2015-11-15

November 15, 2015Newsletter archive →

C. Hauser, Nov 13 "...Google's autonomous test cars are programmed to follow the letter of the law. But as The New York Times reported in September, researchers in the fledgling field of autonomous vehicles say that one of the biggest challenges facing automated cars is blending them into a world in which human drivers don't behave by the book...."

"...The officer stopped the car and made contact with the operators to learn more about how the car was choosing speeds along certain roadways and to educate the operators about impeding traffic per 22400(a) of the California Vehicle Code. The Google self-driving cars operate under the Neighborhood Electric Vehicle Definition per 385.5 of the California Vehicle Code and can only be operated on roadways with speed limits at or under 35 mph. In this case, it was lawful for the car to be traveling on the street as El Camino Real is rated at 35 mph.

The Mountain View Police Department meets regularly with Google to ensure that their vehicles operate safely in our community. Read more

Volvo, Nov 6 "Volvo Cars has announced details of how its self-driving cars will help make roads safer for everyone. Speaking at the International Driverless Cars conference in Adelaide, Australia, Dr Trent Victor, Senior Technical Leader Crash Avoidance at Volvo Cars Safety Centre, said that the company's autonomous cars will 'expect extreme situations'..." Read more

B. Schoettle & M. Sivak Oct '15 "...Two important caveats should be considered when interpreting the findings. First, the distance accumulated by self-driving vehicles is still relatively low (about 1.2 million miles, compared with about 3 trillion annual miles in the U.S. by conventional vehicles). Second, self-driving vehicles were thus far driven only in limited (and generally less demanding) conditions (e.g., avoiding snowy areas). Therefore, their exposure has not yet been representative of the exposure for conventional vehicles..." Read more

Press Release Nov 6 "At a press conference today, Toyota Motor Corporation announced it will establish a new company, Toyota Research Institute Inc. (TRI), as an R&D enterprise with an initial focus on artificial intelligence and robotics. The headquarters will be located in Silicon Valley near Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, U.S.A. A second facility will be located near the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A. The new company will begin operations in January 2016...." Read more

Nov 4 "...Residents and visitors in the small town of Sion in the Canton of Valais may be called on to test a new mode of public transport next year: the driverless shuttle. For the first time in Switzerland, 'smart' vehicles capable of holding up to nine passengers are expected to circulate on public roads..." Read more

Press release, Oct 29, "Volvo Cars is developing kangaroo detection technology to solve one of the most costly causes of traffic collisions in Australia.

A team of Volvo Cars safety experts travelled to the Australian Capital Territory this week to film and study the roadside behaviour of kangaroos in their natural habitat. The data Volvo Cars collects will be used to develop the first ever kangaroo detection and collision avoidance system. According to the National Roads & Motorists' Association (NRMA) there are over 20,000 kangaroo strikes on Australian roads each year costing over AU $75 million in insurance claims. The human cost of serious injuries and fatalities from animal collisions is incalculable..." Read more

Nov 8 "...Hyundai plans to roll out the latest version of its Genesis luxury sedan equipped with the so-called highway driving assist (HDA) system... is designed to keep a car within the lane, maintain a safe distance from the car ahead and provide a navigation-connected system that gives warnings of maximum and minimum speeds on highway sections. Read more

Residents and visitors in the small town of Sion in the Canton of Valais may be called on to test a new mode of public transport next year: the driverless shuttle. For the first time in Switzerland, 'smart' vehicles capable of holding up to nine passengers are expected to circulate on public roads.

A. Davies, Nov 10 "...Ford wants to skip Level 3 because it presents the one of the biggest challenges with this technology: How to safely transfer control from the computer to the driver, particularly in an emergency. It's a balancing act, one that requires providing drivers with the benefits of autonomy—like not having to pay attention—while ensuring they are ready to grab the wheel if the car encounters something it can't handle.... Read more

D Muoio Nov 9 "Citymobil2 — a pilot program for automated transportation systems funded by the European Union — is working to bring driverless, electric shuttles to different parts of the world, with its latest shuttle launch occurring in Greece. ..." Read more and nice video.

The largest property developer in China is making its own driverless cars See video (bottom of page)

"...A wider frequency band is believed to improve the accuracy of automated driving, while a unified band adopted by Japan, the United States and European nations will enable automakers to use technologies in all of the nations without requiring region-specific modifications.... participants will discuss widening the 77-81 gigahertz band, which can detect obstacles within 100 meters, the sources said. The United States and Europe have not implemented such an expansion...." Read more

T. Claburn, Oct 29 "...For automakers, creating self-driving cars may be an appealing technical challenge, but creating better-driving cars is a more attainable goal...." Read more

Boston Consulting Group, Sept '15 "...Relatively few vehicles on the road today have these systems, however, and their penetration of the market is growing at only two to five percent annually. This is a significant missed opportunity, especially considering that ADAS technologies pave the way to partially and fully autonomous vehicles, which could reduce accidents—and their cost to society—by 90 percent or more... Read more

C. Mertz, Nov 9, "...The app uses an increasingly powerful form of artificial intelligence called deep learning. By analyzing thousands of photos of gravestones, this AI technology can learn to identify a gravestone it has never seen before. The same goes for cats and dogs, trees and clouds, flowers and food...." Read more

L. Fabian Nov 2 Edition "Market Conditions, Project Initiations, Airports, Driverless Metros, ..." Read more

Website Nov 2015 "...AeroMobil is a flying car that perfectly makes use of existing infrastructure created for automobiles and planes, and opens doors to real door-to-door travel. As a car it fits into any standard parking space, uses regular gasoline, and can be used in road traffic just like any other car. As a plane it can use any airport in the world, but can also take off and land using any grass strip or paved surface just a few hundred meters long. Read more

G. Manaugh, Nov 11 "...What they hoped to scan was not just the shape of the city streets but the inner life of the autonomous cars that may soon come to dominate them... Read more and see video

National League of Cities "Mobility options are fundamental to providing a robust platform for economic activity and human interaction within the urban environment. Today, rapid technological advances coupled with shifts in demographics and public preferences are dramatically altering the nature of transportation in America's cities. Technology's ever-growing impact has profound and far-reaching implications for the future of urban mobility. Read more

S. Hanley, Nov. 8 "Tesla's Version 7.0 firmware that enables its Autopilot suite of autonomous driving functions has been out for several weeks. We know it uses an array of sensors to gather data about its surroundings. To start with, every car built since October, 2014 has both a forward looking radar and camera. The car also gets GPS data constantly and has an array of 12 ultrasonic sensors that scan all around the car in real time out to a distance of 16 feet.... Read more, see video.

P. Alongi, Oct 29 "American International Group Inc. (NYSE: AIG) today announced an initial $4 million investment with Clemson University to develop a risk engineering and analytics center and to establish the Robert Benmosche Endowed Professorship in Risk Engineering and Systems Analytics, in honor of the company's former president and chief executive officer...." Read more

G. Wong, Nov 11 "Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. reported a blockbuster $14.3 billion in sales during China's Singles' Day online shopping festival Wednesday, further highlighting the resilience of the Chinese consumer despite a flagging economy. ... Read more

P. Ross Nov 10 "..."This is the first demonstration of car-to-car communication via a high-speed cellular connection with near-5G performance," Alexander Dobrindt, Germany's minister of transport and infrastructure, said in a statement. The experiment was conducted on the recently inaugurated Digital A9 Motorway Testbed, a segment of an autobahn in Bavaria, southern Germany..." Read more

Oct 22 "Self-driving cars are already cruising the streets. But before they can become widespread, carmakers must solve an impossible ethical dilemma of algorithmic morality. ..." Read more

Nov 6, "...Despite the fact the car company has close to 500 employees, no one really knows anything about the car they're making aside from the fact it's completely electric and will be packed with connected-car features..." Read more

J Bartlett, Oct 30 "A recent viral video purporting to show how Tesla's new Autopilot software helped a driver avoid an accident underscores that there is confusion about how advanced safety systems work and what they actually do.

In that dramatic video, a dash camera shows the Tesla Model S motoring alongside a lane of stopped traffic at night, when a car coming from the other direction turns into the path of the Tesla. In the YouTube title, the driver says Autopilot deserves credit for avoiding the accident, as the description explains that he didn't see the car coming nor have his foot on the brake. However, the reality is that forward-collision warning with automatic braking is the hero—a feature that many brands offer across the price spectrum... Read more

L. Klimas, Nov 3 "..."Self driving cars is the biggest technology for the future," said Wozniak during his keynote at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo at the Gold Coast...."In 20 years, no human drivers will be allowed except for the young kids at Disneyland."..." Read more

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/

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. 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 of 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 than 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 2015

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

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2015-11-15

Some other thoughts that deserve your

Recompiled Old News & Smiles:

Courtesy of D. Maynudes: Tesla approach to AutoPilot?

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