https://www.princetondiary.com/smartdrivingcar/DeepDriving-051516

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Extracting Cognition out of Images for the Purpose of Autonomous Driving

Chenyi Chen PhD Dissertation , "…the key part of the thesis, a direct perception approach is proposed to drive a car in a highway environment. In this approach, an input image is mapped to a small number of key perception indicators that directly relate to the affordance of a road/traffic state for driving….."  Read more  Hmmm..FPO 10:00am, May 16 , 120 Sherrerd Hall, Establishing a foundation for image-based autonomous driving using DeepLearning Neural Networks trained in virtual environments. Very promising. Alain 

  Tesla Drivers Claim Autopilot Caused Crashes

D. Morris, May 14 "In a preview of a type of dispute that is certain to become much more common, two drivers of Tesla’s Model S this week blamed the car’s self-driving features for accidents. In both cases, the company refuted those claims, pointing out onboard data that conflicted with the drivers’ stories, and citing clear warnings about how self-driving features should be used…

 But again, Tesla responded with data showing Simpson had tapped her brake pedal before the crash, deactivating autopilot features." Read more Hmmm…A couple of points here: 1. Tesla is capturing the data, so good luck on some of these claims.  2.  I have complained to NHTSA, MB, BMW, Volvo and anyone who would listen (none have) about the terrible logic associated with "intelligent" cruise control  (which must be a hold over from "stupid" cruise control.)  In "stupid" CC: touch the brakes and the system is turned off.  Fine, since the system only controls the throttle, then turning off the throttle is accomplished by turning off the CC system.  In "Intelligent" CC, touching the brake SHOULD turn off the automated throttle. I’ve signaled to the system that I wish to slow down! So why isn’t just the automated throttle turned off???  Why in the world would you also turn off the automated brake???  I’ve signaled that I want to slow down!  If the car thinks that I need help slowing down even more, why has it turned off the automated braking system (without even saying: "your on your own now")??? Oh, I see, this is the legacy of stupid CC that just turned the whole CC off because I touched the brakes.  Really???  Tell me this isn’t true!  Please!!  Alain

Apple’s Latest $1 Billion Bet Is on the Future of Cars

D. Wakabayashi, May 14, "Apple Inc.’s $1 billion investment in Chinese ride-sharing company Didi Chuxing Technology Co. reflects an intensifying battle over the future of driving and highlights emerging alliances among auto makers, technology firms and ride-sharing companies.  The competition to build and provide autonomous vehicles promises to pit the world’s two most valuable companies, Apple and Google parent Alphabet Inc., among others, against one another and against the world’s most valuable private venture-capital-backed company, Didi rival Uber Technologies Inc…" Read more Hmmm…Seems a little strange to attach driverless cars to this investment made in a country in which the labor component of mobility is so small because of an enormous labor pool and extremely low wages for many.  The biggest advantage of driverless is in regions of high cost of labor.  For years, manufacturing moved to China because the labor was an infinitesimal element of Cost of Manufacturing. So… Hmmm… Alain

HERE maps London for autonomous vehicles

May 4, "HERE has mapped London for autonomous cars, … have used LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology to provide comprehensive data that can be used by driverless cars to understand the world around them….Using its fleet of “HERE True” collection vehicles, the company is able to record 700,000 3D data sections per second, allowing it to pinpoint curbs, trees and road furniture to a 10cm accuracy….driverless vehicles … will need to have a full understanding of the world around them… vehicles must have access to extremely precise, continuously updated maps, such as HD Live Map. This information is also crucial to the success of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), such as traffic jam assist and lane keeping…"  Read more  Hmmm…Or the driverless vehicles could, every 20th of a second or so,  simply image and interpret the nearby driving environment using DeepLearning Neural Networks.  That way they also capture the most important information: what all the other cars, pedestrians, bicycles, etc. are doing near them that is completely absent from the HERE layers. Alain

Mobileye to Provide Car Companies With Autonomous Systems

M Ramsey, May 12, "… Mobileye NV, has secured agreements with two auto makers to provide systems for fully autonomous cars in 2019, deals that give a clearer timetable for when auto makers believe they can start producing vehicles entirely capable of driving themselves…" Read more  Hmmm…OK.  Alain

  GM, Lyft to Test Self-Driving Electrinc Taxis

M Ramsey, May 5, "General Motors Co. and Lyft Inc. within a year will begin testing a fleet of self-driving Chevrolet Bolt electric taxis on public roads, a move central to the companies’ joint efforts to challenge Silicon Valley giants in the battle to reshape the auto industry…" Hmmm…Isn’t Tesla already doing this en mass? "…In addition to driverless cars, GM aims to use Lyft and its growing army of drivers as a primary customer for the Bolt, an electric car that launches later this year amid soft demand for electric vehicles.  Hmmm…I see, it is really about finding customers for the Volt. …" Read more  Hmmm…OK  Alain

  Tesla Drivers Claim Autopilot Caused Crashes

D. Morris, May 14 "In a preview of a type of dispute that is certain to become much more common, two drivers of Tesla’s Model S this week blamed the car’s self-driving features for accidents. In both cases, the company refuted those claims, pointing out onboard data that conflicted with the drivers’ stories, and citing clear warnings about how self-driving features should be used…

 But again, Tesla responded with data showing Simpson had tapped her brake pedal before the crash, deactivating autopilot features." Read more Hmmm…Bravo!  They could/should do it, else they could lose it all.  Alain

Deutsche Bahn looking at adding autonomous cars to its mass transit network

J. Golson, May 6 "German railway giant Deutsche Bahn is working on adding autonomous cars to its transport network as a way of getting riders to and from the train station — the last mile, so to speak. It’s even looking at competing with companies like Uber in getting travelers around urban areas where a train might not be practical.  Speaking in an interview with German newspaper Wirtshafts Woche, Deutsche Bahn chief Rüdiger Grube said the railway "will, with certainty, operate driverless cars in the future."…

And the company is working on more than just self-driving cars. It also plans to automate the operation of the trains themselves…" Read more Hmmm…Bravo!  They could/should do it, else they could lose it all.  Alain

  New Florida Town Designed With Autonomous Cars In Mind

S. Hanley, May 4, "Babcock Ranch is a new community near the shores of the Coloosahatchie River east of Fort Meyers, Florida. It is being designed to be as sustainable as possible and to accommodate autonomous cars. In fact, the developer expects self driving cars to serve as the town’s public transportation system.  “We’re really looking closely at parking, the size of the streets, what ultimately that’s going to look like when you have driverless cars within the community,”…" Read more Hmmm…Bravo again!  Alain

Microsoft’s first self-driving car hits the road with Cortana riding shotgun

M. Dean, May 12 " April 25, "…Microsoft has also joined their ranks and showed off its first smart car…." Read more  Hmmm…never too late.  Alain


Some other thoughts that deserve your attention


On the More Technical Side

https://orfe.princeton.edu/~alaink/SmartDrivingCars/Papers/


Recompiled Old News & Smiles:


Half-baked stuff that probably doesn’t deserve your time:

Inquiry into driverless car radiation risk

G. Paton, May 16 "An investigation has been launched into the health effects of driverless cars amid concerns that magnetic fields generated by the vehicles may pose risks to motorists.

The United Nations has set up a task force to assess electromagnetic radiation levels in the cars, which are packed with hi-tech equipment. Sources said that it could lead to new regulations to limit the strength of gadgets such as radar, lane sensors, sat-navs and entertainment systems…" Read more Hmmm…You can’t make this stuff up, or another strike against Lidar?  Alain

Volvo’s self-driving trucks are going underground

S Roberts, May 9, "…The truck is fitted with GPS technology and LiDAR sensors, which continuously scan its surroundings. …."  Read more Hmmm…I keep missing something… GPS doesn’t work underground.  OK that’s why you need the Lidar.  But GPS cost but pennies, so what’s the big deal???  Alain

Can the ‘internet of moving things’ end traffic jams?

M Wall, May 10, "…The better we know where everything is, the better we can manage traffic flows and optimize routes, avoiding congestion, accidents and natural hazards, the argument goes…."  Read more Hmmm…Not really… Unless the vehicles are automated, good luck on getting humans to follow the "cloud’s" directives.  Plus who is the "we" overseeing "the cloud". Very 1984ish!  I’m not a fan!  Best way to eliminate congestion is to provide mobility that allows individuals that now drive alone (which is essentially everyone today) to ride along in small groups (casual ride-sharing), especially in "the peak direction" at "peak times".  Congestion gone without "1984"!  Alain

Ford patents drone that acts as autonomous car lookout

M. Martinez, May 10 "…The United States Patent and Trademark Office published a Ford patent application for a drone deployment system that would work with autonomous vehicles to serve as the car’s “eyes” by flying ahead and mapping its surroundings. Passengers would use the car’s infotainment or navigation systems to control the drone as an aerial sensor…The drone device is introduced to the vehicle system in order to extend the range at which the vehicle is about to obtain information on its surroundings beyond the range of any one or more sensors, visual systems and/or communications interfaces that may be onboard the vehicle,” the patent says."…"  Read more Hmmm…This one probably deserves a C’mon Man!  Really???  Maybe for a high speed railroad because it can’t see far enough ahead (but then it needs a high speed drone).  This one doesn’t come close to passing the "sniff test". Ford paid lawyers to file this??? Things must be slow.  Alain

USDOT updates its Connected Vehicle Reference Implementation Architecture

May 11, "..The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) has announced that the Connected Vehicle Reference Implementation Architecture (CVRIA) and the Systems Engineering Tool for Intelligent Transportation (SET-IT) have been updated to Version 2.2 and are now available at the CVRIA website…The SET-IT software provides a single software tool that integrates drawing and database tools with the CVRIA, so that users can develop project architectures for pilots, test beds, and early deployments….Read more Hmmm…We were all anxiously waiting for this update! Alain


C’mon Man!  (These folks didn’t get/read the memo)


Calendar of Upcoming Events:

  

https://www.autonomoustrucksevent.com/agenda-mc


Workshop on Automated Vehicle Policy and Regulation:

A State Perspective

The National Transportation Center, University of Maryland

May 18, 2016
Preliminary Program


Recent Highlights of:

Saturday, May 7, 2016

 Beverly Hills to Develop Autonomous Vehicles

M. Walker April 15, "The Beverly Hills City Council voted unanimously this week to adopt a resolution to develop driverless vehicles that will provide public transportation throughout the city.

The program is part of Beverly Hills mayor John Mirisch’s plan for a municipally owned fleet of autonomous vehicles that would function as an on-demand car shuttle service to and from any address in the city. .." Read more  Hmmm…Communities all around the nation should follow what BH, Austin and a few other communities are doing.  There is an opportunity to begin on-demand shared-ride "21st Century Public Transit" mobility using volunteer drivers to initiate and thoroughly demonstrate this low-cost mobility in preparation for a massive roll-out that can take place once driverless cars can extend/replace the volunteer drivers. Staff report on the matter; another article; landing page for the program.  Alain

Saturday, April 23, 2016

  N.J. superintendent killed while jogging was struck by student late for trip

K. Shea, April 19, "…The Robbinsville High School student who was driving the car that struck and killed the district’s superintendent Tuesday morning was late for a school trip when the crash occurred, according to two sources involved in the investigation.…" Read more Hmmm…Most tragic in so many dimensions!!!  HOWEVER, it was NOT the student that STRUCK the Superintendent, it was the CAR.  AND the CAR needs to start being held responsible for ALLOWING such tragedies to ruin so many lives.  It is very likely that this tragedy could have been averted had the car been equipped with an automated collision avoidance system and/or lane-keeping system.  Given the availability of these "tragedy avoidance systems", we should all be asking why this CAR wasn’t equipped with such a system and why all cars aren’t so equipped.  Certainly innocent runners and dogs need to be asking such questions.  So too, that young lady’s car insurance company; it must be muttering: "shouda bought her that upgrade".  What about the car companies themselves who are largely just sitting on the technology or the dealerships that don’t feel compelled to espouse the benefits of such technology while pushing more "horsepower" and "Corinthian Leather" (and worse yet: "AooleCarXYZ" that distracts drivers).  We all know that Washington is broken.  Them staying out of the way is probably best (although aggressively applying better human-visible paint/laneMarkings and human-readable signs would go a long way to helping both attentive drivers and automated lane-keeping systems).  Everyone else has  fundamental self-interest at stake and each needs to stop pointing the finger to the frail human driver.  We have the technology and the the self-interest to make mobility substantially safer.  Let’s really get on with it.  It’s time!   Alain

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Automated Vehicle Operational Guidance Public Meeting

April 8,"At this meeting, NHTSA sought input on planned operational guidelines for the safe deployment of automated vehicles (AV). Of high importance to the agency is information on the roadway scenarios and operational environments that highly automated vehicles will need to address, and the associated design and evaluation processes and methods needed to ensure that AV systems are able to detect and appropriately react to these scenarios"  Read more  Hmmm…Watch testimony  , especially: testimony of Dr. Jerome Lutin.   Alain 

Friday, March 25, 2016

Hearing focus of SF 2569 Autonomous vehicles task force establishment and demonstration project for people with disabilities

March 23 Hmmm… Watch the video of the Committee Meeting.  The testimony is Excellent and very compelling! Also see Self-Driving Minnesota Alain

Monday, March 21, 2016

Uber seeking to buy self-driving cars: source

Reuters, Mar 19, "Ride-hailing service Uber [UBER.UL] has sounded out car companies about placing a large order for self-driving cars, an auto industry source said on Friday.  "They wanted autonomous cars," the source, who declined to be named, said. "It seemed like they were shopping around."  Loss-making Uber would make drastic savings on its biggest cost — drivers — if it were able to incorporate self-driving cars into its fleet….Earlier on Friday, Germany’s Manager Magazin reported that Uber had placed an order for at least 100,000 Mercedes S-Class cars, citing sources at both companies….

The top-flight limousine, around 100,000 of which Mercedes-Benz sold last year, does not yet have fully autonomous driving functionality.."  Read more  Hmmmm…Uber has the current valuation to place the order; however, they aren’t the only ones that will want to place an advance order for such a fleet.  Lyft will want to, Enterprise-Rent -A-Car (remember, they "pick you up" (while incurring an enormous labor expense) and all of the AlainkAutonomousTaxi companies that see the economic opportunity of providing on-demand mobility without incurring labor cost.  It will be interesting to watch the bidding war for these driverless vehicles.   All of this will be going on while Alphabet gobbles up the market with its own vehicle that it keeps for itself.  Advertisers are already in the back seat of conventional cabs.  While that revenue isn’t enough to pay for the driver, it is likely to substantially offset aTaxi’s operating and capitalization costs. What’s Alphabet’s other business?? 🙂  Alain

Thursday, March 17, 2016

U.S. DOT and IIHS announce historic commitment of 20 automakers to make automatic emergency braking standard on new vehicles

Press Release, Mar 17, NHTSA & IIHS "announced today a historic commitment by 20 automakers representing more than 99 percent of the U.S. auto market to make automatic emergency braking a standard feature on virtually all new cars no later than NHTSA’s 2022 reporting year, which begins Sept 1, 2022. Automakers making the commitment are Audi, BMW, FCA US LLC, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Tesla Motors Inc., Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo Car USA. The unprecedented commitment means that this important safety technology will be available to more consumers more quickly than would be possible through the regulatory process…The commitment takes into account the evolution of AEB technology. It requires a level of functionality that is in line with research and crash data demonstrating that such systems are substantially reducing crashes, but does not stand in the way of improved capabilities that are just beginning to emerge. The performance measures are based on real world data showing that vehicles with this level of capability are avoiding crashes.. Watch NHTSA video on AEB  Download AEB video from IIHSRead more  Hmmmm…Fantastic!  Automakers leading with regulatory process staying out of the way.   Alain

Saturday, March 12, 2016

GM Buying Self-Driving Tech Startup for More Than $1 Billion

D. Patrick Mar 11,"General Motors  GM 1.43%  this morning announced that it will acquire Cruise Automation, a San Francisco-based developer of autonomous vehicle technology. No financial terms were disclosed, but Fortune has learned from a source close to the situation that the deal is valued at “north of $1 billion,” in a combination of cash and stock.

Talks between the two companies originally related to a strategic investment by GM in Cruise, which was planning to raise a new round of venture capital funding. But that quickly morphed into an acquisition discussion with the entire agreement getting hashed out in less than six weeks. Read more Hmmmm…That sets the bar.  Reminiscent of AOL paying $1.1B for MapQuest resulting in NavTeq getting $8.1B from Nokia followed by Here getting $3B from MB et alDeja vu all over again!  Very interesting  🙂  Alain

Thursday, March 3, 2016

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN: How we found (and lost) the dream of Personal Rapid Transit

A. Robertson, Feb 10 , Feb. "…Half a century after its heyday, the Alden StaRRcar clearly wasn’t made for its world. It looks like a white flatiron with wheels or a sleek, plastic bullet, dwarfed by the regal sedans of 1960s Detroit. It belongs in one of Buckminster Fuller’s domed cities, a vehicle for traveling under the geodesics of a bubble-topped Manhattan. Its future wasn’t one of highways, but of narrow cement tracks looping gracefully between city and suburb, connecting increasingly alienated parts of the American landscape…

Once considered a key to solving urban blight, the StaRRcar was part of a public transit revolution that never was — but one that would help launch one of the weirdest and most politicized public infrastructure experiments of the 20th century. It’s an old idea that today, in an age of self-driving cars, seems by turns impractically retro and remarkably prescient…

PRT’s invention is attributed to a transportation expert named Donn Fichter, but the central idea was conceived, remixed, and adapted by many in the 1950s and 1960s. While the details varied, the prototypical PRT system was a network of narrow guideways populated by small passenger pods. When commuters arrived, they would hit a button to select a destination, calling one of the pods like a taxi. Then, instead of running on a set line, the pod would use guideways like a freeway system, routing around stations in order to take passengers directly to their final stop.

The system was designed to be everything that existing public transportation wasn’t. Pods would carry only as many people as an average car, guaranteeing a nearly private ride. Riders wouldn’t need to follow a timetable or wait for other people to enter and exit the system. Because the pods would only be dispatched on demand, cities could run service to many low-traffic areas without worrying about waste. There were no drivers to train or pay, and the pods could run quietly on electrical power instead of with fossil fuels…

Multiple plans for personal rapid transit fell through, whether because of budget problems, logistical issues, or political power struggles….

And as in the ‘60s, we’re talking about whether self-driving vehicles could spell the end of private cars…." Read more  Hmmmm…A must read.  Pretty much as I remember it.  I lived much of it, including designing 10,000 station, 10,000 mile PRT networks that could serve all of New Jersey’s needs for personal mobility.  The good news was that the area-wide systems would provide great mobility for all.  The bad news: No viable way to start.  The best starting places could each be readily served by conventional systems with no technology risk.  Without a place to start, PRT never got a chance to flourish in the vast areas that are un-servable by conventional technology.  Moreover, PRT needed the diversion of public sector capital funds that weres already in the back pocket of those pedaling the conventional technologies. Consequently, the personal auto has reigned on.

Today is different. With PRT, even the first vehicle needed a couple of stations and interconnecting guideway (and all of the discussion and heartache was about the location and cost of those initial stations and guideway).  With autonomous taxis sharing existing roads, one can begin with a single vehicle capable of serving many existing places without needing to pay-for/justify any infrastructure.   That is today’s fundamental opportunity, in contrast to PRT’s monumental infrastructure burden even for one vehicle.  That’s why aTaxis are destined to finally deliver PRT’s utopian mobility to all and substantially transform our cities and suburbs. Alain

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Vancouver councillor wants city to prepare for driverless cars  T. Fletcher, Feb 18 "Driverless cars might seem like a futuristic dream, but a city councillor doesn’t want Vancouver to take a hands-off approach to the emerging technology.  Coun. Geoff Meggs is steering a motion slated for next Tuesday’s council meeting asking city staff to look into the impact of self-driving vehicles and how to maximize the benefits of the technology for Vancouver and the city’s economy.

Although the city’s transportation 2040 plan, which outlines a strategy for how people and goods will move in and around Vancouver for the next 30 years, was adopted only four years ago, Meggs said it fails to address driverless technology….  “It may be a powerful tool or there may be problems with it, but at the moment, it’s an empty category in a lot of our thinking,” Meggs told Metro. “We don’t want our (transportation) plan, which we just did, to be obsolete before it even starts.”…"  Read more Hmmmm…Yup!  Obviously, "obsolescence before ribbon cutting" is something all cities should try to avoid.  Alain

Thursday, February 18, 2016

  Motor Vehicle Deaths Increase by Largest Percent in 50 Years

Press Release Feb 16 "With continued lower gasoline prices and an improving economy resulting in an estimated 3.5% increase in motor-vehicle mileage, the number of motor-vehicle deaths in 2015 totaled 38,300, up 8% from 2014.

The 2015 estimate is provisional and may be revised when more data are available. The total for 2015 was up 8% from the 2013 figure. The annual total for 2014 was 35,398, a less than 0.5% increase from 2013. The 2013 figure was 3% lower than 2012. The estimated annual population death rate is 11.87 deaths per 100,000 population, an increase of 7% from the 2014 rate. The estimated annual mileage death rate is 1.22 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, an increase of 5% from the 2014 rate. Read more Hmmmm…This is REALLY BAD news.  Come on insurance. This is costing you money!  Accident rates going up means that your actuarials are behind, your regulated pricing lags and you are losing money.  To get ahead of your actuarials, you MUST incentivize the adoption of automated collision avoidance systems.  You’ll then do very well, thank you AND help society.  Alain

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

 Budget of the U.S. Government, FY 2017

Feb. 9, "…(3) Accelerate the integration of autonomous vehicles, low-carbon technologies, and intelligent transportation systems into our infrastructure….

  • Providing almost $400 million on average per year in funding over the next 10 years for the deployment of self-driving vehicles. Investments would help develop connected infrastructure and smart sensors that can communicate with autonomous vehicles, support R&D to ensure these vehicles are safe and road ready, and expand at-scale deployment projects to provide “proving grounds” for autonomous self-driving and connected vehicles in urban and highway settings.

Read more Hmmmm…major victory…not only: "…for autonomous self-driving…", bit also stated before: "… and connected…".     Alain

Thursday, January 28, 2016

London’s first driverless cars revealed

The consortium behind the trial has decided to adapt electric passenger shuttles that are currently in service at Heathrow Airport for use in Greenwich.  Unlike the Heathrow pods, they will not need dedicated tracks.
The Greenwich trial is one of four in the UK to test driverless technology and public reaction to it…"This vehicle has millions of miles under its belt and now we have to take it outside of the track and modify it for use on pavements," he added.  The so-called UltraPODs currently in service at Heathrow carry passengers between the car park and Terminal 5. In the five years they have been in use, they have carried 1.5 million passengers and traveled three million kilometers (1.8 million miles)…."   Read more   Hmmm…Wow!! … PRT evolving to be autonomousTaxis!  Wow!!!  🙂    Alain

Thursday, January 14, 2016

 Obama’s $4 Billion Plan for Self-Driving Cars Will Make Google Very Happy

M. Bergen, Jan 14 "The Obama Administration has seen the self-driving future, and it’s jumping aboard.  At the Detroit auto show on Thursday morning, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx will unveil a plan to develop a national blueprint for autonomous driving technology within the next six months.  He will also announce that President Obama is planning to insert $4 billion into the 2017 budget for a 10-year plan to support and “accelerate” vehicle automation projects.

“We are on the cusp of a new era in automotive technology with enormous potential to save lives, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and transform mobility for the American people,” Secretary Foxx said in a statement. …But here’s the part of Foxx’s talk that really matters for Google: These national rules will allow fully driverless cars..." Read More  Hmmm… A few months ago it was $42M for Connected Vehicles. Today it is 100x for automated vehicles! Finally Secretary Foxx.."YES! YES! JESUS H. TAP-DANCING CHRIST… I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT" (Blue Brothers)  Yea!!!!!   🙂 Alain

Sunday, January 3, 2016

 Google Pairs With Ford To Build Self-Driving Cars

J. Hyde & S. Carty, Dec. 21 "Google and Ford will create a joint venture to build self-driving vehicles with Google’s technology, a huge step by both companies toward a new business of automated ride sharing, …According to three sources familiar with the plans, the partnership is set to be announced by Ford at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. By pairing with Google, Ford gets a massive boost in self-driving software development; while the automaker has been experimenting with its own systems for years, it only revealed plans this month to begin testing on public streets in California….

Google already has several links to Ford; the head of the self-driving car project, John Krafcik, worked for 14 years at Ford, including a stint as head of truck engineering, and several other ex-Ford employees work in the unit as well. Former Ford chief executive Alan Mulally joined Google’s board last year.

And Ford executives have been clear for years that the company was ready to embrace a future where cars were sold as on-demand services. Ford CEO Mark Fields has repeatedly said Ford was thinking of itself “as a mobility company,” and what that would mean for its business" Read more  Hmmm…Not surprising and not exclusive. 🙂 Alain

Sunday, December 19, 2015

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


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