2015-02-27

February 27, 2015

Safety Advocates Call on U.S. DOT to Issue Rule Requiring Crash Avoidance Technology for Large Trucks

Feb 19, 2015 “Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the Truck Safety Coalition, the Center for Auto Safety and Road Safe America, filed a petition today with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requesting that the agency initiate rulemaking to require forward collision avoidance and mitigation braking (F-CAM) systems on all new large trucks and buses with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,000 pounds or more. F-CAM technology uses radar and sensors to first alert the driver and then to apply the brakes when a crash is imminent….Petition for Rule Making (PDF); Petition Crash List (PDF); Press Release (PDF)” Read more

Driverless car beats racing driver for first time

Sarah Knapton, 13 Feb 2015 “Driverless cars now out-perform skilled racing drivers, engineers at Stanford University have shown, after pitting their latest model against a track expert. The team has designed a souped-up Audi TTS dubbed ‘Shelley’ which has been programmed to race on its own at speeds above 120 mph at Thunderhill Raceway Park in Northern California. …” Read more Be sure to watch video. Alain

By Tony Borroz Feb. 16, 2015 “…Unlike a lot of other car-to-car information sharing concepts that focus on improving traffic flow and cutting down on congestion, Volvo’s connectivity project focuses on cars sharing information on road conditions related to road friction via a cloud-based network. Think of the system as providing a series of tiny, rolling road condition reports that are localized to where you are and aimed only at you….”Read more

…Hmmm This has always been a no brainer. Most cars today are equipped with a wheel slip sensors that activate a dashboard light. The Nav system knows car position and velocity. All that needs to be done is for the wheel slip message to be tagged onto the crowd-sourced travel-time message (which necessarily included location and velocity. The aggregator of these messages who “broadcasts” real-time travel times to Nav systems also includes “slippery condition” message. The Nav system now can alert the driver of slippery conditions and max speed warnings as easily as it does congestion ahead. It can even find the new Min-time-of-arrival route based on anticipated speed reductions in order to avoid slipping.

Alain

The Economist Provides False Comfort to Established Carmakers on Driverless Cars

Chunk Mui 2/24/15 “..The Economist has taken the opportunity of recent reports about Apple’s car aspirations to dismiss the chances for Silicon Valley to disrupt traditional carmakers. An article in its February 21st 2015 print edition calls out Apple AAPL -1.49%, Google GOOGL +0.61%, Uber, Tesla and Sony-funded ZMP by name but makes a blanket declaration that “established carmakers, not tech firms, will win the race to build the vehicles of the future.” Incumbent carmakers can still win the race to build driverless cars, as I have also argued, but not by relying on the rationalizations given by The Economist.

The Economist depends on five often-recited but weak assumptions to make its case that carmakers will win. Not only are these assumptions faulty, they are dangerous because they are lulling some carmakers (and companies in other potentially disrupted industries—like insurers) into a false sense of security. Read more …very worth reading Alain

Do driverless cars mean we can scrap HS2?

Peter Franklin, Feb 17, 2015 “… In particular, he notes the “level headed” recognition that the “technology will develop gradually, perhaps taking as much as 20 years before it starts to transform anything.” Twenty years might seem like a long time in politics; but as Mian notes, this is the timeframe over which some very large infrastructure investments are being committed today. If new technology does start transforming transport over this period, shouldn’t we rethink some of our assumptions?

HS2 is an obvious example: “Consider the new North-South rail link to deliver a high speed rail line between London and other major cities (at high cost.) What if by the time the line is built—roughly 20 years—driverless cars can make those journeys almost as quickly with much greater flexibility on departure and arrival times than rail can offer?”…” Read more Hmmm…Potentially big implications. Alain

How Much Training Do You Need to Be a Robocar Test Driver? It Depends On Whom You Work For

Mark Harris 24 Feb 2015 “…But an investigation by IEEE Spectrum has uncovered that these autonomous training programs vary considerably in content, intensity, and duration. Drivers hoping to operate one of Google’s autonomous Lexus SUVs will spend at least five weeks on classroom lessons, in-car observations, hands-on sessions, and evaluations. Those itching to get behind the wheel of a computer-controlled Audi A7, however, could complete the carmaker’s training program in less than 2 hours….” Read more

Some other thoughts that deserve your time:

Jessica Conrad, Sept. 23, 2013 Mahfouda’s new ridesharing service launched at LaGuardia Airport in July, fills idle capacity in taxis by getting passengers who have complementary destinations into the same cab. The above picture is of Bandwagon’s taxi sharing stand with digital ride board at LaGuardia. Drivers make a better fare, passengers pay less for the same distance they would travel alone,Read more ….Such an operation has existed manually for 40 years @ the taxi stand in front of Union Station in Washington, DC Alain

Feb. 8, 2015 Kim Lyons “Last winter, ride-share companies Lyft and Uber rode into Pittsburgh with a new way of getting around: match drivers in their own cars and passengers with smartphone apps. It drove regulators and taxi companies crazy, but drivers raved about the money they made, customers loved the convenience and newly inaugurated Mayor Bill Peduto welcomed the alternate transportation option.

A year later, some of that new-car smell has worn off, even as the state’s Public Utility Commission has come around to the idea that the services should stay.” Read more

The Stone: Outing A.I.: Beyond the Turing Test

Benjamin H. Bratton, Feb. 23, 2015 “The idea that an advanced artificial intelligence should be able to “pass” as humanlike is self-defeating, unethical and perhaps even dangerous.” Read more Very worth reading! Prof. K.

Google and Apple Fight for the Car Dashboard

In the coming months, dealerships around the country will begin selling vehicles capable of running Android- and Apple-compatible dashboard systems.Read more …Hmmm… So dangerous. Why don’t they fight to drive the car. Then we’ll be alive to enjoy heir traveTainment. Prof. K.

Upsetting the Apple car

Feb 21 “The established carmakers, not tech firms, will win the race to build the vehicles of the future…” Read more

Ford’s Working on a Remote Control for Your Car

Alex Davies 01.26.15 “Ford is testing technology that controls vehicles thousands of miles away using off-the-shelf parts and a standard 4G LTE connection….” Read more

Singapore Restaurant Uses Autonomous Drone Waiters

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

La’Zooz a team in Israel developing a ridesharing currency … La’Zooz platform will synchronize empty seats with transportation needs in real-time, and match like-minded people to create a great ride-sharing experience for a “fair fare”…Read more OK, I’m paying attention, but what about the details?? Alain

Are We Ready for Autonomous Vehicles?

Jim McGregor, 2/26/2015 “Driving a smartphone gives rise other issues - safety, security, reliability, and ownership costs….” Read more Hmmm…Mostly a rehash. Alain

Calendar of Upcoming Events:

Autonomous/Connected Vehicle Summit Concord Hilton, Concord CA March 31, 2015

1st Workshop - Socio-economic impact of road transport automation

March 30, 31, 2015

Call for Papers

http://www.driverlesstransportation.com/event/automated-vehicles-symposium-2015

Job Postings

Recent Versions of:

to lead development of driverless car technology

The pathway to driverless cars: summary report and action plan

The pathway to driverless cars: a detailed review of regulations for automated vehicle technologies

The above review identifies issues that need to be addressed to enable automated vehicle technology testing on UK roads whilst maintaining high levels of road safety. It covers the best and safest ways to trial vehicles where a qualified individual is present who is capable of taking control of the car. It also looks further ahead, to the implications of potential use of fully autonomous vehicles. Read more Plus read speech Hmmm…

Looks like the UK wants to take the lead. Do we want to watch or help? Plenty for all of us to do. Alain

Germany’s A9 autobahn to become test track for self-driving cars

Tony Borroz, Jan. 27, 2015 “Germany’s Minister of Transport has announced a project that will see a section of the A9 autobahn that connects Berlin and Munich set it up for autonomous vehicle testing.

Hanging digital bells and whistles on the A9 will include infrastructure provisions for vehicle-to-vehicle communication, as well as liberating a chunk of the 700 MHz radio spectrum so the test cars can talk back and forth. The project is expected to get underway later this year….” Read more This is interesting. Alain

January 29, 2015

NHTSA adding automatic braking to recommended safety tech list

Jan 25 “…US Department Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has announced the addition of two automatic emergency braking systems to the recommended list of safety features under the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP)…

Emergency braking systems are slowly becoming the norm in safety evaluations. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety now requires it for a model to earn a Top Safety Pick + rating, and the tech is a must to score five stars in the Euro NCAP crash test.

Be sure to read the included Foxx’s Press Release:

“PRESS RELEASE January 22, 2015, WASHINGTON – Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx today announced that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plans to add two cutting-edge automatic emergency braking systems to the recommended advanced safety features included under its New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) – the latest step in a half-century of safety innovations that have saved more than 600,000 lives, according to new research NHTSA released today….” Read more Hmmm… this is really good. Especially if the “plan” is actually implemented and if it is extended to buses and trucks. Alain

January 22, 2015

State-wide aTaxi Service

Serving New Jersey’s Personal Mobility Needs with the Casual Sharing of autonomousTaxis (aTaxis): Land Use, Personal Travel Demand, Casual Ride-sharing Potential, Fleet Size Requirements and Empty aTaxi Management. Orf 467F14 Student Reports for each of New Jersey’s counties.

Even though these are unedited student reports they contain substantial information and perspectives on the opportunities and challenges for aTaxis to adequately serve the majority of New Jersey’s mobility needs. While there are significant causal ride sharing opportunities during peak hours in peak directions, sufficient to eliminate congestion, and aTaxis can substantially increase the utilization (by a multiple of 5) of NJ Transit’s rail system by providing efficient and high quality “last mile” mobility to/from rail stations, it is unlikely that average vehicle occupancy (AVO = personTripMiles/aTaxiMiles) for all trips, all day could reach a level of 2.0. Moreover, that is before one accounts for empty aTaxi repositioning that enables the sharing of aTaxis. These reports are the first that begin to address the empty aTaxis problem. It is non-trivial especially if one wishes to have multiple sized aTaxis so as to have the size of the serving aTaxi more closely match the number of shared rides that are being served. The spatial-temporal imbalances of the shared-ride demand seem to impose a great deal of empty repositioning.

It may well turn out that having only four passenger aTaxis may be better than having a fleet consisting of 2 and 6 passenger aTaxis. The reduction in empty repositioning of a uniform fleet of aTaxis may well compensate for the extra energy consumed by a larger aTaxi when a smaller two passenger aTaxi could have done the job and the foregoing of some shared riding when two four passenger aTaxis need to be used because a single 6 passenger aTaxis was not available to serve the six travelers. Alain

January 4, 2015

New York Bus Driver Arrested After Fatally Striking Pedestrian

MARC SANTORA DEC. 24, 2014 “A Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus driver was arrested on Wednesday after his bus struck and killed a 78-year-old man on Tuesday night in Brooklyn. The driver, Reginald Prescott, was charged with failing to yield to a pedestrian and violation of highway law, the police said.

Mr. Prescott, 57, was driving a B44 bus eastbound on Farragut Road in East Flatbush when he made a turn onto New York Avenue around 6 p.m., according to the police. As he was making the turn, Jean Bonne-Annee was crossing the street and was struck by the bus, the police said…” Read more

Hmmm… Tragic for everyone. Such accidents would be largely avoidable if transit buses were equipped with pedestrian detection and automated collision avoidance systems that are almost at hand. These systems are close to being ready for “prime time”. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA, whose main mission is safety!) could substantially accelerate the effectiveness and adoption of such technology by focusing some of its research budget on this technology. Alain

December 21, 2014

Daimler Chairman Dr. Dieter Zetsche to Deliver Keynote Address at 2015 CES

Arlington, VA – 10/06/2014 – “The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® today announced that Dr. Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, will deliver a 2015 International CES® keynote address focused on the latest advances in autonomous vehicle technology. Owned and produced by CEA, the 2015 CES, the global gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies, will run January 6-9, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Dr. Zetsche will discuss autonomous vehicle technology and its impact on society, mobility and environment, as well as raise ideas and questions for the future. In addition to his insights on the future of Daimler Intelligence Drive, Dr. Zetsche’s 2015 CES keynote will feature the world-debut of a new car concept.His address is slated for 8 PM Monday, January 5 at the Chelsea Theater within the Cosmopolitan.” Read more Daimler will have a Level 4 Research Car at their booth on January 6 ONLY! Alain

December 12, 2014

2014 Florida Automated Vehicle Summit

Florida DOT is blazing the trail for the integration of automated vehicles into existing traffic operations and leading by example with pilot projects, research projects, and open dialogue to ensure that Florida serves as a fertile proving ground for these exciting new technologies. Agenda Register