay
Area has the
best and
brightest
engineers, and
they take big
risks,” John
Bennett, the
F.B.I. special
agent in
charge of the
San Francisco
Division, said
at a news
conference on
Tuesday. “But
Silicon Valley
is not the
Wild West. The
fast-paced and
competitive
environment
does not mean
federal laws
do not
apply.”Mr.
Levandowski’s
next court
date is Sept.
4. If he is
convicted, he
could face a
maximum of 10
years in
prison, a
$250,000 fine
for every
count and
additional
restitution.
“All of us are
free to move
from job to
job,” said
David L.
Anderson,
United States
attorney in
the Northern
District of
California.
“What we
cannot do is
stuff our
pockets on the
way out the
door.”..." Read
more Hmmm... Central to this
technology is
the perception
of
personal
safety and
trust. Lying,
cheating &
stealing can't
be part of
this industry,
else it will
never emerge
from the
venture
stage. If DeiselGate
and the Uber
crash weren't
enough, let
this be the
next wake-up
call to this
industry to
clean up its
ethical
behavior.
Hopefully the
FBI will also
aggressively
pursue all
cyber
attackers. It
isn't cute,
nor a virtual
reality game.
It is hard
serious work
and creativity
focused on
improving the
quality of
everyday life.
Alain
Friday, August 23, 2019
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Five
myths about
autonomous
vehicles
J.
Browne, Aug
16,
"Autonomous
vehicles are
the future.
Self-driving
cars could
change our
lives,
heralding an
era of greater
convenience,
improved
productivity
and safer
roads...." Read
more Hmmmm.... Actually much of this opening sentence
is a myth...
It doesn't
take
Self-driving
or Driverless
to have
automation
technology
yield safer
roads. It
takes
safe-driving
technology
that works,
like Automated
Emergency
Braking (front
and rear)...
And ... are we
really going
to do our
"manufacturing
or service job
" (increase
"productivity")
if we don't
have to do the
work of
driving
anymore??? Of
the few
"riding
shotgun to
work" what
percentage are
doing work
while riding
shotgun?
Certainly less
than 10%.
Less than 1%?
So much for
productivity
improvements
If we get to Driverless, then the myths aren't
myths. There
will be fewer
private cars,
downtown
congestion
will be
reduced, the
environment
will be saved,
the insurance
industry's
gross revenues
will go down substantially (but
their profits
will go up)
and AVs are
already safer
than humans
that text
and/or are
"under the
influence"
while
driving.
If we don't get to Driverless, then we'll remain with "Do-it-yourself private mobility" that will include Self-driving assistance. Armed with that form of personal mobility, then all the myths are myths: More private cars ... and the policy implications are clear. See: J. M. Greenwald, A. L. Kornhauser "It’s up to us: Policies to improve climate outcomes from automated vehicles". Also, to have a proper perspective of the role of transportation and car/"FordF150s" in greenhouse gas emissions see... M. Sivak, Aug 22, "Increased relative contribution of medium and heavy trucks to U.S. greenhouse gas emissions" Alain
Saturday, August 17, 2019
[log in to unmask]"
alt=""
class=""
width="107"
height="19">Autonomous
Vehicles: A
View from
Seniors
Katherine Freund, August 2019, "...By the year 2060,
approximately
100 million
people, 25
percent of the
US population
will be 65
years of age
and older. In
this age
group, people
outlive their
decision to
stop driving
by about 10
years, and
three out of
four live in
rural and
suburban
communities
that lack the
density for
traditional
mass transit
solutions.
Their unmet
transportation
needs lead to
social
isolation,
diminished
quality of
life, limited
access to
healthcare and
a strain on
families and
caregivers. Friday, August 9, 2019
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""
width="50"
height="39">
Uber
Posts $5.2
Billion Loss
and Slowest
Ever Growth
Rate
K.
conger, Aug
7, "Uber set
two dubious
quarterly
records on
Thursday as it
reported its
results: its
largest-ever
loss,
exceeding $5
billion, and
its
slowest-ever
revenue
growth. The
double whammy
immediately
renewed
questions
about the
prospects for
the company,
the world’s
biggest
ride-hailing
business. Uber
has been
dogged by
concerns about
sluggish sales
and whether it
can make
money, worries
that were
compounded by
a
disappointing
initial public
offering in
May.
For the second
quarter, Uber
said it lost
$5.2 billion,
the largest
loss since it
began
disclosing
limited
financial data
in 2017. A
majority of
that — about
$3.9 billion —
was caused by
stock-based
compensation
that Uber paid
its employees
after its
I.P.O.
Excluding that
one-time
expense, Uber
lost $1.3
billion, or
nearly twice
the $878
million that
it lost a year
earlier. On
that sariesme
basis and
excluding
other costs,
the company
said it
expected to
lose $3
billion to
$3.2 billion
this
year...Lyft
has also
reported a
series of deep
losses. This
week, it said
it lost $644.2
million in the
second
quarter,
though it
added that it
expected that
amount to
abate. Several
months
earlier, Lyft
had also
posted a
particularly
steep loss
related to
stock-based
compensation
payouts to its
employees..."
Read
more Hmmmm.... No wonder Uber looked so good prior to
its IPO, it
hadn't "paid"
its
employees. So
is this really
a "one time"
expense??
Anyway,
Driverless is
their only
potential
savior as a
$40 stock.
They can't
afford to pay
their
employee,
their gig
workers can't
feed families,
new customers
can't afford
their prices
and food
delivery
generates only
chump change.
Uber
Stock price,
See also...Uber and Lyft keep losing money while driving up the
number of cars
on our
overcrowded
streets.
Alain
Friday, August 9, 2019
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Toyota
invests $600m
in Didi and
signs smart
fleet
management
joint venture
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Cruise
postpones plan
to launch
driverless
taxi service
in 2019
A. Hawkins,
July 24,
"Cruise will
miss its goal
of launching a
large-scale
self-driving
taxi service
in 2019, the
GM
subsidiary’s
CEO Dan Ammann
said in an
interview
Tuesday. The
company plans
to
dramatically
increase the
number of its
autonomous
test vehicles
on the road in
San Francisco,
but will not
be offering
rides to
regular people
this year.
Previously, GM
executives
told investors
that its
autonomous
ride-hailing
service would
be open to the
public by the
end of this
year. Now it
seems as if
Cruise is
moving away
from deadlines
and launch
dates
altogether.
Ammann, GM’s
former
president who
now leads its
autonomous
vehicle unit
in San
Francisco,
wouldn’t even
commit to
launching the
service next
year, in
2020....
Cruise is still waiting for the federal government to accept or reject its request to deploy a fleet of fully driverless Chevy Bolt vehicles without steering wheels or pedals. The request was in limbo until this past March, when the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it would solicit public comments and conduct a review. That process concluded in May, and now Cruise is waiting for a final verdict. “We’re in dialogue with them,” Ammann said of NHTSA. “And nothing further to comment on at this point.”...
It will
also host
community
events to
answer
questions from
residents of
San Francisco
who, in some
respects, are
the company’s
unwitting test
subjects in
its public
self-driving
experiments...."
Read
more Hmmmm.... Starting in the Blue Chip cities trying
to serve those
that already
have lots of
mobility
options is
turning out to
be a
fundamentally
flawed
approach.
Wouldn't it be better to start providing mobility to those in areas that aren't currently well served by existing mobility options... cars and transit. Find such places like Central Jersey, Chandler AZ, South Carolina, The Villages and Peoria be precursors to the MountainViews, Washington DCs, Miamis, SFs and LAs. Start there where the need exists and real benefits can be delivered. See also Timothy Lee's take on this. Alain
Sunday, July 21, 2019
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""
width="113"
height="21">
Tesla
Vehicle Safety
Report
Tesla,
July 16, "At
Tesla, we
believe that
technology can
help improve
safety. That’s
why Tesla
vehicles are
engineered to
be the safest
cars in the
world. We
believe the
unique
combination of
passive
safety, active
safety, and
automated
driver
assistance is
crucial for
keeping not
just Tesla
drivers and
passengers
safe, but all
drivers on the
road. It’s
this notion
that grounds
every decision
we make – from
the design of
our cars, to
the software
we introduce,
to the
features we
offer every
Tesla owner.
Model S, X and
3 have
achieved the
lowest
probability of
injury of any
vehicle ever
tested by the
U.S.
government’s
New Car
Assessment
Program.
... In the 2nd quarter, we registered one accident for every 3.27 million miles driven in which drivers had Autopilot engaged. For those driving without Autopilot but with our active safety features, we registered one accident for every 2.19 million miles driven. For those driving without Autopilot and without our active safety features, we registered one accident for every 1.41 million miles driven. By comparison, NHTSA’s most recent data shows that in the United States there is an automobile crash every 498,000 miles.... " Read more Hmmmm.... This summary uses "accident" for Teslas and "crash" for NHTSA. This may suggest that the Tesla and NHTSA are not comp[arable... Tesla is reporting about apples and NHTSA is referring to "oranges". That notes; however, it does seem that for Teslas with and without AutoPilot and the other active safety features, there is consistency in the measure. A more detailed question arises about the equivalence of the driving domain for each category as well as who is at fault in each of these situations. Even in light of these issues and details, the large variation in the rates: 3.27 v 2.18 v 1.41 is very significant among Teslas. Seems as if AutoPilot and Tesla's other active collision avoidance safety features are improving safety of Teslas. The spread from the 0.5 value for NHTSA is really astonishing making Teslas much safer than the average of all other cars. Unfortunately these numbers only scratch the surface and beg for more details. In the past I have called for an independent evaluation of the Tesla crash statistics and I do that again there today. I'll offer to do it. Tesla should encourage someone to do it. As it stands today, not enough people believe or trust Tesla (see below) Tesla. That's unfortunate because improved safety is THE major objective of SmartDrivingCar technology. Alain
Sunday, July 14, 2019
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""> Ford-VW
alliance
expands to
include
autonomous and
electric
vehicles
Friday, June 28, 2019
[log in to unmask]"
alt=""
class=""
width="72"
height="21"> Apple
acquires
self-driving
startup
Drive.ai
Friday, June 21, 2019
[log in to unmask]"
alt=""
class=""> Lexus
Moves One Step
Closer to a
World Without
Crashes (Lexus
may have
pulled the
press
release???)
Saturday, June 8, 2019
[log in to unmask]"
alt=""
class=""
width="50"
height="39">
What
Truck Drivers
Think About
Autonomous
Trucking
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Saturday, May 25, 2019
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""
width="47"
height="27">
Speed
cameras are
coming to
Philadelphia's
deadliest road
Saturday, May 18, 2019
[log in to unmask]"
alt=""
class=""
width="126"
height="36">
Making
Smart Vehicles
to Improve the
Human
Condition
Sunday, May 12, 2019
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""
width="197"
height="16"> Self-driving
car company
Cruise raises
$1.15bn
Sunday, May 5, 2019
[log in to unmask]"
alt=""
class=""
width="140"
height="17">
VW
Inclusive
Mobility aims
to make sure
tech takes
care of
everyone
Friday, May 3, 2019
[log in to unmask]"
alt=""
class=""> Tesla’s
autonomy
event:
Impressive
progress with
an unrealistic
timeline
[log in to unmask]"
alt=""
class=""> Congestion
Pricing Plan
for NYC is
Coming!
Friday, March 29, 2019
[log in to unmask]"
alt=""
class=""
width="155"
height="20"> 10
Lessons From
Uber's Fatal
Self-Driving
Car Crash
Sunday, March 17, 2019
[log in to unmask]" alt="" class=""
width="116"
height="32">Automated
vehicles could
provide
mobility to
the ‘mobility
disadvantaged’
Friday,
March 1, 2019
[log in to unmask]"
alt=""
class=""
width="35"
height="38">
FORM
S-1
REGISTRATION
STATEMENT
Lyft, Inc.
[log in to unmask]"
alt=""
class="">Autonomous
Vehicles
Feb 25, " This
workshop
brought
together
experts in
cyber-physical
systems,
machine
learning,
transportation
engineering,
and applied
mathematics,
both from
academia and
from industry,
to help bridge
the technical
gaps and to
facilitate
exchange and
collaboration
across
disciplinary
boundaries..."
Read
more
Hmmmm....
Slides and
videos of the
presentations
are available
here.
In particular,
see..:
- Andrea Censi: "Liability, Ethics, and Culture-Aware Behavior Specification using Rulebooks" Abstract, Slides, video (via click on Schedule 11:30 Monday;
- Adam Oberman:"Generalization and adversarial robustness of Regularized Deep Neural Networks " Abstract, Slides, video (via click on Schedule 11:30 Tuesday);
- Alain Kornhauser: "Market Forces and Market Potential for SmartDrivingCars (aka Autonomous Vehicles) " Slides, video, (via click on Schedule 11:15 Tuesday);
- Hani Mahmassani: "Shared Autonomous Fleet Services and Multimodal Urban Mobility: Optimization, Prediction and Dynamic Network Modeling " Abstract, video, (via click on Schedule 4:00 Thursday);
Friday, February 15, 2019
[log in to unmask]"
alt=""
class=""> Facing
opposition,
Amazon scraps
New York HQ2
plans
Thursday, November 22, 2018
[log in to unmask]"
alt=""
class=""
width="94"
height="29"> Market
Framework and
Outlook for
Automated
Vehicle
Systems
R. Mudge, A.
Kornhauser, M.
Hardison, Nov,
2018 "The
surface
transportation
industry is in
the early
stages of a
series of
profound
changes,
stimulated by
the
development of
increasingly
sophisticated
driving safety
and automation
technologies.
Considerable
uncertainty
exists
regarding the
speed with
which these
changes will
take place and
the nature of
their impacts
on safety, the
overall demand
for travel,
vehicle sales,
and vehicle
ownership.
This report
does not
attempt to
forecast the
pace of these
changes,
instead
advancing a
list of
“trigger
points” that
might serve as
leading
indicators of
change....What might these changes mean for actuaries and the insurance industry? Since Driverless vehicles will most likely be available only to fleet operators and not the general public, their actuarial and insurance implication will differ substantially from the implications of Safe and Self technologies that will be on vehicles purchased by consumers. But, will these vehicles continue to be insured in the same way as personal vehicles are today or will this practice change in some way. For example, if the burden of
liability shifts to the technology rather than the driver, then should actuaries focus on product liability rather than personal liability? To what extent does technology rather than personal behavior or demographics become the important link to liability? " Read more Hmmmm.... This is a very good report. Listen to SmartDrivingCar Podcast 68 with Dick Mudge. (Of course, I'm biased. ) Alain
Thursday, November 1, 2018
[log in to unmask]"
alt=""
class=""> A
Green Light
for Waymo’s
Driverless
Testing in
California
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
New Jersey Pending Legislation re: Autonomous Vehicles
Oct 16, Establishes
fully
autonomous
vehicle pilot
program A4573
Sponsors:
Zwicker (D16);
Benson (D14)
Oct 16, Establishes New
Jersey
Advanced
Autonomous
Vehicle Task
Force AJR164
Sponsors:
Benson (D14);
Zwicker (D16);
Lampitt (D6)
[log in to unmask]"
alt=""
class=""
width="39"
height="43"> Testimony
of Alain
Kornhauser,
Assembly
Science,
Innovation and
Technology -
Monday,
October 22,
2018 -
10:00:00 AM
[log in to unmask]"
alt=""
class=""
width="42"
height="39">
Audio
Recording of
Assembly
Science,
Innovation and
Technology -
Monday,
October 22,
2018 -
10:00:00 AM
Friday, June 15, 2018
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
CPUC AUTHORIZES PASSENGER CARRIERS TO PROVIDE FREE TEST RIDES IN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES WITH VALID CPUC AND DMV PERMITS
Sunday, June 3, 2018
Waymo’s
fleet of
self-driving
minivans is
about to get
100 times
bigger
Friday, May 25, 2018
PRELIMINARY REPORT: HIGHWAY: HWY18MH010 (Uber/Herzberg Crash)
May
24, "About
9:58 p.m., on
Sunday, March
18, 2018, an
Uber
Technologies,
Inc. test
vehicle, based
on a modified
2017 Volvo
XC90 and
operating with
a self-driving
system in
computer
control mode,
struck a
pedestrian on
northbound
Mill Avenue,
in Tempe,
Maricopa
County,
Arizona.
...The
vehicle was
factory
equipped with
several
advanced
driver
assistance
functions by
Volvo Cars,
the original
manufacturer.
The systems
included a
collision
avoidance
function with
automatic
emergency
braking, known
as City
Safety, as
well as
functions for
detecting
driver
alertness and
road sign
information.
All these
Volvo
functions are
disabled when
the test
vehicle is
operated in
computer
control..."
Read more
Hmmmm....
Uber must
believe that
its systems
are better at
avoiding
Collisions and
Automated
Emergency
Braking than
Volvo's.
At least this
gets Volvo
"off the
hook".
"...According to data obtained from the
self-driving
system, the
system first
registered
radar and
LIDAR
observations
of the
pedestrian
about 6
seconds before
impact, when
the vehicle
was traveling
at 43 mph..."
(=
63
feet/second)
So the system
started
"seeing an
obstacle when
it was 63 x 6
= 378 feet
away... more
than a
football
field,
including end
zones!
"...As
the vehicle
and pedestrian
paths
converged, the
self-driving
system
software
classified the
pedestrian as
an unknown
object, as a
vehicle, and
then as a
bicycle with
varying
expectations
of future
travel
path..." (NTSB:
Please tell us
precisely when
it classified
this "object'
as a vehicle
and be
explicit about
the expected "future
travel
paths." Forget the path, please just tell us the precise
velocity
vector that
Uber's system
attached to
the "object",
then the
"vehicle".
Why didn't the
the Uber
system
instruct the
Volvo to begin
to slow down
(or speed up)
to avoid a
collision? If
these paths
(or velocity
vectors) were
not accurate,
then why
weren't they
accurate? Why
was the object
classified as
a
"Vehicle" ?? When did it finally classify the object as a "bicycle"?
Why did it
change
classifications?
How often was
the
classification
of this object
done. Please
divulge the
time and the
outcome of
each
classification
of this
object. In the tests that
Uber has done,
how often has
the system
mis-classified
an object as a
"pedestrian"when the object was
actually an
overpass, or
an overhead
sign or
overhead
branches/leaves
that the car
could safely
pass under, or
was nothing at
all??
(Basically,
what are the
false alarm
characteristics
of Uber's
Self-driving
sensor/software
system as a
function of
vehicle speed
and
time-of-day?)
"...At 1.3 seconds before impact, (impact speed was 39mph = 57.2 ft/sec) the self-driving system determined that an emergency braking maneuver was needed to mitigate a collision" (1.3 x 57.2 = 74.4 ft. which is about equal to the braking distance. So it still could have stopped short.
"...According to Uber,
emergency
braking
maneuvers are
not enabled
while the
vehicle is
under computer
control, to
reduce (eradicate??) the potential
for erratic
vehicle
behavior.
..." NTSB: Please describe/define potential and erratic vehicle
behavior Also
please uncover
and divulge
the design
& decision
process that
Uber went
through to
decide that
this risk
(disabling the
AEB) was worth
the reward of
eradicating "
"erratic vehicle behavior". This
is
fundamentally
BAD design.
If the Uber
system's false
alarm rate is
so large that
the best way
to deal with
false alarms
is to turn off
the AEB, then
the system
should never
have been
permitted on
public
roadways.
"...The vehicle operator
is relied on
to intervene
and take
action. " Wow! If Uber's
system
fundamentally
relies on a
human to
intervene,
then Uber is
nowhere near
creating a
Driverless
vehicle.
Without its
own Driverless
vehicle Uber
is past "Peak
valuation".
Thursday, April 26, 2018
This startup’s CEO wants to open-source self-driving car safety testing
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Experts say video of Uber's self-driving car killing a pedestrian suggests its technology may have fail
Tuesday, April 17, 2017
Don't Worry, Driverless Cars Are Learning From Grand Theft Auto
[log in to unmask]"
alt="imap:[log in to unmask]:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX%3E3022058?part=1.36&filename=ajafjpkfaclhelpc.png"
class=""
width="44"
height="50"
border="0">Extracting
Cognition out
of Images for
the Purpose of
Autonomous
Driving
Sunday, December 19, 2015
[log in to unmask]"
alt="imap:[log in to unmask]:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX%3E3022058?part=1.38&filename=ccalfjfhllohpdpa.png"
class=""
width="96"
height="63"
border="0">Adam
Jonas' View on
Autonomous
Cars
Video similar to part of Adam's Luncheon talk @ 2015 Florida Automated Vehicle Symposium on Dec 1. Hmmm ... Watch Video especially at the 13:12 mark. Compelling; especially after the 60 Minutes segment above! Also see his TipRanks. Alain
This list is
maintained by
Alain
Kornhauser
and hosted by
the Princeton
University
Leave
|Re-enter
[log in to unmask]"
alt="imap:[log in to unmask]:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX%3E3022058?part=1.39&filename=dhbhaandkmfbffia.png"
class=""
width="106"
height="88"
border="0">
[log in to unmask]"
alt="imap:[log in to unmask]:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX%3E3022058?part=1.40&filename=lglcejopfgfnajaj.png"
class=""
width="238"
height="92"
border="0">[log in to unmask]">Mailto:[log in to unmask]