2016-05-22
May 22, 2016
Derailment of Amtrak passenger train 188, Philadelphia, PA, May 12, 2015 NTSB/ DCA15MR010
Public meeting of May 17 “… Executive Summary…This report addresses the following safety issues:
-
Crewmember situational awareness and management of multiple tasks….
-
Positive train control. In the accident area, positive train control had not yet been implemented at the time of the accident, but it has since been implemented. The NTSB found that the accident could have been avoided if positive train control or another control system had been in place to enforce the permanent speed restriction of 50 mph at the Franklin Junction curve.
Hmmm… Kudos to NTSB for finding “…the accident could have been avoided if positive train control or another control system had been in place to enforce…”
HOWEVER, given that
PCT was [mandated by Congress in 2008](https://www.fra.dot.gov/eLib/Details/L03588)
with a deadline of
December 15, 2015 and
that 6 months before
the deadline PTC had
NOT been implemented
on Amtrak's highest
volume segment
(PHL-NYC) is so
unacceptable that this
deserved to have been
their #1 bullet. NOT
some poor train
engineer that was
simply trying to do a
job made enormously
more dangerous and
stressful because
Amtrak management
failed to implement in
a timely manner what
had been mandated by
its "sugar daddy"!!
So the NTSB "threw"
the engineer "under
the bus" and
essentially all of the
news reports pointed
to the engineer rather
than Amtrak's senior
(mis)management ([The Atlantic](http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2016/02/the-mystery-of-amtrak-188/458967/), [NBC](http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Deadly-Amtrak-Crash-Philadelphia-NTSB-Cause-379762581.html),
[Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/ntsb-prepared-to-release-report-on-last-years-deadly-amtrak-wreck/2016/02/01/3c9f7e46-c837-11e5-88ff-e2d1b4289c2f_story.html), [WSJ](http://www.wsj.com/articles/ntsb-says-engineer-in-2015-philadelphia-amtrak-crash-lost-situational-awareness-1463497474),
[NYT](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/31/magazine/the-wreck-of-amtrak-188.html?_r=0)
etc. Why didn't the
NYT do a long story on
why Amtrak management
didn't install PTC in
a timely manner???)
My point here is
larger in that this
same issue exists in
the rest of the
transit industry where
crash-avoidance
technology exists
today that can
substantially reduce
collisions and do so
while printing money
for the transit
industry. [Dr. Jerome Lutin and I](http://orfe.princeton.edu/%7Ealaink/SmartDrivingCars/PDFs/LutinKornhauser_2016TRB_BusACAS.pdf)
have pointed out to
deaf ears that
automated collision
avoidance systems
exist today for buses
whose costs are
substantially less
than the net present
value of the liability
that these buses can
be expected to impose
on society. This is
about the cash
that a hopelessly
bankrupt transit
industry has to pay
out because it isn't
installing existing
crash avoidance
technology that is
available today. On
top of that cash are
all of the societal
benefits associated
with eliminating
collisions. There is
no rush (not even a
faint heart-beat) by
the industry to do
this. FTA is totally
asleep, yet bus
drivers continue to be
placed in some of the
most stressful and
unsafe working
conditions without the
help that such
technologies can
deliver. I can't be
more blunt... The
major cause of
accidents in the
transit industry is
the fact that the
management of the
transit industry is
not installing in its
fleets existing and
available automated
collision avoidance
systems. What is even
more derelict is that
new bus procurement
don't include such
provisions either.
When is the finger
going to finally be
pointed towards
"Management" and the
FTA instead of the
poor bus driver or
train engineer? NTSB
is getting close by at
least putting it
2nd, but if the public
is to become aware, it
will need to rise to
the top bullet. Alain
Senator Mark Green speaks in national forum on autonomous cars, job creation
May 20, "Clarksville
Republican Senator Mark
Green joined technology
and auto industry leaders
at the University of
Maryland's National
Transportation Center in
its program, "[Automated Vehicle Policy and Regulation: A State Perspective Workshop](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/automated-vehicle-policy-and-regulation-a-state-perspective-workshop-tickets-24499019226)."..."
[Read more](http://www.theleafchronicle.com/story/news/2016/05/20/senator-mark-green-speaks-national-forum-autonomous-cars-job-creation/84657462/) Hmmm...Good
one day conference
with some [excellent presentations](https://app.box.com/v/AVStatePolicyWorkshop) as
well as [my wrap-up comments](http://orfe.princeton.edu/%7Ealaink/SmartDrivingCars/Presentations/WrapupUofMD_AV_Workshop.pdf).
Alain
NXP Demonstrates Complete Autonomous Vehicle Platform Using NXP Silicon at Each ADAS Node
Press Release, May 16 “Marking a significant milestone in the fast-approaching self-driving vehicles era, NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ:NXPI) today demonstrated a comprehensive and highly manufacturable autonomous vehicles platform leveraging NXP’s new BlueBox engine, and deploying NXP silicon and software solutions at each ADAS node. The system demonstration incorporates the BlueBox central computing engine, together with radar, lidar, and vision sensing, as well as an onboard secure V2X system – all of which are powered by NXP silicon currently in volume production or sampling to customers now…“ Read more Hmmm…Nice! , but how does it do with DeepDriving? Alain
Will robot cars drive traffic congestion off a cliff?
J. Lowy, May 15 “…Experts foresee robot cars chauffeuring children to school, dance class and baseball practice. The disabled and elderly will have new mobility. Commuters will be able to work, sleep, eat or watch movies on the way to the office. People may stay home more because they can send their cars to do things like pick up groceries they’ve ordered online.
Researchers believe the number of miles driven will skyrocket…” Read more Hmmm…Excuse me!… Not all researchers…Yes, we agree that since the dis-utility of travel will diminish substantially, person-miles traveled will go up substantially, HOWEVER, it is not at all clear that the current auto ownership model will survive (read the next article). If we evolve to MoD (Mobility-on-Demand), then the sharing-the-cost financial advantages of ride-sharing as well as its environmental, energy and congestion-relief consequences are likely to be sufficiently compelling that “miles driven” will actually go down. (And go down substantially in peak-hour, peak-direction so as to eradicate congestion.) High-rise apartment dwellers don’t own their own private elevators (except maybe “The Donald”). They casually ride-share whenever the on-demand warrants. Alain
Will Robo-Ubers Kill Car Ownership?
D. Pogue, June 1 “…Yes, self-driving cars are revolutionary. But on-demand driverless cars? The changes would be so massive and fast and global, there’s almost nothing about daily transportation that wouldn’t change—mostly for the better. Inexpensive robotic rides would mean there would be no particular reason to own a car. You wouldn’t have to buy one, maintain it, gas it up…“ Read more Hmmm…Nice light article stating the obvious. Alain
Want to Buy a Self-Driving Car? Big-Rig Trucks May Come First
J Markoff, May 17, “… led by 15 former Google employees, including eight engineers. Among its staff members are major figures from Google’s self-driving car and maps projects, and it is aiming at the long-haul freeway driving that is the bread and butter of the commercial trucking industry.
The engineers think that
automating trucks rather
than passenger vehicles
could be more palatable
financially and to
regulators....Since the
Google car and map
veterans, Anthony
Levandowski and Lior Ron,
founded Otto in January,
the company has expanded
to 41 employees and has
been test-driving three
Volvo trucks, logging in
more than 10,000 miles..."[Read more](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/17/technology/want-to-buy-a-self-driving-car-trucks-may-come-first.html?_r=0) Hmmm...Interesting,
but does [Ott](https://blog.ot.to/introducing-otto-the-startup-rethinking-commercial-trucking-cfdc502ef452#.zhlld07g1)o
really have more than
[Peloton](http://peloton-tech.com/)
or even [Soterea](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2dJwKNHr78)
except a better market
focus and
substantially better
PR? Is this another [Cruise](http://fortune.com/2016/03/11/gm-buying-self-driving-tech-startup-for-more-than-1-billion/)?
Alain
You can now sign up to test ride a driverless car in London
May 16 “…London has opened the doors to the UK’s first public trial of autonomous vehicles. That means if you are in the UK, you can register with GATEway (Greenwich Automated Transport Environment) and take a ride around London’s Greenwich area in a self-driving electric car…“Read more Hmmm…PRT without an exclusive overhead guideway. How interesting!. Alain
3D animation of autonomous car interior.
Chesky, See AnimationHmmm…cute, but who knows how they’ll look??. Alain
Some other
thoughts that deserve your
attention
Maverick “car guy” Bob Lutz still pulls no punches
J. Berr, May 16 “… The veteran auto executive recently discussed the state of the auto industry with CBS MoneyWatch (transcript has been edited for clarity and space)…My argument with Tesla is the business. It’s a cult stock, and I’ve been saying for months that the business model doesn’t work. They’re losing a ton of money. They’re running out of cash. Their sales are sideways to down… “ Read more Hmmm…Ouch!, Interesting perspectives derived from extensive experience. Worth reading. Alain
On the More Technical Side
http://orfe.princeton.edu/~alaink/SmartDrivingCars/Papers/
Recompiled
Old News & Smiles:
Google reports self-driving car mistakes: 272 failures and 13 near misses
M. Harris, Jan 12, 2016 “…Between September 2014 and November 2015, Google’s autonomous vehicles in California experienced 272 failures and would have crashed at least 13 times if their human test drivers had not intervened, according to a document filed by Google with the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)….
However, Google admits that its drivers actually took over from their vehicles “many thousands of times” during the period. The company is reporting only 69 incidents because Google thinks California’s regulations require it only to report disengagements where drivers were justified in taking over, and not those where the car would have coped on its own…” Read moreHmmm…Good article about the realities of testing. See also Autonomous Vehicles in California. Alain
Half-baked
stuff that probably
doesn't deserve your
time:
Group Seeks to Pave Way for Nationwide Adoption of Driverless Cars
M. Ramsey, May 18, “ “…A group of business and former military leaders wants to limit states’ ability to regulate driverless cars, calling for sweeping federal legislation to avoid a patchwork of rules they believe could hinder adoption of the technologically advanced vehicles…Other recommendations from the group include allowing auto makers to sell an unlimited number of electric cars that come with a $7,500 tax credit, so long as the vehicle’s price doesn’t eclipse $55,000. The tax credit would be reduced starting in 2021 and no longer be offered by 2023. Currently, the same tax credit disappears once a company sells 200,000 electric vehicles…” Read moreHmmm…Is this an electric car initiatives. It is likely that the fleet model of autonomousTaxis would be electric powered, but autonomousPersonalCars face the same barriers as today’s conventional personal cars. And why should the public subsidize autonomousTaxis when they have their own solid business case? Alain
###
###
C’mon Man!
(These folks didn't
get/read the memo)
Calendar
of Upcoming
Events:
Connected & Automated Vehicle Conference
What States Need to Know
June 21 &22, 2016
Maritime Institute (near BWI), Lincoln Heights, MD
http://i95coalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/I95CCCAVConferencePacketREV4-15-16.pdf?dd650d
Recent
Highlights of:
#
###
May 15, 2016
Extracting Cognition out of Images for the Purpose of Autonomous Driving
Chenyi Chen PhD
Dissertation , "...the
key part of the
thesis, a direct
perception approach is
proposed to drive a
car in a highway
environment. In this
approach, an input
image is mapped to a
small number of key
perception indicators
that directly relate
to the affordance of a
road/traffic state for
driving....." [Read more](http://orfe.princeton.edu/%7Ealaink/Theses/chenyiPhDfinal_ExtractingCognitionOutOfImagesForThePurposeOfAutonomousDriving.pdf) Hmmm..[FPO 10:00am, May 16 , 120 Sherrerd Hall](http://orfe.princeton.edu/%7Ealaink/SmartDrivingCars/Presentations/ChenyiFPO.pdf),
Establishing a
foundation for
image-based
autonomous driving
using DeepLearning
Neural Networks
trained in virtual
environments. Very
promising. Alain
May 7, 2016
###
Beverly Hills to Develop Autonomous Vehicles
M. Walker April 15, “The Beverly Hills City Council voted unanimously this week to adopt a resolution to develop driverless vehicles that will provide public transportation throughout the city.
The program is part of
Beverly Hills mayor
John Mirisch's plan
for a municipally
owned fleet of
autonomous vehicles
that would function as
an on-demand car
shuttle service to and
from any address in
the city. .." [Read more](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/beverly-hills-develop-autonomous-vehicles-884316)
Hmmm...Communities
all around the
nation should
follow what
BH, Austin and
a few other
communities
are doing.
There is an
opportunity to
begin
on-demand
shared-ride
"21st Century
Public
Transit"
mobility using
volunteer
drivers to
initiate and
thoroughly
demonstrate
this low-cost
mobility in
preparation
for a massive
roll-out that
can take place
once
driverless
cars can
extend/replace
the volunteer
drivers. [Staff report](http://www.beverlyhills.org/cbhfiles/storage/files/148071911817855902/StaffReportAVs3-22-16.pdf) on
the matter; [another article](http://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/beverly-hills-votes-to-create-autonomous-vehicle-program/?_escaped_fragment_=#); [landing page for the program](http://www.beverlyhills.org/living/autonomousvehicles/#CNTSTN_2296).
Alain
April 23, 2016
###
N.J. superintendent killed while jogging was struck by student late for trip
K. Shea, April 19, “…The Robbinsville High School student who was driving the car that struck and killed the district’s superintendent Tuesday morning was late for a school trip when the crash occurred, according to two sources involved in the investigation….” Read more Hmmm…Most tragic in so many dimensions!!! HOWEVER, it was NOT the student that STRUCK the Superintendent, it was the CAR. AND the CAR needs to start being held responsible for ALLOWING such tragedies to ruin so many lives. It is very likely that this tragedy could have been averted had the car been equipped with an automated collision avoidance system and/or lane-keeping system. Given the availability of these “tragedy avoidance systems”, we should all be asking why this CAR wasn’t equipped with such a system and why all cars aren’t so equipped. Certainly innocent runners and dogs need to be asking such questions. So too, that young lady’s car insurance company; it must be muttering: “shouda bought her that upgrade”. What about the car companies themselves who are largely just sitting on the technology or the dealerships that don’t feel compelled to espouse the benefits of such technology while pushing more “horsepower” and “Corinthian Leather” (and worse yet: “AooleCarXYZ” that distracts drivers). We all know that Washington is broken. Them staying out of the way is probably best (although aggressively applying better human-visible paint/laneMarkings and human-readable signs would go a long way to helping both attentive drivers and automated lane-keeping systems). Everyone else has fundamental self-interest at stake and each needs to stop pointing the finger to the frail human driver. We have the technology and the the self-interest to make mobility substantially safer. Let’s really get on with it. It’s time! Alain
April 9, 2016
Automated Vehicle Operational Guidance Public Meeting
April 8,”At this meeting, NHTSA sought input on planned operational guidelines for the safe deployment of automated vehicles (AV). Of high importance to the agency is information on the roadway scenarios and operational environments that highly automated vehicles will need to address, and the associated design and evaluation processes and methods needed to ensure that AV systems are able to detect and appropriately react to these scenarios” Read more Hmmm…Watch testimony , especially: testimony of Dr. Jerome Lutin. Alain
March 25, 2016
Hearing focus of SF 2569 Autonomous vehicles task force establishment and demonstration project for people with disabilities
March 23 Hmmm… Watch the video of the Committee Meeting. The testimony is Excellent and very compelling! Also see Self-Driving Minnesota Alain
March 17, 2016
U.S. DOT and IIHS announce historic commitment of 20 automakers to make automatic emergency braking standard on new vehicles
Press Release, Mar 17, NHTSA & IIHS “announced today a historic commitment by 20 automakers representing more than 99 percent of the U.S. auto market to make automatic emergency braking a standard feature on virtually all new cars no later than NHTSA’s 2022 reporting year, which begins Sept 1, 2022. Automakers making the commitment are Audi, BMW, FCA US LLC, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Tesla Motors Inc., Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo Car USA. The unprecedented commitment means that this important safety technology will be available to more consumers more quickly than would be possible through the regulatory process…The commitment takes into account the evolution of AEB technology. It requires a level of functionality that is in line with research and crash data demonstrating that such systems are substantially reducing crashes, but does not stand in the way of improved capabilities that are just beginning to emerge. The performance measures are based on real world data showing that vehicles with this level of capability are avoiding crashes..Watch NHTSA video on AEB Download AEB video from IIHSRead more Hmmmm…Fantastic! Automakers leading with regulatory process staying out of the way. Alain March 12, 2016
GM Buying Self-Driving Tech Startup for More Than $1 Billion
D. Patrick Mar 11,”General Motors GM 1.43% this morning announced that it will acquire Cruise Automation, a San Francisco-based developer of autonomous vehicle technology. No financial terms were disclosed, but Fortune has learned from a source close to the situation that the deal is valued at “north of $1 billion,” in a combination of cash and stock.
Talks between the two
companies originally
related to a strategic
investment by GM in
Cruise, which was
planning to raise a
new round of venture
capital funding. But
that quickly morphed
into an acquisition
discussion with the
entire agreement
getting hashed out in
less than six weeks. [Read more](http://fortune.com/2016/03/11/gm-buying-self-driving-tech-startup-for-more-than-1-billion/)Hmmmm...That
sets the bar.
Reminiscent of [AOL paying $1.1B for MapQuest](http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/2068.html)
resulting in [NavTeq getting $8.1B from Nokia](http://mashable.com/2007/10/01/nokia-navteq/#CnEKJL0cUOqM)
followed by [Here getting $3B from MB et al](http://mashable.com/2007/10/01/nokia-navteq/#CnEKJL0cUOqM). [Deja vu all over again!](http://yogiberramuseum.org/just-for-fun/yogisms/) Very
interesting :-)
Alain
March 3, 2016
THE ROAD NOT TAKEN: How we found (and lost) the dream of Personal Rapid Transit
A. Robertson, Feb 10 , Feb. “…Half a century after its heyday, the Alden StaRRcar clearly wasn’t made for its world. It looks like a white flatiron with wheels or a sleek, plastic bullet, dwarfed by the regal sedans of 1960s Detroit. It belongs in one of Buckminster Fuller’s domed cities, a vehicle for traveling under the geodesics of a bubble-topped Manhattan. Its future wasn’t one of highways, but of narrow cement tracks looping gracefully between city and suburb, connecting increasingly alienated parts of the American landscape…
Once considered a key
to solving urban
blight, the StaRRcar
was part of a public
transit revolution
that never was — but
one that would help
launch one of the
weirdest and most
politicized public
infrastructure
experiments of the
20th century. It's an
old idea that today,
in an age of
self-driving cars,
seems by turns
impractically retro
and remarkably
prescient...
PRT's invention is
attributed to a
transportation expert
named Donn Fichter,
but the central idea
was conceived,
remixed, and adapted
by many in the 1950s
and 1960s. While the
details varied, the
prototypical PRT
system was a network
of narrow guideways
populated by small
passenger pods. When
commuters arrived,
they would hit a
button to select a
destination, calling
one of the pods like a
taxi. Then, instead of
running on a set line,
the pod would use
guideways like a
freeway system,
routing around
stations in order to
take passengers
directly to their
final stop.
The system was
designed to be
everything that
existing public
transportation wasn't.
Pods would carry only
as many people as an
average car,
guaranteeing a nearly
private ride. Riders
wouldn't need to
follow a timetable or
wait for other people
to enter and exit the
system. Because the
pods would only be
dispatched on demand,
cities could run
service to many
low-traffic areas
without worrying about
waste. There were no
drivers to train or
pay, and the pods
could run quietly on
electrical power
instead of with fossil
fuels...
Multiple plans for
personal rapid transit
fell through, whether
because of budget
problems, logistical
issues, or political
power struggles....
And as in the '60s,
we're talking about
whether self-driving
vehicles could spell
the end of private
cars...."[Read more](file:///C:/Users/alaink/Desktop/THE%20ROAD%20NOT%20TAKEN:%20How%20we%20found%20%28and%20lost%29%20the%20dream%20of%20Personal%20Rapid%20Transit)Hmmmm...A
must read. Pretty
much as I remember
it. I lived much
of it, including
designing 10,000
station, 10,000
mile PRT networks
that could serve
all of New
Jersey's needs for
personal
mobility. The
good news was that
the area-wide
systems would
provide great
mobility for all.
The bad news: No
viable way to
start. The best
starting places
could each be
readily served by
conventional
systems with no
technology risk.
Without a place to
start, PRT never
got a chance to
flourish in the
vast areas that
are un-servable by
conventional
technology.
Moreover, PRT
needed the
diversion of
public sector
capital funds that
weres already
in the back
pocket of
those pedaling
the
conventional
technologies.
Consequently,
the personal
auto has
reigned on.
Today is different. With PRT, even the first vehicle needed a couple of stations and interconnecting guideway (and all of the discussion and heartache was about the location and cost of those initial stations and guideway). With autonomous taxis sharing existing roads, one can begin with a single vehicle capable of serving many existing places without needing to pay-for/justify any infrastructure. That is today’s fundamental opportunity, in contrast to PRT’s monumental infrastructure burden even for one vehicle. That’s why aTaxis are destined to finally deliver PRT’s utopian mobility to all and substantially transform our cities and suburbs. Alain
February 18,
2016
Motor Vehicle Deaths Increase by Largest Percent in 50 Years
Press Release Feb 16 “With continued lower gasoline prices and an improving economy resulting in an estimated 3.5% increase in motor-vehicle mileage, the number of motor-vehicle deaths in 2015 totaled 38,300, up 8% from 2014.
The 2015 estimate is
provisional and may be
revised when more data
are available. The
total for 2015 was up
8% from the 2013
figure. The annual
total for 2014 was
35,398, a less than
0.5% increase from
2013. The 2013 figure
was 3% lower than
2012. The estimated
annual population
death rate is 11.87
deaths per 100,000
population, an
increase of 7% from
the 2014 rate. The
estimated annual
mileage death rate is
1.22 deaths per 100
million vehicle miles
traveled, an increase
of 5% from the 2014
rate. [Read more](http://www.nsc.org/NewsDocuments/2016/mv-fatality-report-1215.pdf)Hmmmm...This
is REALLY BAD
news. Come on
insurance. This is
costing you
money! Accident
rates going up
means that your
actuarials are
behind, your
regulated pricing
lags and you are
losing money. To
get ahead of your
actuarials, you
MUST incentivize
the adoption of
automated
collision
avoidance
systems. You'll
then do very well,
thank you AND help
society. Alain
February 9,
2016
Budget of the U.S. Government, FY 2017
Feb. 9, “…(3) Accelerate the integration of autonomous vehicles, low-carbon technologies, and intelligent transportation systems into our infrastructure….
- Providing almost $400 million on average per year in funding over the next 10 years for the deployment of self-driving vehicles. Investments would help develop connected infrastructure and smart sensors that can communicate with autonomous vehicles, support R&D to ensure these vehicles are safe and road ready, and expand at-scale deployment projects to provide “proving grounds” for autonomous self-driving and connected vehicles in urban and highway settings.
Read moreHmmmm…major victory…not only: “…for autonomous self-driving…”, bit also stated before: “… and connected…”. Alain January 14, 2016
###
Obama’s $4 Billion Plan for Self-Driving Cars Will Make Google Very Happy
M. Bergen, Jan 14 “The Obama Administration has seen the self-driving future, and it’s jumping aboard. At the Detroit auto show on Thursday morning, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx will unveil a plan to develop a national blueprint for autonomous driving technology within the next six months. He will also announce that President Obama is planning to insert $4 billion into the 2017 budget for a 10-year plan to support and “accelerate” vehicle automation projects.
"We are on the cusp of
a new era in
automotive technology
with enormous
potential to save
lives, reduce
greenhouse gas
emissions, and
transform mobility for
the American people,"
Secretary Foxx said in
a statement. ...But
here's the part of
Foxx's talk that
really matters for
Google: These
national rules will
allow fully
driverless cars..."
[Read More](http://recode.net/2016/01/14/obamas-4-billion-plan-for-self-driving-cars-will-make-google-very-happy/) Hmmm...
A [few months ago](http://www.its.dot.gov/press/2015/ngv_tech_announcement.htm)
it was $42M
for Connected
Vehicles.
Today it is
100x for
automated
vehicles!
Finally
Secretary
Foxx.."[YES! YES! JESUS H. TAP-DANCING CHRIST... I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX5tfRdkoY0)"
(Blue
Brothers)
Yea!!!!! :-)
Alain
January 3,
2016
Google Pairs With Ford To Build Self-Driving Cars
J. Hyde & S. Carty, Dec. 21 “Google and Ford will create a joint venture to build self-driving vehicles with Google’s technology, a huge step by both companies toward a new business of automated ride sharing, …According to three sources familiar with the plans, the partnership is set to be announced by Ford at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. By pairing with Google, Ford gets a massive boost in self-driving software development; while the automaker has been experimenting with its own systems for years, it only revealed plans this month to begin testing on public streets in California….
Google already has
several links to Ford;
the head of the
self-driving car
project, John Krafcik,
worked for 14 years at
Ford, including a
stint as head of truck
engineering, and
several other ex-Ford
employees work in the
unit as well. Former
Ford chief executive
Alan Mulally joined
Google's board last
year.
And Ford executives
have been clear for
years that the company
was ready to embrace a
future where cars were
sold as on-demand
services. Ford CEO
Mark Fields has
repeatedly said Ford
was thinking of itself
"as a mobility
company," and what
that would mean for
its business" [Read more](https://www.yahoo.com/autos/google-pairs-with-ford-to-1326344237400118.html) Hmmm...Not
surprising and
not exclusive.
:-) Alain
December 19,
2015
Adam Jonas’ View on Autonomous Cars
Video similar to part of Adam’s Luncheon talk @ 2015 Florida Automated Vehicle Symposium on Dec 1. Hmmm … Watch Video especially at the 13:12 mark. Compelling; especially after the 60 Minutes segment above! Also see his TipRanks. Alain
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