2015-04-12
Nissan to launch self-driving car in Japan in 2016, Ghosn says
Nissan Motor Co. will launch a car with self-driving technologies in Japan in 2016, the automaker’s CEO, Carlos Ghosn, announced in New York.
“There will be a Nissan product in Japan, which will carry autonomous drive,” Ghosn said at a news conference Thursday on the sidelines of the second day of the New York International Auto Show. “Obviously when you have this kind of technology, you want also the Japanese market to enjoy it as soon as possible.” Read more
Semiautonomous Driving Arrives, Feature by Feature
Aaron Kessler 4/2/15 “AUTOMAKERS descended on New York for the city’s annual auto show this week with vehicles ready to do more than just respond to drivers’ commands. However, the question of whether drivers want their cars to take charge remained unanswered….And they plan to introduce even more advanced semiautonomous capabilities in the coming months.” Read more
Hmmm…
The genie is out of the bottle. Mercedes ad during current Masters Golf Tournament. Alain
Audi mastermind for piloted driving: the central driver assistance controller
Audi Press Release 3/31/15 “The central driver assistance controller (zFAS) is the core of future systems for piloted driving under development by Audi. This mastermind uses cutting edge, high performance processors and will work its way into the model range step by step in the foreseeable future. It is a key milestone on the road to new, automated driving functions and a demonstration of the pioneering role that Audi is assuming in the field of piloted driving. The technologies specialist Delphi has been awarded the contract for series productions.” Read more
Semiautonomous Hyundai car will hit the streets this year
Yewon Kang 4/3/15 “Owners of Hyundai Motor’s upcoming Equus will be able to take their hands off the steering wheel and feet off the brakes as they’re traveling down the highway, and let their car do the driving. The South Korea-based automaker plans to integrate a host of self-driving features into its premium sedan later this year, transforming it into a semiautonomous vehicle.
Highway driving assistance features will allow the new Equus to stay in lane, slow down and speed up as necessary to avoid collisions. The price of the new Equus hasn’t been determined but should be similar to Hyundai’s current models, ranging from $61,500 to $68,750, officials said.” Read more
Some other thoughts that deserve your time:
U.S. Transportation Secretary Foxx Announces $500 Million in Seventh Round of TIGER Funding
4/7/15 Washington DC “The TIGER program has funded innovative projects, sparked new partnerships, created intermodal connections and enabled hard-to-fund projects that are changing the face of communities all across the country,” said Secretary Foxx. “We are excited to kick off this year’s competition.” Read more of the press release.
Unfortunately none of it has been spent or is targeted to be spent on SmartDrivingCars. :-( Alain
Early Uber Architect Launches Carpooling App ‘Ride’
Douglas Macmillan 4/7/15 “A new smartphone app with ties to Uber aims to make carpooling easier for millions of daily commuters. Ride, a service for organizing co-workers at the same company into carpooling groups, opened to U.S. businesses on Tuesday and launched a new app for Apple devices.” Read more
Planes Without Pilots
By JOHN MARKOFF 4/8/15 “Technological advances are making humans less necessary in the cockpit. But will passengers trust a robot instead?…” Read more
Hmmm…But this is goofy: “…This summer, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Pentagon research organization, will take the next step in plane automation with the Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System, or Alias. Sometime this year, the agency will begin flight testing a robot that can be quickly installed in the right seat of military aircraft to act as the co-pilot. The portable onboard robot will be able to speak, listen, manipulate flight controls and read instruments.
The machine, a bit like R2D2, will have many of the skills of a human pilot, including the ability to land the plane and to take off. It will assist the human pilot on routine flights and be able to take over the flight in emergency situations….”
Wow!! I don’t get it. We now have: Sensors->displays->human->knobs->controls.
The “next” step is: Sensors->displays->R2D2->knobs->controls? Really????
We could simply have: Sensors->ProcessorBoard->controls! (Where processorBoard is a small subset of R2D2).
I don’t get it??? Alain
If Algorithms Know All, How Much Should Humans Help?
Steve Lohr 4/6/15 “Data science offers a lot of promise in many fields, but for now, it seems wise to keep human beings in the loop.
“It’s not sufficient to give a black-box answer,” said Eric Brown, IBM’s director of Watson technologies.
Watson Paths points to the need for some machine-to-man translation as data science advances. As Danny Hillis, an artificial intelligence expert, put it, “The key thing that will make it work and make it acceptable to society is story telling.” Not so much literal story telling, but more an understandable audit trail that explains how an automated decision was made. “How does it relate to us?” Mr. Hillis said. “How much of this decision is the machine and how much is human?” Read more Yes! Prof. K.
Recompiled Old News:
They Drove Cross-Country In An Autonomous Minivan Without GPS. In 1995.
Todd Jochem, 4/09/15 “Think Delphi’s cross-country voyage in an autonomous Audi SQ5 is impressive? Try doing it with 90s tech, without GPS navigation, and in a salvaged Pontiac minivan. That’s what Carnegie Mellon research scientist Dean Pomerleau and then-Ph.D. student Todd Jochem did in 1995. Here’s the story of their journey as it appeared on Robotics Trends….” Read more
Hmmm…
Impressive!! Alain
Major auto industry disruption will lead to robotic taxis, Morgan Stanley says
Jerry Hirsch 4/7/15 “…In a report to investors, Jonas wrote that the two most important technological trends in automotive transportation are the sharing economy and autonomous driving. He said those trends will fuse into what he calls “shared autonomy” or what is essentially a world of competing robotic taxi services…” Read more Hmmm..Morgan Stanley Report form 11/6/13 Alain
Half-baked stuff that probably doesn’t deserve your time:
The Evolving Automotive Ecosystem
I. Wladawsky 4/6/15 “…This is also the case in the automobile industry, one of the largest in the world. “Not since the first automotive revolution has there been such stunning innovation in the industry,” notes an excellent (I disagree, Alain) recent KPMG report, – Me, my car, my life… in the ultraconnected age. “Autonomous vehicles are only part of the story. The convergence of consumer and automotive technologies and the rise of mobility services are transforming the automotive industry and the way we live our lives.” Read more Hmmm… The ultraconnected age MUST await automated collision avoidance and automated driving. The driver CAN NOT consume what ultraconnectedity delivers if he/she has to pay attention on the road ahead PERIOD! Alain
Mercedes-AMG Models to Get Autonomous Technology
Mercedes-AMG president Tobias Moers has confirmed that the German high-performance division will eventually offer autonomous driving technologies for its models. According to Moers, the rise of driverless technology won’t signal the end to high-performance brands even if those technologies are adopted by such companies.
While speaking about this with Motoring at the New York Auto Show 2015, Moers said “If there is still a button to turn it off, that’s the better way for us at AMG. If it’s up to me where I drive and when I don’t drive, then that makes me happy still. Agreed!!!! Alain
“If I drive to the office in Stuttgart from Affalterbach and I can make my calls and look at my computer, that’s not a problem, even if I’m in an AMG. A lot of the time, driving is not so enjoyable or you have other priorities. But if I drive home from the office at 10:00pm and the roads are clear, then I like to drive my AMG,” Moers said.
Hmmm… Now there true Macho Wannabee!!! At 10 pm at night from the office you are tired and shouldn’t be driving. At 10 pm at night and you’ve been partying you must not be driving! When do you really want to be driving??? Alain
Quora Question: How Will the Transition to Self-Driving Cars Work?
Quora Contributor 4/11/15 “Stage 1 - Limited autonomy that doesn’t depend on data sharing.
Stage 2 - Semi-autonomy that utilizes shared data.
Stage 3 - Full autonomy with shared data, advanced sensors and (perhaps) high-resolution mapping…” Read more
Hmmm…
I respectfully disagree. Stage 2 (intense V2X) and Stage 3 (High resolution maps) are non-elegant and unnecessarily expensive approaches. Evolution of Stage 1 with ever increasing investments and achievements in self-centered intelligence will be the Darwinian Evolution to driverless cars. Alain
C’mon Man! (These folks didn’t get/read the memo)
Self-driving cars more likely to make you car sick
Nathan Bomey 4/8/15 “A report released today by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute projects that 6% to 12% of American adults will experience moderate to severe motion sickness while riding in driverless cars. And for the lion’s share of those people, it will happen to them the lion’s share of the time they are in the car, according to the report.
Why? “By switching from driver to passenger, by definition, one gives up control over the direction of motion, and there are no remedies for this,” report authors Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle wrote.” Read more
Hmmm…Unless reading makes you car sick. C’Mon man!!! That means that everyone riding shotgun today gets car sick because they are not in control of the car?? Whatever!! Here is the link to the abstract.
Hard to imagine that we’ve run out of research questions wrt SmartDrivingCars such that the exciting thing to anticipate is the extent of car sickness. However, being sick of conventional cars is a major motivator in the development of SmartDrivingCars.
Calendar of Upcoming Events:
Thursday, April 16, 2015 Newark, NJ
Heavy Duty Electric Brake Systems and Soterea, Inc. will be hosting a private Presentation and Demonstration of the AutonoBox™ and Electromagnetic Drive Shaft Retarder system (EMDSR) for heavy duty motor vehicles
Webinar
April 22, 15:00 GMT
What to plan for when planning for Automated Transit Networks discussed will be the key aspects of assessing whether advanced transit systems such as personal rapid transit (PRT) and group rapid transit (GRT) are a fit with the application’s requirements and characteristics. Featured expert speakers represent ARUP, Lea+Elliott and PRT Consulting.
Call for Papers
http://www.driverlesstransportation.com/event/automated-vehicles-symposium-2015
November 4-9, 2015
Call for Papers
Recent Versions of:
Delphi Successfully Completes First Coast-to-Coast Automated Drive
04/04/15 “Delphi Automotive PLC (NYSE: DLPH) has completed the longest automated drive in North America, traveling from San Francisco to New York in the first coast-to-coast trip ever taken by an automated vehicle. Nearly 3,400 miles were covered with 99 percent of the drive in fully automated mode.” Read more See also CBSNews Hmmm… I’d like to hear/read about the 1%. Alain
Car Crash Videos Highlight Risk of Multitasking With Phones
By Matt Richtel, March 25, 2015 “Memo to parents: Distracted driving by teenagers is riskier than previously thought, particularly when it comes to multitasking with a cellphone. This is one finding of research being published on Wednesday that provides sobering video evidence of the extent and nature of the problem.
The study entailed putting video cameras in the cars of drivers ages 16 to 19, allowing researchers to watch the excruciating moments before nearly 1,700 crashes. Time and time again, teenagers in the videos — which will be made available to the public — lose themselves in their devices and then are jarred back to reality when they slam into another car or careen off the road.
The study, published by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, found that distraction was the cause of roughly 60 percent of moderate and severe crashes. The study says this is four times as many as some previous government estimates…” Read more and watch video!!
This is why AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Comcast, Samsung and Apple should all be investing in SmartDrivingCars. They are the root-cause of the problem. If their services to be available while the car is moving, they are going to have to invest to make the car drive itself! Else, they should withdraw from that business segment! Alain
Elon Musk Says Self-Driving Tesla Cars Will Be in the U.S. by Summer
Aaron Kessler, March 19, 2015 “For many drivers who commute long distances, the prospect of owning a self-driving car — where a driver takes his hands off the wheel and feet off the gas — has been an elusive dream. But on Thursday, Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla, took a big step in that direction when he announced that the maker of high-end electric cars would introduce autonomous technology by this summer. The technology would allow drivers to have their cars take control on what he called “major roads” like highways.
Mr. Musk said that a software update — not a repair performed by a mechanic — would give Tesla’s Model S sedans the ability to start driving themselves, at least part of the time, in a hands-free mode that the company refers to as autopilot…” Read more
Hmmm…. I may have to eat my insinuations that Musk was all talk and no “walk” with respect to SmartDrivingCars. I’m ordering up a big plate of crow if indeed he releases the software upgrade that actually implements the non-trivial elements of Tesla’s Autopilot which today are all show and no go. Alain
Video shows SMART bus slam into multiple vehicles in West Bloomfield
Mar 3, 2015 Kimberly Gill, Police say bus driver told officers he fell asleep right before collision Video shows a SMART bus slam into several vehicles Oct. 21, 2014 on Maple Road between Middlebelt and Inkster roads in West Bloomfield. Read more
Hmmm… Should have never happened. Bus should not have crashed. It is incumbent on the Transit Industry to install Automated Collision Avoidance Systems in ALL their buses. If they won’t do it voluntarily, the insurance industry and OSHA should force them. Alain
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
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 aTaxis 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 aTaxi 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
alaink@princeton.edu
This list is maintained by Alain Kornhauser and hosted by the Princeton University LISTSERV.
| Unsubscribe | Re-subscribe |