2016-06-03
June 3, 2016
It’s No Accident: Advocates Want to Speak of Car ‘Crashes’ Instead
M Richtel, May 22, “ Roadway fatalities are soaring at a rate not seen in 50 years, resulting from crashes, collisions and other incidents caused by drivers.
Just don't call them
accidents anymore.
That is the position of
a growing number of
safety advocates,
including grass-roots
groups, federal
officials and state and
local leaders across the
country. They are
campaigning to change a
100-year-old mentality
that they say
trivializes the single
most common cause of
traffic incidents: human
error. "When you use
the word 'accident,'
it's like, 'God made it
happen,' " Mark
Rosekind, the head of
the National Highway
Traffic Safety
Administration, said at
a driver safety
conference this month at
the Harvard School of
Public Health. "In our
society," he added,
"language can be
everything."
Almost all crashes stem
from driver behavior
like drinking,
distracted driving and
other risky activity.
About 6 percent are
caused by vehicle
malfunctions, weather
and other factors...." [Read more](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/23/science/its-no-accident-advocates-want-to-speak-of-car-crashes-instead.html?_r=1) Hmmm...
I should have
issue of SDC
with this article.
Mark is absolutely
correct here.
Language matters and
it is NOT an
accident. it is a
Total Poop Show!.
Alain
Uber Turns to Saudi Arabia for $3.5 Billion Cash Infusion
M. Isaac, June 1, “In its quest to build a global empire, Uber has turned to the Middle East for its biggest infusion of cash from a single investor. Uber said on Wednesday that it had raised $3.5 billion from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the kingdom’s main investment fund, in one of the largest-ever investments into a privately held start-up.
The money was part of
the ride-hailing giant's
most recent financing
round and continued to
value Uber at $62.5
billion. The investment,
which was months in the
making, does not cash
out any of Uber's
existing investors..
Uber said expanding its
service may be a boon
for Saudi Arabia, a
country where women are
not allowed to drive
because of fatwas, or
religious edicts, issued
by conservative Muslim
clerics that uphold a
distinct segregation
between the sexes..." [Read more](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/02/technology/uber-investment-saudi-arabia.html) Hmmm...
Maybe not a high
price to pay for
on-demand mobility
for the better half
of the population.
Alain
NuTonomy raises $16M to make self-driving taxis a reality by 2018
J. Russell, May 24 “Another week, another story about a promising independent self-driving vehicle company. Last week, Otto came out of stealth to offer autonomous technology for trucks, and today MIT spinoff NuTonomy announced $16 million in funding to go after its ambitious goal of offering self-driving taxis within two years.
Cambridge, MA-based
NuTonomy was founded by
MIT PhDs graduates Karl
Iagnemma (CEO) and
Emilio Frazzoli (CTO) in
2013 and it is
pioneering self-driving
technology for cars —
yes, the very kind of
vehicle that Uber,
Google, BMW, GM/Lyft,
China's Baidu and others
are currently
developing. Like Otto
but unlike the
aforementioned big
names, NuTonomy
retrofits existing cars
with the technology to
make them driverless.
The company announced a
$3.6 million seed round
in January, which
included input from Ford
chairman Bill Ford's
Fontinalis Partners
fund, and today it
revealed its $16 million
Series A round. The new
investment is led by
Highland Capital
Partners, with
participation from the
Singapore Economic
Development Board (via
its EDBI investment
arm), Ford's fund and
other existing backers
including Signal
Ventures and Samsung
Ventures..." [Read more](http://techcrunch.com/2016/05/24/nutonomy-raises-16m-to-make-self-driving-taxis-a-reality-by-2018/) Hmmm...
Congratulations.
More progress!
Alain
Autonomous-Car Startup Zoox Seeks Up to $252 Million in Funding
E. Hunt, May 27, “Zoox Inc., a secretive autonomous-driving startup in Silicon Valley, is seeking to raise as much as $252 million in funding, according to a securities filing. If the fundraising is successful, the investment could give Zoox a valuation of more than $1 billion, according to an analysis by venture-capital research firm VC Experts…. Read more Hmmm… OK, go for it! Alain
New research shows consumers uninformed, wary of new vehicle technology
J. White, June , “…Separately, a survey released Thursday in Britain found that 55 percent of 2,002 respondents said they were unlikely to want to be a passenger in a driverless car. The poll was conducted by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers/ICM Unlimited.
A separate study by
University of Michigan
researcher Michael Sivak
earlier this week found
similar wariness of
driverless vehicle
technology among U.S.
residents, with more
than half of respondents
saying they'd rather
drive themselves.
…The average of the respondents’ guesses as to a plug-in hybrid’s driving range was 260.8 miles, less than half the actual range of most plug-in hybrids on the market…“Read more (Similar USA Today, and UofM Press Release) Hmmm…And as the lore reports… If Henry Ford would have conducted a survey he would have found that consumers wanted a faster horse. What if these folks were asked: Do you ride driverless elevators? Would you prefer to drive your own elevator? Do you ride in automated people movers in airports? Do you prefer using the steps instead of an escalator? Do you tolerate sharing a ride in an elevator? etc. Alain
Let’s Use Self-Driving Cars to Fix America’s Busted Infrastructure
E. Blumenauer, May 20, “…Fleets of autonomous—and likely electric—driverless cars will contribute little in traditional transportation user fees like gas taxes, parking fees, and traffic fines, leaving governments facing ever bigger holes in infrastructure budgets. Without reliable revenue, policymakers from city councils to the halls of Congress will be unable to plan for and deliver transportation projects, construction of new infrastructure, and even basic maintenance….”Read moreHmmm… What is quoted is TRUE!; however, the rest of article is very shallow and doesn’t begin to address this most challenging issue. Alain
June 1, "...During the
weekend of 28 and 29 May
2016 the city of Helmond
was the centre of an
international event in
the field of cooperative
driving: the Grand
Cooperative Driving
Challenge. The GCDC 2016
is one of the highlights
of the i-GAME project, a
European research
project, supported by
the European Commission,
in which the next step
towards the cooperative
automation of vehicles
are taken..." [Read more](http://www.gcdc.net/en/)Hmmm...
Congratulations.
More progress!
Alain
Tesla customers have driven 100 million miles with Autopilot active
N. Statt, May 24 “Tesla says owners of its electric vehicles have driven 100 million miles using its autonomous Autopilot feature. Sterling Anderson, Tesla’s director of Autopilot programs, told a crowd at the EmTech Digital conference today in San Francisco that the data collected from those trips is what the team is using to develop, refine, and introduce more features in the future. The company has around 70,000 vehicles on the road capable of Autopilot, and those who enable it log 2.6 million miles a day. That far outpaces Google’s self-driving car program, which has driven more than 1.5 million miles throughout the history of the project…” Read moreHmmm… This is about 35miles/Tesla-day, seems a little high even if all vehicles are used every day with Autopilot on all the time. (I shouldn’t be so picky, even if they’ve exaggerated by a factor of 2, it is still an impressive amount of driving data that has been accumulated over what may well be much more diverse driving environment.) It sure would be nice if Tesla would share the data with the research community. Alain
State unveils task force to guide driverless car technology
P. Gough, June 1, “…Senate Bill 1268, sponsored by state Sen. Randy Vulakovich, R-Glenshaw, would amend the state laws to allow for testing of autonomous vehicles, require the testers to get $5 million in insurance and allow for fully self-driving vehicle testing. A memo with the bill mentions it is also being introduced to help with the Smart City Challenge funding….” Read more Hmmm… Congratulations. More progress! Alain
Michigan bills expand use of driverless cars beyond testing
D. Eggert, May 28,
"...Under a newly
introduced package of
bipartisan bills that
would update 2013 laws
to allow for the
operation of autonomous
cars on public roads
without anyone at the
wheel, tight "platoons"
of smart commercial
trucks could travel in
unison at coordinated
speeds. Also, the
Detroit Three — General
Motors, Fiat Chrysler
and Ford — and other
auto manufacturers would
be authorized to run
networks of on-demand
self-driving
vehicles..." [Read more](http://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2016/05/28/michigan-bills-expand-use-driverless-cars-beyond-testing/85083786/)Hmmm...
Especially read the
[current state of the existing version Senate Bill No. 995](http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2015-2016/billintroduced/Senate/pdf/2016-SIB-0995.pdf). Many
interesting aspects,
but why empower only
auto manufacturers
to operate
"networks of
on-demand
self-driving
(driverless)
vehicles". It's not
clear that they'll
even be the ones
manufacturing these
vehicles.
Alain
Texas project uses autonomous vehicle technology for bus safety system
June 3, "...Working in
partnership with Texas
A&M University
Transportation Services,
the Mobileye/Rosco
Shield+
collision-avoidance
system was installed on
one university bus that
traverses the heart of
the campus, passing
thousands of students
daily. The system
provides two types of
warnings to the bus
driver: a yellow light
illuminates when a
pedestrian or cyclist is
detected within range of
the bus, alerting the
driver to proceed with
caution; a red light
illuminates and a buzzer
sounds when a pedestrian
or cyclist is very close
to the bus, alerting the
driver to stop to avoid
a possible collision.
The research team is
currently assessing the
system and developing
the overall concept of
operations plan for the
test bed...." [Read mor](http://www.traffictechnologytoday.com/news.php?NewsID=79663)e Hmmm...
This and what WSTIP
is doing means
progress
without any FTA
or US DoT
involvement.
They are still
stuck in [the V2V mud](http://www.cnet.com/news/what-did-one-car-say-to-the-other-car-dont-turn-left-turn-yet/).
Alain
Introducing a New Map for Semi-Autonomous Cars
L. Bliss, June, 1, “…Mapbox, the firm that creates map software using mainly open-source data, announced Wednesday its official bid to build that map, with a new product called Mapbox Drive. It’s a map with the ability to direct a semi-autonomous vehicle with enough accuracy to make tight lane changes, and offer real-time traffic and road condition updates to the user. It also marks a big entry into a new market for Mapbox, which has long been known for its fascinating geo-visualizations and suite of mobile app-making tools…” Read more Hmmm… OK, let’s see what they produce. Alain
Memorable Memorial Day for Self-Driving Vehicles
B. Simpson, May 31 M.
Harris, Jan 12, 2016
"...Self-driving car
proponents in California
and the Netherlands
spent the Memorial Day
weekend testing the
technology, networking
with other advocates,
and working on the
technology. The
first-ever[Autonomous Vehicle Track Day](http://selfracingcars.com/)
self-driving car event
was run at Thunderhill
Raceway Park in Willows,
Calif.
The event attracted
about 24 firms,
university workshops,
and start-ups in the
autonomous vehicle
space. Innovators
including PolySync,
Denso, Renovo Motors,
Velodyne and Nvidia
were set to go...." [Read more](http://www.driverlesstransportation.com/memorable-memorial-day-self-driving-vehicles-13304)Hmmm...
Congratulations.
More progress!
Alain
Autonomous transport solutions open up a world of opportunities
Scania, May 26 “…“We’re working with what we call autonomous transport solutions, and self-driving vehicles are one of the tools at our disposal,” explains Tom Nyström, Senior Engineer at Scania. “It’s a complete system, handling logistics, the assignment of tasks to vehicles, and information sharing between vehicles and infrastructure. Each transport solution is individually tailored to the customer’s needs.”… Read more (and the internal links) Hmmm… Commercial truck manufacturers are on-board (except they still are in denial that they have a fundamental safety problem and that the biggest near-term opportunity is to significantly address this denial) . Alain
Self-driving truck acts like an animal
Chalmers U. of Tech.,
May 25, "..."We are
trying to design a
system that adapts to
whatever happens,
without pointing to
specific situations --
and this is something
that even the simplest
animals can usually do
better than existing
vehicle solutions."
The software, OpenDLV
(which stands for
driverless vehicle), is
being developed as open
source code and is
freely available on the
internet. Through this,
Ola Benderius and his
project group hope that
other researchers around
the world can join the
project by running and
developing the software
in their own vehicles.
OpenDLV is intended to
serve as an academic
platform for researchers
in many different
scientific disciplines,
such as vehicle
engineering, adaptive
systems, computer
science and engineering,
perception, neurology,
and biology, where they
can exchange knowledge
about how autonomous
vehicles should be made
to enable their safe,
large-scale introduction
into society...." [Read more](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160525084545.htm) Hmmm...
Interesting.
Alain
Isuzu, Hino joining forces on autonomous truck driving
May 27, "Isuzu Motors
and Hino Motors will
team up to develop a
system that supports
convoys of self-driving
trucks, an innovation
that is expected to
address Japan's chronic
shortage of commercial
drivers.
The so-called
intelligent transport
system will incorporate
data-sharing
communication among all
trucks in the caravan.
Information from the
lead vehicle's
accelerator and brakes
is among the data that
will guide the rear
vehicles. The lead truck
will be controlled by a
human driver and the
other rigs will maintain
a constant distance
between each other. The
technology aims for
completely driverless
trailing vehicles down
the road..." [Read more](http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Deals/Isuzu-Hino-joining-forces-on-autonomous-truck-driving)Hmmm...
Japan continues to
try to play catch-up
with [Scania](http://www.scania.com/group/en/autonomous-transport-solutions-open-up-a-world-of-opportunities/),
Peloton, Volvo
Truck, Daimler
and others.
Alain
Some
other thoughts that
deserve your attention
On the More Technical Side
http://orfe.princeton.edu/~alaink/SmartDrivingCars/Papers/
Recompiled
Old News &
Smiles:
Half-baked
stuff that probably
doesn't deserve your
time:
Audi humanizes piloted driving for latest autonomous testing
F. Cardamenis, May 17
"...The piloted Audi A7
concept has been tested
alongside other road users
and now is capable of
adaptive driving, creating
a more human driving
resemblance..." [Read more](https://www.luxurydaily.com/audi-humanizes-piloted-driving-with-latest-autonomous-testing/?utm_referrer=direct/not%20provided&utm_referrer=direct%2Fnot%20provided)Hmmm...I
thought the whole
purpose of autonomous
driving was to improve
human driving, not
resemble it.
Autonomous driving
already does the the
safe and efficient
part of driving. Does
this mean that Audi is
adding in the human
craziness parts that
Audi includes in its
TV commercials which
includes the
disclaimer "conducted
on a closed,
non-public road" ?
Alain
New Technique Controls Autonomous Vehicles in Extreme Conditions
R. Robinson, May 23 "A
Georgia Institute of
Technology research team
has devised a novel way to
help keep a driverless
vehicle under control as
it maneuvers at the edge
of its handling limits.
The approach could help
make self-driving cars of
the future safer under
hazardous road
conditions.... assessed
the new technology by
racing, sliding, and
jumping one-fifth-scale,
fully autonomous
auto-rally cars at the
equivalent of 90 mph. The
technique uses advanced
algorithms and onboard
computing, in concert with
installed sensing devices,
to increase vehicular
stability while
maintaining
performance...." [Read more](http://www.news.gatech.edu/2016/05/23/new-technique-controls-autonomous-vehicles-extreme-conditions)Hmmm...This
is good work; however,
the central challenge
of autonomous vehicles
is to get everyone to
where they are going
safely and NOT do it
in some sort of race
or test of the
handling limits of the
vehicle. While
academically
interesting, little
else can be said for
this.
Alain
Are Headlights on Cars a Thing of the Past?
May 23 "... But do
driverless vehicles really
need to function in
complete darkness? [Read more](https://www.thezebra.com/insurance-news/2934/could-driverless-cars-eliminate-the-need-for-headlights/)Hmmm...Actually,
dont' bother. The
answer is NO!! and
this is just a sunday
supplement promoting
Lidar. On this one, I
agree with Elon.
Alain
Autonomous Vehicles Traveling in Convoys Will Run Into This Inevitable Tradeoff
A. Nordrum, May 24 “Autonomous driving experts practically salivate over the vision of cars forming neat little convoys that travel at a constant speed down a highway. And for good reason: These synchronized fleets could reduce traffic fatalities, free up room on the road for additional vehicles, and help everyone get to their destinations faster….” Read moreHmmm…Actually, we don’t! So in case you needed another reason why “Marxist-styled centralized management of V2V platooning” is a bad idea (except on the south-bound French Autoroutes on July 31) then read on! 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:
#
###
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
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
###
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
###
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
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](http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/nhtsa-meetings-automated-vehicles-03112016) Hmmm...[Watch testimony](https://youtu.be/J_RvYZR_HLA) , especially: [testimony of Dr. Jerome Lutin](https://youtu.be/J_RvYZR_HLA?t=17014). Alain
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](http://mnsenate.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=235).
The testimony is
Excellent
and very
compelling! Also
see [Self-Driving Minnesota](http://www.selfdrivingmn.org/)
Alain
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](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Src2jhS4wcA) [Download AEB video from IIHS](https://www.hightail.com/download/ZWJVbGtNR3NrWTg4RmNUQw)[Read more](http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/nhtsa-iihs-commitment-on-aeb-03172016) Hmmmm...Fantastic!
Automakers
leading with
regulatory
process staying
out of the way.
Alain
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
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
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
###
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
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
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](http://orfe.princeton.edu/%7Ealaink/SmartDrivingCars/Videos/AdamJonas10T_MorganStanley.mp4) especially
at the 13:12
mark.
Compelling;
especially after
the 60 Minutes
segment above!
Also see his [TipRanks](https://www.tipranks.com/analysts/adam-jonas). Alain
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