2015-11-01

November 01, 2015Newsletter archive →

A Siff, Oct 22 "The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has unanimously approved an estimated $10 billion plan to replace the existing 65-year-old bus terminal.

The plan approved Thursday includes an international design competition. The final design will be picked in September." See Video

J. Hsu Oct 26, "An experimental self-driving car has set a record for an autonomous road trip in Mexico. The trip from the U.S.-Mexico border to Mexico City provided the opportunity to collect data and prepare for an even longer upcoming road trip from Reno, Nevada to Mexico City.

The autonomous car in this case was a 2010 Volkswagen Passat Variant named Autonomos. The modified, self-driving vehicle can automatically control speed, direction, and braking without human driver intervention, but it also relies upon GPS to safely follow preset routes. Researchers prepared special maps containing terabytes of data detailing the number of lanes, highway markings, exits, intersections and traffic lights..." Read more

A. Roy, Oct 15 "Winter is coming for car manufacturers. An Autonomous Winter, without end. If you've seen what Tesla is doing with Autopilot, and all they plan to do with it, you've already seen the future. Now it's up to automakers to figure out what they want to be in this new world as quickly as possible. Don't think so? It's because no one can remember anything that happened before the VW emissions scandal. While everyone is talking about the future of diesel and the consequences for VW, two big announcements were made around the Frankfurt Auto Show have been mostly forgotten: Google's hiring of former head of Hyundai Motors America John Krafcik as CEO of their Self-Driving Car Project, and Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche's claim that "we do not plan to become the Foxconn of Apple."...."

GAO-15-775, Sept 2015 "...p35: Although V2I applications are being developed for the purpose of providing safety, mobility, operational, and environmental benefits, the extent to which V2I benefits will be realized is currently unclear because of the limited data available and the limited deployment of V2I technologies. To date, only small research deployments have occurred to test connected vehicle technologies. However, DOT has commissioned or conducted some studies to estimate potential V2I benefits, particularly with respect to safety and the environment. ..." Read more

J. Ayres, Oct 31 "How soon will Tesla know if use of the new autopilot feature reduces overall auto accident rates amongst users? Given the greatly detailed information that Tesla gathers regarding driving patterns and events, one would presume… not that long from now.

Though I suppose that perhaps there may be advantages to waiting awhile to publicly reveal what's known (presuming that the company does end up sharing publicly)?..." Read more

F. Lambert, Oct. 30 oet"...He said that the system should improve every day, but that improvements might only become noticeable every week or so by adding up. Just a few weeks after the release, Model S owners are already taking to the Tesla Motors Club forum to describe how the Autopilot is improving…Musk said that Model S owners could add ~1 million miles of new data every day, which is helping the company create "high precision maps":..." Read more

M. Bergen, Oct 27 "The list below is not exhaustive. Yet after conversations with nearly a dozen manufacturers, industry experts and tech companies involved in the world of self-driving cars, Re/code assembled a portrait of the leading, innovative companies and critical dynamics in the autonomous industry.

You know the iPhone teardown. Welcome to the self-driving car industry teardown:..." Read more

S. Byford, Oct 29 "...From sleek, electronic vehicles that feel more like gadgets than cars, to roaring, muscular love letters to the concept of driving itself, it was all here this year. .." Read more (see Pictures See Also Cars of the Future on Display at Auto Show and Meet Mercedes-Benz's Vision Tokyo, a self-driving car for the megacity

Tesla AutoPilot Videos (Some irresponsible):

P. Kiger, Oct 2 "...Perhaps the most profound effect of driverless vehicles would be to drastically reduce the need for parking structures and surface lots, which today take up a third of land inside cities, according to Rowe. Some of the garages and underground structures could be converted into storage spaces for urban dwellers who live in micro units, while the unneeded surface lots would be available for commercial or residential development or green space.?..." Read more

acomik.tumblr.com, Oct 2015 "Robo-cars, are they too dangerous? See more.

B. Guarino, Oct 27 " The appeals of the driverless car are multiple, but the argument in favor of letting Robo-Jesus take the wheel gaining traction is the simplest of the bunch: Human drivers are bad...." Read more

E Ailes, Oct 13, "They're known variously as "hoverboards" or "rideables" and are the latest must-have at the feet of celebrities - but the Crown Prosecution Service says riding them on public UK roads is illegal. What is this futuristic new breed of transportation - and how practical is it?..." Read more

November 4-6, 2015

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

9:30 am – 4:00 pm

Kim Engineering Building, University of Maryland

8228 Paint Branch Dr., College Park, MD 20742

Open to the public

http://www.advancedtransit.org/library/news/technix-2016-envision-automated-transit-eat/

J. Gorzelany Oct 22, "Every state in the union requires motorists to pass a battery of tests in order to be licensed, so why not self-driving vehicles? That's a notion recently discussed in a white paper written by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle of the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute..." Read more

Stephen C. Oct 16 "... It seems like every billionaire with a tech company is working on a self-driving car, so they're coming whether you like it or not..." See Video

Oct 7 "The US risks losing its leading global position in the development of self-driving cars if it allows a patchwork of varying state laws and regulations to develop, according to Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Cars.

In a speech to be delivered Thursday at a high level seminar on self-driving cars organized by Volvo Cars and the Embassy of Sweden in Washington DC, Mr Samuelsson will say...

He will urge regulators to work closely with car makers to solve controversial outstanding issues such as questions over legal liability in the event that a self-driving car is involved in a crash or hacked by a criminal third party.

Mr Samuelsson will clearly state Volvo's position on both of these contentious issues.

He will say Volvo will accept full liability whenever one if its cars is in autonomous mode, making it one of the first car makers in the world to make such a promise.

He will add that Volvo regards the hacking of a car as a criminal offense. ...."Read more

Oct 2 "As Google's driverless cars have logged more then a million miles in the past six years, the rest of the auto industry is racing to keep up. Computer scientist Ralf Herrtwich hits the road with "60 Minutes" correspondent Bill Whitaker to demonstrate Mercedes-Benz's most advanced self-driving prototype. Watch the full story Sunday on "60 Minutes." Watch video and watch 60 minutes on Sunday Oct 4. This is really becoming mainstream.

Congratulations Ralf! Alain

D. Hakim, Sept 26 "...It is not Volkswagen's first run-in with regulators over emissions. When the United States began regulating tailpipe pollutants in the 1970s, Volkswagen was one of the first companies caught cheating. It was fined $120,000 in 1973 for installing what became known as a "defeat device," technology to shut down a vehicle's pollution control systems. This time, it equipped its vehicles with software that was programmed to fake test results, an action the E.P.A. rebuked in 1998, when it reached a $1 billion settlement with truck-engine manufacturers for doing the same thing.....

Cheating on emissions tests solved several issues at once. Not only were drivers rewarded with better mileage and performance, but the automaker also avoided more expensive and cumbersome pollution-control systems. While Volkswagen cheated behind the scenes, it publicly espoused virtue. This, after all, is the company that used one of the largest advertising arenas in the world, the Super Bowl, to run a commercial showing its engineers sprouting angel's wings.

...Confronted again, Volkswagen continued to maintain that there was a problem with the testers, not the vehicles...Government officials then increased the pressure on the company, threatening to withhold approval for its 2016 Volkswagen and Audi diesel models. According to the E.P.A., that is what forced Volkswagen's hand. On Sept. 3, a group of senior engineers admitted what the regulators had suspected: ...." Read more

B. Vlasic, Sept 11 " Federal regulators said on Friday that 10 automakers had agreed to install automatic braking systems, which use sensors to detect potential collisions, as standard equipment in new vehicles.

But the automakers have not set a timetable for the introduction of the systems, ...Anthony Foxx, the transportation secretary, said in a prepared statement that emergency braking technology could reduce traffic deaths and injuries.

"We are entering a new era of vehicle safety, focusing on preventing crashes from ever occurring, rather than just protecting occupants when crashes happen," Mr. Foxx said....

The 10 companies "will work with I.I.H.S. and N.H.T.S.A. in the coming months on the details of implementing their historic commitment," the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a statement (Same as the DoT Statement.) Read more

B Simpson, July 19, 2015 "The premise is promising. Develop and market a plug-and-play, forward-avoidance braking system for the heavy vehicle market that can be installed quickly, upgraded regularly, and even transferred from vehicle to vehicle if necessary.

The Autonobox System essentially is a second braking system for heavy-duty vehicles that addresses the long-standing problem of brakes that overheat after intense use like a panic-stop or sustained use while going downhill.... Read more

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 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

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

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

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

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

2015-11-01

Some other thoughts that deserve your

Various

Your AutoPilot Has Arrived....Oct 14, 2015

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

A Beautiful Mind Mathematician John Nash and His Wife Killed in N.J. Car Crash;