12.17 - Blind denied
Click or tap if you trust this link.
Sunday, April 21, 2024
Corrected
17th edition of the 12th year of SmartDrivingCars eLetter
Guide Dogs for the Blind Rideshare Survey Results Reveal More Than 83 Percent of Respondents Have Been Denied Access
Press Release, April 17, "The 16-question survey was designed by the GDB Alumni Association Board, to determine the extent and impact of rideshare denials among guide dog handlers in North America. It was conducted between January and February 2023, with 185 guide dog users in the U.S. and Canada completing the survey.
A large majority of survey participants (82 percent) utilize rideshare services, validating other past research studies which have shown that the convenience of door-to-door transportation has great appeal to those who are blind or visually impaired, causing many to walk to destinations and use public transit less often. In addition to the magnitude of rideshare denials, the survey results uncovered dramatic insights into the often-devastating impacts falling into three major categories: psychological, social, and economic.…" Read More
Hmmmm… Amazing. Here are folks who really need a ride because they can't give themselves a ride and are denied a ride by those whose business is giving people rides. How unfortunate is that. One thing is for sure, no driverless aTaxi that we're involved with is ever going to deny access to someone with a guide dog. (plus… rideshare companies rarely, if ever, give rides to casual ridesharers, why does anyone call them anything but a surge-priced conventional cab with an app, whose service to you is reflective of how much you are able and willing to tip. How much you tip is captured by the entity that rates you. Once again, the rich get richer.) Alain & Elizabeth
SmartDrivingCars ZoomCast 368 / PodCast 368 NJ AI Summit-Tesla cuts price of Supervised FSD-& more
F. Fishkin, April 21, "The NJ AI Summit at Princeton University impresses. Tesla cuts the subscription price of Supervised FSD to 99 dollars as Musk posts about the 10 billion dollar investment. Cruise returns...with drivers. The 6th Smart Driving Cars Summit is coming at the end of May. Join Princeton's Alain Kornhauser and co-host Fred Fishkin for that and more on episode 367 of Smart Driving Cars.
- 0:00 open
- 0:40 New Jersey AI Summit held at Princeton
- 7:09 Tesla cuts price for Supervised FSD subscription- Alain's take on The Verge report
- 17:25 Release notes on latest Supervised FSD taking responsible approach as Musk posts on X about investment
- 26:40 Morgan Stanley's Adam Jonas looks to August 8th Tesla Robotaxi event
- 27:29 Tesla settles Apple engineer fatal autopilot crash case
- 36:19 Cruise resumes with manual driving
- 37:05 Bern Grush reviews The Real Case for Driverless Mobility
- 46:08 Upcoming 6th Smart Driving Car Summit"
Tesla Stock Has Plunged In 2024 But It's Not Getting Cheaper
E. Carson, April 25, "Tesla (TSLA) has had a terrible start to 2024. But Tesla stock hasn't gotten any cheaper, by a key metric. In fact, it's more expensive than ever...
Of course, to an increasing extent, the Tesla bull case is looking beyond 2025. Some analysts, most famously Morgan Stanley's Adam Jonas, ascribe the bulk of their Tesla stock price targets to outside of EVs and for big bets such as self-driving, robotics and artificial intelligence…" Read more
Hmmmm… The run-up to August 8 (intro of Tesla aTaxi) should be really interesting. Hopefully Elon realizes that while it has some impressive positive attributes, the misbehavior burden of the "AirBnB FSD" concept makes it a net loser. Maybe in 20 years, after achieving a "Mature & socially Responsible FSD" one can tiptoe into an "AirBnB" version minefield, but as the first one out of the box put an enormous challenge on FSD. Please crawl, walk, before going head-first into this one. (plus the value is not there… the market for a good when the supply is overabundant is … Yup… How many people need my room when I don't need it? Plus… what do I need to do to let someone else sleep in my bed? AirBnB is a niche business. Doesn't work for many who have trouble paying the rent.) Alain
Look, no hands! My trip on Seoul's self-driving bus
N. Marsh, April 9, "There is a moment on the A21 bus, at around midnight, when the man in the driver's seat presses a small red button on his dashboard.
He smiles, then lets go of the steering wheel and lifts his feet from the pedals. The vehicle continues to glide through the streets of South Korea's capital, Seoul, turning corners and stopping at traffic lights. No-one on board seems to notice.
"One day all the buses in Seoul will be driverless," says Park Kang-uk, head of operations at SUM (Smart YoUr Mobility).
His company has spent the past four years developing the city's new self-driving night bus, which authorities say is the first of its kind anywhere in the world.
… Maybe???...Cruise did the "at night approach" in SF, but that was with cars. Minor detail…
The quiet night-time roads are also the ideal place to test the technology, which is still far from perfect.
There are some safety measures on board. For example, passengers have to be sitting down and must wear a seat belt at all times.
There is also someone in the driver's seat, who can take control of the bus in case something goes wrong. Soon, Mr Park insists, there won't be any need for that. …" Read more
Hmmmm… I wonder what is the definition of "soon"? When that time comes, hopefully the BBC will cover it and will claim the societal achievement is much more than "Look, no hands!" photo op. This article actually has lots to consider. Shared rides for those who need rides. Initially reluctant, or at least hesitantly curious passengers who seem to be converted into enthusiastic passengers, etc. Let me know what you think. Alain
Mobileye EyeQ6 Lite Launches to Speed ADAS Upgrades Worldwide
Business wire, April 17, "Mobileye announced today it has delivered the first production-candidate hardware and software of its new EyeQ™6 Lite system-on-chip to its customers, which will power advanced driver-assistance systems in multiple models launching this year. This milestone marks the beginning of the EyeQ6 family, with the EyeQ6L already set to be installed in 46 million vehicles over the next few years – becoming the global auto industry's ADAS solution of choice from the start. It will be followed by the EyeQ6 High advanced system-on-chip, on track to launch in early 2025. …" Read more
Hmmmm… This is a big announcement for all around the world who drive themselves. Alain
Why The Tesla Model Y & Other EVs Are So Safe
C. Fortuna, April 9, "In a press release, IIHS President David Harkey noted that the safety agency is determined to push automakers to raise the bar in vehicle safety. "We continue to raise the bar for vehicle safety with another significant update to our award criteria. This year's winners represent the pinnacle of automotive safety, demonstrating exceptional protection for both occupants and vulnerable road users," he said. The changes to the 2024 award criteria are designed to push automakers to pursue higher levels of safety. …" Read more
Hmmmm… The whole industry needs to pursue higher levels of safety, especially for those who prefer and can afford to drive themselves. OEMs were supposed to have Automated Emergency Braking that actually worked on all cars in today's showrooms. Hopefully IIHS will raise the bar so that they do. Also, hopefully NHTSA will begin to require OEMs to not allow excessive speeding, or inattentive operation of personally owned consumer vehicles. These and other safety-related topics of vehicles we choose to drive ourselves will be front and center in the deliberations during the 6th SDC Summit at the end of May. Alain
People are afraid of self-driving cars — can the industry change that?
Andrew Hawkins, April 16, "Forget the fact that most autonomous vehicles operate each day safely, anonymously, and without fanfare. There are hundreds in operation today in California, Arizona, Texas, and elsewhere, and the numbers are only going to increase. But when they do make mistakes, people tend to notice. Numerous public opinion polls have shown declining support for autonomous vehicles (AV) over the years and a rise in outright hostility toward the technology.
The autonomous vehicle industry's main lobbying group — yes, of course it has one — is intent on reversing this trend before it gets much worse. The Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association (AVIA) represents Cruise, Waymo, Zoox, Motional, and others. Today, it released something it's calling its "TRUST Principles," which is basically an action plan for dealing with these negative headlines and spiraling poll numbers.. …." Read more
Hmmmm… What?? Maybe the lobbying group hasn't done a good job selling the enormous value of "autonomous vehicles (AV)". Have they done a self-reflection and looked critically at what their polls ask and what they are pushing? Who is the intended audience for these polls? Those who are fully able to drive themselves and have access to multiple transport options? Or those who need a ride? Let me guess... In addition, why shouldn't the "public" be at best indifferent to something that continues to be marketed to the 1%? Think about it… Alain & Elizabeth
Self-driving cars: Google and others map the road to automated vehicles
Sam Byford, April 18, "Google and a number of automakers are spearheading the movement to get automated vehicles on America's roads. Self-driving cars are street legal in three states, and Google's fleet has collectively logged over 300,000 miles of time on the road. However, there are several obstacles in the path of widespread adoption, with legal and moral opposition to the concept coming from all corners. Follow this StoryStream to track the technology's progress as it transitions from experimental testing to consumer reality that could save thousands of lives.
Orange cones are robot kryptonite.
At least seven driverless Waymo vehicles blocked the on-ramp to 101 after being flummoxed by a construction site on Portrero Drive, according to video of the incident posted on Reddit…" Read more
Hmmmm… If true, what an avoidable mess. Sounds like a Waymo management and mapping problem. They send their cars into areas where people are playing with fireworks and want to give service between locations that are unconnected by the set of public roads that they've been given permission to use free of charge. That's not a robot problem, that's a human oversight management problem. Robots should not be ordered by humans to do things that is either impossible or illegal for them to do. Title of this should be… "Orange cones are management kryptonite". Alain & Elizabeth
The Real Case for Driverless Mobility part five
F. Fishkin, April 19, Part five. Okay…so who really needs driverless mobility? Clearly…it promises to be an affordable, safe option for people who can't drive themselves for a variety of reasons..and can be life changing. At Princeton University, Professor Alain Kornhauser has worked with teams of students creating a digital tool to show communities nationwide how it can work for them. It will be shown at the upcoming Smart Driving Cars Summit. And Kornhauser says just maybe…it can even work even for those of us who own cars.".." Read more
Hmmmm… Nice! Fred… Thank you 😊 Alain
vehicles to improve equitable access for mobility disadvantaged populations…" Read More
Hmmmm… Thank you Bern J Alain
Falling sales: Tesla cuts price of full self-driving software by a third to $8,000 in US
Reuters, April 21, "Tesla slashed the price of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) driver assistant software to $8,000 from $12,000 in the United States, as CEO Elon Musk doubles down on self-driving technology.
Musk is betting on the technology to become cash cow for the world's most valuable automaker. But he has for years failed to achieve the goal of self-driving capability, with the technology under growing regulatory and legal scrutiny. …" Read more
Hmmmm… Alain
6th Princeton SmartDrivingCar Summit
Alain Kornhauser, April, 28 "Serious engagement among those seriously involved in the Automation of Mobility
Read more and sponsorship pages. Given the success that we've had with the past Summits and the quality of the program that we've been able to assemble to date, we fully expect to be sold out. Hope you'll be able to join in with us. Alain