2015-08-09

August 09, 2015Newsletter archive →

S. Shackford, July 15 "One of the propelling concepts behind self-driving cars isn't just innovation for the sake of innovation, leading us to our sci-fi Jetsons future. If successfully implemented, it will make ground travel safer, ...Local governments have become increasingly dependent on human screw-ups as a way to raise money. Speeding tickets. DUI citations. Parking violations. Those are all big money-makers for municipalities that could very well go away under a regime of self-driving cars....On top of that, if the theory that self-driving cars will lead people to own fewer cars holds up, revenue from registration fees will drop as well.... Read more

July 15 "...Aviram said he doesn't see Google's more expensive prototype as a practical rival. Mobileye is already making money with systems that lay the stepping stones toward a driverless future. The company's revenue -- derived mostly from driver-assistance technology -- is forecast to grow 53 percent this year to $220 million, according to the average estimate of 11 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

Seven years from now, the majority of Mobileye's revenue will come from semi-autonomous and autonomous cars, Aviram says...." Read more Also, August 8:

August 7, "Tech giant Google has been running its subsidiary company called Google Auto LLC to fully develop its fleet of self-driving cars in the near future, according to documents obtained by The Guardian.

Google Auto was established in 2011 when Google replaced its self-driving Toyotas (Prius models) with Lexus SUVs, The Verge reported via The Guardian. In the documents presented, Google Auto serves as the official manufacturer of the company's 23 self-driving Lexus cars. Significantly, this list includes those autonomous cars that were involved in recently publicized accidents. Google Auto was also used to apply for each car's vehicle identification number or VIN, The Verge restated. Read more

Aug 6 "Whether it is fuel savings, safer commutes or freed-up time behind the wheel, motorists have many reasons to embrace self-driving cars. But another group is just as eager to see these vehicles on the road: politicians.

Lawmakers from California, Texas and Virginia are wooing the autonomous-car industry, along with the jobs and tax revenue that come with it....The prize: a piece of the estimated $20 billion automakers and other companies will spend globally on development over the next five years, according to an analysis by Gartner..." Read more

Aug. 5 "Nokia (NYSE: NOK) has finally agreed to sell its HERE mapping business to a consortium of German automakers, including BMW, Daimler, and Audi for an enterprise value of 2.8 billion euros ($3.07 billion). The deal is expected to help automakers extend their reach into connected cars without the help of U.S. tech giants. Read more

E. Walker, Aug 6 "The nasty battle between Uber and the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio over New York City's proposed cap on livery vehicles has ended, at least for now, with the city and the ride-hailing giant agreeing to postpone a decision pending a "traffic study." There's no doubt who won, though. The mayor underestimated his opponent and was forced to retreat...leveraging the power of its app to prompt a populist social-media assault, all in support of a $50 billion corporation.." Read more

A. Davies, Aug. 3 "Some benefits of self-driving cars are easy to imagine: Without the ability to get distracted, angry, drunk, or sleepy, they'll make fewer mistakes than human drivers and save lives. Once we let go of the wheel, we can use our time in the car to do other things, like catch up on work or hone your Snapchat game. There's another, less obvious upside to giving up control: A drop in congestion.

In an attempt to explain that to the ignorant, Peter Cardwell-Gardner and Mark Backler created Error-Prone (play with it),

a simple, somewhat goofy game that gives players control of 26 cars driving in a circle, each marked with a different letter. Without human intervention, the cars drive at the same speed, with the same distance between each, and all is well. You can take over any car by pressing the corresponding key, and then assume responsibility for driving at the correct speed, without rear-ending the car in front of you, or slowing down those behind..." Read more Also see

M. Orcutt Aug 3 "A tiny artificial eye inspired by the vision systems of insects could help small flying drones navigate their surroundings well enough to avoid collisions while buzzing around in confined, cluttered spaces—a key step in making these small autonomous flying vehicles practical..." Read more

Jume 23, 2015 "On the evening of May 31, 2009, 216 passengers, three pilots, and nine flight attendants boarded an Airbus 330 in Rio de Janeiro. This flight, Air France 447, ..." Read more

June 30, 2015 "In 1956, General Motors hosted a car expo called "Motorama." As with all car expos, Motorama was a chance to show off concept cars and other kinds of ..." Read more

J. Coffed, et al 2015 "The Global Positioning System (GPS) has become a ubiquitous service supporting many critical infrastructures including intelligence and law enforcement missions, transportation, financial applications, civil safety response and Department of Defense capabilities. The GPS signal is susceptible to service outages due to intentional and unintentional jamming. Recognizing this threat, Exelis set out with the objective to develop technology that identifies and locates jamming sources.

This technology provides actionable intelligence, enabling authorities to locate and mitigate the sources of interference thereby assuring safety, efficiency, and revenue. Our methodology includes combining sensors and proprietary software to enable geolocation of interference sources. The resultant data is available in the form of pin mapping of interference allowing the jamming source to be seen through an easy to use web enabled graphical user interface." Read more

J. Carson, May 29, 2015 "Peterbilt showcased its Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) during a Technology Showcase Friday at Texas Motor Speedway. The system is a street capable GPS autopilot that Bill Kahn, principal engineer for Peterbilt, says is accurate to within 5 centimeters. "It's the stepping stone to autonomous driving," he says.

The truck uses a sophisticated camera system to guide and center itself within the lane, but the software is also capable of learning a route when such markers are absent. While the truck can adjust its own speed, detect objects in its path and navigate itself toward its destination, Kahn says the outfitted Model 579 test unit – which would be classified as a Level 3 autonomous vehicle – is far from an autonomous truck. Read more See video

Oct 9, 2014 "Volvo Buses reinforces its safety position by introducing a forward collision warning and emergency braking system. The technology automatically applies full brakes to the bus if a collision with a vehicle in front is imminent and the driver doesn't react to the initial warning. The solution becomes available on Volvo coaches in 2015.... " Read more

T. Dunn Aug. 2007 "...This study used the National Transit Database and crash data from 6 U.S. transit operators. The data show that there is an average of 1.5 collisions per transit bus and related annual costs of over $4,000. Of the technologies evaluated, only side object detection systems showed the potential to be cost effective. In general, transit agencies are receptive to in-vehicle safety devices when there is evidence of their effectiveness. Several vendors currently offer products while others are awaiting commitments from the U.S. DOT or coordinated transit industry interest before developing their products. It is recommended that the U.S. DOT pursue operational tests of the side object detection system and other stronger-performing systems in order to validate the findings of this study...." Read more

Sept 8, 2008 "The thought of a bus moving along city streets while its driver has both hands off the wheel is alarming. But a special bus introduced today (Friday, Sept. 5), steered not by a driver, but by a magnetic guidance system developed by engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, performed with remarkable precision. Read more

Ed Markey, Feb 2015 "...The proliferation of these technologies raises concerns about the ability of hackers to gain access and control to the essential functions and features of those cars and for others to utilize information on drivers' habits for commercial purposes without the drivers' knowledge or consent...." Read more

J. Hirsch July 11, 2015 "For at least 22 hours a day most cars sit parked, sucking up their owners' money while waiting to be driven. For most people, it's one of their most underutilized — but most expensive — assets.

Now, some companies are devising ways to help people profit from their vehicles. Startups like RelayRides and Getaround help people rent out their cars during down time. Uber, Lyft and Sidecar connect car owners with people willing to pay for a ride. The rapid growth of these startups is transforming transportation — making it easier than ever before to get around without owning a car — and forcing automakers to devise new strategies to lure prospective buyers. ... Read more

M Ramsey July 19 "ANN ARBOR, Mich.— Toyota Motor Corp. and a clutch of other companies are backing a $10 million testing ground at the University of Michigan for self-driving vehicles, an investment that could boost Detroit's ability to compete in the auto industry's emerging tech war.

The 32-acre facility, dubbed Mcity and opening Monday, will give the auto industry a hub that can be used by anyone researching autonomous vehicles. In addition to being one of the few open-source test centers of its kind anywhere, it is also one of the few situated in a cold climate that could present challenges to self-driving cars. "There is nothing else like it in the world," said Peter Sweatman, director of the university's Mobility Transformation Center, a public-private research institute that includes the testing area.. "Read more

"TF-X™ is the practical realization of the dream of countless visions of the future; it is designed to be the flying car for all of us. In order to achieve this long-sought-after vision, Terrafugia will focus the TF-X™ program with clear goals that enhance the safety, simplicity, and convenience of personal transportation. We believe these goals are achievable today...."Read more

Scott Collie, July 10, "As 3D printing techniques improve and the push towards autonomous cars grows stronger, it was only a matter of time before the two technologies were combined to create an autonomous 3D-printed car. That's exactly what Local Motors has done, putting together an autonomous car to be tested by the boffins at University of Michigan as part of a 12 month trial..." Dont read more

July 16, "Markus Hoffmann, an engineer at Audi, prepared himself for a high-speed run around the Sonoma Raceway here in Northern California. But instead of grabbing the steering wheel, he clutched a button he would release only if something went awry. The car, which he called Robby, was going to negotiate the two-and-a-half-mile Nascar track by itself — at 120 miles an hour...." Don't read more

November 4-6, 2015

http://www.automatedfl.com/our-efforts/florida-automated-vehicles-summit/

July 31, 2015

July 28 "...These vulnerabilities pose great risks and the federal government must do more to help protect Americans from these risks."

Late last year, the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act, originally introduced by Congressmen Lipinski, was signed into law. The Act increases the security of federal networks and information systems, improves the transfer of cybersecurity technologies to the marketplace, trains a cybersecurity workforce, and coordinates and prioritizes federal cybersecurity research and development efforts. Read more

July 27, 2015

Monday, July 20, 2015 – "After more than three (3) years of planning and several major meetings the substantive launch the Center for Automated Road Transportation Safety @ Fort Monmouth (CARTS@FM) occurred this week with the establishment of the not-for-profit. (501(c) (6)), New Jersey Corporation. The mission of this Center is to substantially improve safety on our existing conventional roadway infrastructure through the use of inexpensive automated collision avoidance systems installed on individual vehicles operating harmoniously with conventional vehicles throughout most, if not all, existing roadways. The scope of CARTS's mission is across all modes that utilize the nation's conventional road system: trucks, buses and cars. .." Read more

July 13, 2015

D. Norman 6/4/15 "Imperfect automation, continually getting better? Or distracted drivers, continually getting worse? Choose.

I am fearful of the rapid rush toward full automation and have published numerous articles about the difficulties we will face because of the mismatch of the automation and human behavior. However, I am even more fearful of the rapid rise of distracting devices installed in automobiles, mounted on dashboards, worn on the wrist or body, or carried on seats, pockets, and laps of drivers...Each day seems to bring a new distraction. Heads-up displays (HUDs) that once were aids to minimizing distraction by making it easier for the driver to see navigation aids and speed, are now catching featuritis, that deadly disease which corrupts products...." Read more

The most dangerous part of automated vehicles is when they are partially automated: the better the automation, the less able a person is able to take corrective action. This is a point I have argued for since my early work on aviation safety some 20 years ago but has been part of the human factors literature since long before that (Bainbridge

July 3, 2015

I. Sancken 03/29/15, "Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-3) has introduced H.R. 2886, the Future Transportation Research and Innovation for Prosperity (TRIP) Act, to support innovative technologies that have the potential to fundamentally alter mobility in America and beyond.

"Surface transportation used to be rather staid and unimaginative, but today the very concept of 'mobility' is being reinvented through research, innovation, and entrepreneurship," said Rep. Lipinski. "Rapidly advancing automation, connectivity, and information technologies are creating incredible opportunities for transportation innovation. We need to develop innovative ways to improve safety, ease congestion, improve personal mobility, and cut energy use..." Read more

June 29, 2015

D. Dangerfield, 6/12/15 "Imagine a vehicle that can drive on its own. On Saturday, the public will be invited to take a ride in one. The new driverless Meridian Shuttle is part of an exhibit that opens at MOSI on Saturday. The vehicle allows up to eight people to ride around the first floor of the museum. Read more

June 10, 2015

6/8/15 "WASHINGTON – In a report released today, the National Transportation Safety Board outlined the life-saving benefits of currently available collision avoidance systems, and recommended that the technology become standard on all new passenger and commercial vehicles.

"You don't pay extra for your seatbelt," said Chairman Christopher A. Hart. "And you shouldn't have to pay extra for technology that can help prevent a collision altogether."... Read more Hmmm Yea!!!

Finally some semblance of sanity in Washington. Alain

May 29, 2015

E. Goodmay, May 24 "...Dr. Nash and his wife, Alicia, 82, were in a taxi on the New Jersey Turnpike in Monroe Township around 4:30 p.m. when the driver lost control while veering from the left lane to the right and hit a guardrail and another car, Sgt. Gregory Williams of the New Jersey State Police said.

The couple were ejected from the cab and pronounced dead at the scene. The State Police said it appeared that they had not been wearing seatbelts.... Read more

May 21, 2015

Chris Urmson May 11, 2015 "After 1.7 million miles we've learned a lot — not just about our system but how humans drive, too. The most common accidents our cars are likely to experience in typical day to day street driving — light damage, no injuries — aren't well understood because they're not reported to police. Yet according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data, these incidents account for 55% of all crashes. It's hard to know what's really going on out on the streets unless you're doing miles and miles of driving every day. And that's exactly what we've been doing with our fleet of 20+ self-driving vehicles and team of safety drivers, who've driven 1.7 million miles (manually and autonomously combined). The cars have self-driven nearly a million of those miles, and we're now averaging around 10,000 self-driven miles a week (a bit less than a typical American driver logs in a year), mostly on city streets. In the spirit of helping all of us be safer drivers, we wanted to share a few patterns we've seen. A lot of this won't be a surprise, especially if you already know that driver error causes 94% of crashes.

If you spend enough time on the road, accidents will happen whether you're in a car or a self-driving car. Over the 6 years since we started the project, we've been involved in 11 minor accidents (light damage, no injuries) during those 1.7 million miles of autonomous and manual driving with our safety drivers behind the wheel, and not once was the self-driving car the cause of the accident. ... We'll continue to drive thousands of miles so we can all better understand the all too common incidents that cause many of us to dislike day to day driving — and we'll continue to work hard on developing a self-driving car that can shoulder this burden for us." Read more

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

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 Rochelle CityMobil2 Demo. Alain

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 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

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

2015-08-09

Some other thoughts that deserve your

Recompiled Old News:

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

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

Calendar of Upcoming Events:

Recent Versions of:

Lipinski Continues Efforts to Keep Cars and Other Transportation Safe from Cyber Attacks in Wake of Fiat Chrysler Recall