2015-05-11
This is the first road-legal big rig that can drive itself
Sean O’Kane on May 6, 2015 “Last night, atop the Hoover Dam, Freightliner unveiled the Inspiration Truck — a partially autonomous big rig that could save lives, mitigate driver fatigue and stress, and reduce CO2 emissions up to 5 percent. Daimler, which owns Freightliner, says it has done more than 10,000 miles of testing on the truck. And now it’s street-legal, having been officially granted one of Nevada’s “Autonomous Vehicle” license plates (the first for a commercial truck) by Nevada governor Brian Sandoval at a media event before the unveiling.
The Inspiration Truck and Daimler’s underlying “Highway Pilot” technology isn’t meant to replace truck drivers completely. Instead, it’s meant to solve the problem of fatigued driving, something that plagues truck drivers who have to pull long shifts. According to Daimler, 90 percent of truck crashes result from driver error, and in one out of every eight of those cases driver fatigue plays a role…” Read more See also Driving into the future: CCJ test drives Freightliner’s SuperTruck, self-driving Inspiration By Jack Robert and Autonomous Freightliner Inspiration truck makes a splash at the Hoover Dam Alain
Dubai’s Dh475 million Bluewaters bridge project gets driverless car link to Sheikh Zayed Road
Lucy Barnard, May 2, 2015 “…The bridge, which will link the Dh1.6 billion Bluewaters Island tourism megaproject with Sheikh Zayed Road, will include two lanes designated for a driverless electric car system to the Nakheel Harbour & Tower metro station…. The Roads and Transport Authority said yesterday that the bridge will include an automated personal rapid transit system or podcars… “Read more Very interesting. This may well be the first merge of Autonomous Vehicles & Personal Rapid Transit. Hopefully they’ll make it a simple roadway that can be used by “normal” autonomous vehicles providing service from dedicated off-line stations as well as capable of venturing out onto conventional roads to deliver door-to-door mobility. Alain
Automated vehicles at Brussels airport
Press release “..The three organisations announced that driverless busses will be implemented in 2018 in order to contribute to transporting some of the 60,000 daily passengers and 20,000 employees to and from the airport and also within the airport. The objectives of the involved organisations is to transport 250 passengers per hour and per direction. Automated shuttles are therefore seen as a complementary offer to major existing transport solutions. The automated option is envisaged as a cost-effective and accessible service to complete the so-called “last-mile”. ..” Press release in Dutch Read more Obvious thing to do! Newark airport…Think about it! Alain
Car Safety IPO Mobileye Ties Future To Tesla, Others
by Investor’s Business Daily “..Mobileye says that Tesla is among eight carmakers that have bought into its most advanced technology. So are Audi, Volvo, Nissan (NSANY), BMW and General Motors (GM). “Tesla uses the majority of our advanced applications,” Aviram said.
Consumers’ and automakers’ increasing focus on safety provides “near-term opportunities” for Mobileye, while semi- and fully autonomous cars are medium- to long-term opportunities, Shanker says… He noted that the Volkswagen brand will likely follow Audi in using mono-vision and may choose Mobileye for that technology, seeing that it’s the dominant mono-vision provider….
Toyota, like Daimler’s (DDAIF) Mercedes, uses an internally developed vision solution, McCourt says.
While Mobileye is a pure-play in vision technology for vehicles, other more diversified auto suppliers compete, such as Continental Automotive and Bosch, based in Germany, and Japan’s Denso, Shanker says. “They make mono-vision but primarily their products are in stereo-vision,” he said….Mobileye contends that stereo-based systems are more expensive than monocular systems, use more power and take up more space on the windshield, plus they have more trouble separating background objects….”Read more
Some other thoughts that deserve your time:
Visualizing Synthesized Individual Person Trips on a Typical Day Throughout the Lower 48
T Fongaard & J. Perricone “Given the billion individual person trips taken by the 308 million Americans on a typical weekday synthesized by H. Wyrough, we developed a robust data framework through which one can easily query, manipulate and analyze any set of trips throughout the nation. Read more WebGL demo Pls wait for it to load. It is big Alain
Google patents a way for self-driving cars to understand a cyclist’s hand signals
Matt McFarland May 4 “A year ago, Google made an impressive announcement. Its self-driving cars were capable of interpreting the hand signals of cyclists. Google didn’t offer much detail then on how this system worked, but a patent issued to the tech giant in April gives a window into how it plans to use machine learning to make self-driving cars a reality on city streets.
The patent describes using a combination of sensors — a camera, LIDAR and RADAR — to collect a mountain of data on the environment surrounding the car. From this data, Google’s algorithms can determine whether a cyclist is present, and then identify parts of his or her body. Once Google has identified a cyclist’s hands and arms, it can recognize signals and act accordingly. So if a cyclist sticks out his or her arm to indicate a left turn, Google can recognize the motion and adjust the car’s speed or direction as necessary….” Read more
Building a New California
Luke Phillips 05 May 2015 “…The current strategy for the future of California’s transportation system is wildly unrealistic. Passenger rail is simply too ineffective to justify building an expensive new High Speed Rail system that wouldn’t even be able to pay for itself. Commuter rail usage rates have been on the decline. A better way forward would be to embrace the power of computerization in the transport sector, and put our population on a path towards using self-driving cars.
The benefits of a driverless car network are numerous. They include greater safety, optimized traffic flow, reduced congestion, higher productivity, and cheaper, more effective travel for those unable to afford a car….” Read more
Recompiled Old News :
Half-baked stuff that probably doesn’t deserve your time:
Digital map-maker TomTom looking to secure its future in the world of autonomous vehicles
A. Kalogianni - May 5, 2015 “It looks like everyone wants into the self-driving car game — and it’s not just Google or auto manufacturers. TomTom, makers of GPS navigation devices, is hoping to be the main provider of autonomous driving tech after having a rough seven years….” Read more Hmmm… Join the club! Alain
Will Driverless Cars Impact Life Insurance And Annuities?
Linda Koco “…Safety involves more than lowering the risk that driverless car operators will cause an accident, he added. But he noted that there is also the risk that other people, who do not yet have the same type of technology in their cars, might still cause accidents. So there will be a transition period before the impact of improved safety can be fully measured…. What??? Those that cause the accidents pay high rates, those that don’t pay low rates. “Those” includes the driver-technology combination. It is no longer just the driver that is being insured, it is the combination (and the driver’s relevance is quickly disappearing). So the safe technology deserves a substantial discount and “Flo and the Gecko” will go after that market. Alain
“…Where insurance is concerned, the commonly-voiced expectation is that, once auto insurers see data on the improved safety, they will respond by lowering rates or offering discounts to owners of autonomous-equipped vehicles. This would be in keeping with discounts now available for cars with airbags, anti-lock brakes, rear-view cameras and numerous other safety features….What??? Those that use traditional actuaries to “see data” wont see it in their own data. they will experience a “Kodak Moment” because they will have lost all of their customers who bought the technology and promptly were courted with substantial discounts by “Flo and the Gecko”. Alain
Here’s why Uber would spend $3 billion on maps
Alex Fitzpatrick/TIME, May 8, 2015 “Ride-hailing company Uber is willing to pay up to $3 billion for HERE, a Nokia-owned mapping service that competes with Google Maps, the New York Times reports…But why would Uber want a mapping company? Two reasons…” Read more Hmmm… Let me guess… So that it would finally have a legitimate business?? or… because a few years ago Nokia bought it for $8.1 billion and they like the trend??? Alain
C’mon Man! (These folks didn’t get/read the memo)
Calendar of Upcoming Events:
Call for Papers
http://www.driverlesstransportation.com/event/automated-vehicles-symposium-2015
November 4-9, 2015
Call for Papers
Recent Versions of:
Hands-Free Cars Take Wheel, the Law Isn’t Stopping Them
Aaron M. Kessler 5/3/15 “Several automakers plan to release vehicles that enable some hands-free driving, but few states have laws to regulate them… Car manufacturers see hands-free technology as the natural next step in driving — an evolution that has gone from cruise control to anti-lock brakes to electronic stability control. None of those innovations required permission from regulators.
And legal experts say the automakers’ positions are most likely correct — that in the absence of specific laws against it, hands-free driving is legal. “Most states don’t expressly prohibit automated vehicles,” said Bryant Walker Smith, a professor of law and engineering at the University of South Carolina…” Read more Especially some of the comments. Alain
event on urban road transport automation in La Rochelle
Press Release April 2015 “…The week started with a meeting of urban transport stakeholders, notably city authorities and public transport representatives, to debate the role and expectations of cities regarding road transport automation. A number of key issues emerged from this meeting, including urban planning and design and business model: How can cities plan for road automation? How will road automation change the shape of our cities? What type of business model can be developed to deliver road passenger transport automation? … Read more Must see the video describing the La Rocehelle CityMobil2 Demo. Alain
Guidelines for Safe On-Road Testing of SAE Level 3, 4, and 5 Prototype Automated Driving Systems (ADS)
March 26, 2015 “SAE International has created the first-ever safety guidelines for on-road testing of prototype models of fully automated vehicles. J3018 Safety Guidelines for the On-Road testing of Prototype Models of Fully Automated Vehicles is an important document as more fully automated vehicles with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) will be tested on public roads. Read more
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
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 Kessle, 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
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:
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
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