2016-09-04

2016-09-04

September 4, 2016

How Do You Buy a Million Cars When You Can’t Make a Dime?

B. Simpson, Aug 25, “Isn’t this supposed to be a quiet time for business? …Not in transportation technology.

                                                      For instance,
                                                      Ford announced
                                                      it was working
                                                      to launch
                                                      fully
                                                      autonomous
                                                      automobiles by
                                                      2021. BMW,
                                                      Intel and
                                                      Mobileye
                                                      joined to say
                                                      they will have
                                                      vehicles in
                                                      production for
                                                      the same
                                                      target date.
                                                      Ridesharing
                                                      titan Uber
                                                      says it will
                                                      launch this
                                                      month
                                                      driverless
                                                      vehicles in
                                                      Pittsburgh,
                                                      though some
                                                      employees will
                                                      be in the car
                                                      to ensure
                                                      safety.

                                                      Forget the 10
                                                      years down the
                                                      road baloney.
                                                      We'll be Level
                                                      4 Autonomous
                                                      in three to
                                                      five years.

                                                      Yet for all
                                                      the excitement
                                                      there's been
                                                      some downer
                                                      news.... Lyft
                                                      was seeking a
                                                      buyer, despite
                                                      the $500
                                                      million that
                                                      GM pumped into
                                                      it ...Earlier
                                                      this year Lyft
                                                      pledged... to
                                                      keep its U.S.
                                                      losses under
                                                      $50 million a
                                                      month....Uber
                                                      told its
                                                      investors it
                                                      lost $520
                                                      million in the
                                                      first quarter,
                                                      and more than
                                                      $750 million
                                                      in the second.
                                                      This after
                                                      losing about
                                                      $2 billion in
                                                      2015....It's
                                                      valuable to
                                                      keep in mind
                                                      the shaky
                                                      foundations of
                                                      Uber and Lyft
                                                      because the
                                                      two have been
                                                      touted as an
                                                      important
                                                      foundation for
                                                      the growth of
                                                      autonomous
                                                      vehicles. [Read more](http://www.driverlesstransportation.com/technology-buy-million-cars-cant-make-dime-13874)Hmmm...Do read more!  It may well be that those that
                                                      can't make a
                                                      dime wont even
                                                      have the
                                                      opportunity to
                                                      buy the
                                                      driverless
                                                      vehicles that
                                                      would allow
                                                      them to "make
                                                      a dime".  The
                                                      real value of
                                                      the driverless
                                                      vehicles may
                                                      well be in
                                                      their ability
                                                      to generate
                                                      operating cash
                                                      without
                                                      needing any of
                                                      the $10B+
                                                      expertise/intellectual
                                                      property
                                                      amassed by
                                                      Uber/Lyft
                                                      in managing
                                                      self-employed
                                                      part-timers
                                                      that aren't
                                                      needed.  If
                                                      that is the
                                                      case, then the
                                                      makers of
                                                      those vehicles
                                                      will manage
                                                      them for their
                                                      own account
                                                      rather than
                                                      selling them
                                                      at cost-plus
                                                      (or the price
                                                      of those
                                                      vehicles will
                                                      be such that
                                                      only their
                                                      maker is
                                                      making any
                                                      money). Alain

Tesla drivers who abuse Autopilot could lose Autosteer function

R. Milton, Sept. 4. “On Wednesday morning, electric-car maker Tesla Motors (NASDAQ: TSLA) said it would announce “major improvements” to its driver assist technology, Autopilot, later that day. Autopilot will not permit itself to be reactivated until the vehicle is put into Park.

                                                      Previous
                                                      reports
                                                      suggest that
                                                      aside from new
                                                      software, the
                                                      changes will
                                                      include extra
                                                      sensors in
                                                      each corner of
                                                      the auto, as
                                                      well as a
                                                      front-facing
                                                      "triple"
                                                      camera system
                                                      which Tesla
                                                      has already
                                                      started
                                                      implementing
                                                      in production
                                                      of the latest
                                                      Model S. As
                                                      well as
                                                      support for
                                                      highway
                                                      interchanges
                                                      version 8.0
                                                      will make
                                                      Autopilot's
                                                      steering
                                                      smoother and
                                                      the radar
                                                      cruise control
                                                      more
                                                      responsive..."
                                                      [Read more](http://vehicle.pro/autonews/tesla_drivers_who_abuse_autopilot_could_lose_autosteer-20160904/)Hmmm...Absolutely...  Use it appropriately or loose
                                                      it.  Your
                                                      choice!  I
                                                      love it.
                                                      Alain

Alphabet Executive David Drummond Leaves Uber Board

                                                      G. Bensinger,
                                                      Aug 30, "Uber
                                                      Technologies
                                                      Inc. on Monday
                                                      said a
                                                      longtime
                                                      Alphabet Inc.
                                                      executive has
                                                      left its board
                                                      as the two
                                                      tech companies
                                                      increasingly
                                                      clash over the
                                                      future of
                                                      transportation
                                                      and
                                                      logistics...."
                                                      [Read more](http://www.wsj.com/articles/alphabet-executive-david-drummond-leaves-uber-board-1472510812?mod=WSJ_TechWSJD_NeedToKnow&ref=/news/technology) Hmmm....Not surprising. Automated elevator
                                                      trumps
                                                      elevator with
                                                      operator.
                                                      Alain

Alphabet Expands Car-Pooling Project, Casting Shadow on Uber

D. Wakabayashi, Aug 30, “Alphabet and Uber are inching closer to a showdown. Alphabet, …, is broadening the scope of a car-pooling program that could challenge ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft. The pilot program, operated through Google’s navigation app Waze, is limited to employees of companies near Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.

                                                      In the fall,
                                                      Waze plans to
                                                      expand the
                                                      program to
                                                      users in San
                                                      Francisco,
                                                      where Uber is
                                                      based,
                                                      according to a
                                                      person briefed
                                                      on the matter
                                                      who was not
                                                      authorized to
                                                      speak publicly
                                                      about it.
                                                      Waze promotes
                                                      the service as
                                                      [Waze Carpool](https://www.waze.com/carpool) on
                                                      its website,
                                                      recruiting
                                                      drivers and
                                                      riders to
                                                      commute
                                                      together in
                                                      the Bay
                                                      Area...."[Read more](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/31/technology/google-broadens-car-pooling-project-casting-shadow-on-uber.html?ref=business)Hmmm...Another shoe is dropping!   Alain

Car Makers Scrutinized on Self-Driving Claims

                                                      M. Spector,
                                                      Sept 4, "A
                                                      Mercedes-Benz
                                                      magazine ad
                                                      this summer
                                                      described a
                                                      new sedan as a
                                                      "self-driving
                                                      car from a
                                                      very
                                                      self-driven
                                                      company." ..."
                                                      [Read more](http://www.wsj.com/articles/car-makers-retreat-on-self-driving-claims-1472999259)Hmmm... All old news.  Of course there should be
                                                      truth in
                                                      advertising
                                                      and
                                                      capabilities
                                                      should not be
                                                      over-hyped.
                                                      Also, these
                                                      companies
                                                      should do what
                                                      it seems that
                                                      Tesla is
                                                      beginning to
                                                      do... If you
                                                      abuse it,
                                                      you'll loose
                                                      it.  If you
                                                      aren't using
                                                      the feature
                                                      properly, then
                                                      the car should
                                                      tell the
                                                      driver that if
                                                      the system
                                                      isn't going to
                                                      be used
                                                      properly
                                                      (hands back on
                                                      the wheel or
                                                      whatever...)
                                                      it will begin
                                                      to slow down,
                                                      pull over to
                                                      the shoulder
                                                      and stop by
                                                      itself and
                                                      then turn on
                                                      its emergency
                                                      blinkers and
                                                      do just that
                                                      as soon as it
                                                      can safely do
                                                      it.  (Of
                                                      course it
                                                      should not
                                                      just turn
                                                      itself off
                                                      because the
                                                      driver may in
                                                      fact be
                                                      incapacitated.)
                                                      Alain

The Future of Farming: Meet The Driverless Tractor

                                                      J. Creighton,
                                                      Sept 3, "...At
                                                      Iowa's Farm
                                                      Progress Show
                                                      earlier this
                                                      week, Case IH
                                                      showed off
                                                      some
                                                      remarkable
                                                      tech. It's
                                                      tech that they
                                                      assert will,
                                                      one day,
                                                      culminate in a
                                                      fleet of
                                                      driverless
                                                      tractors.
                                                      Notably, this
                                                      gear isn't
                                                      meant to be
                                                      completely
                                                      autonomous.
                                                      Rather, it is
                                                      actually a
                                                      remote
                                                      controlled
                                                      tractor.

                                                      At this stage,
                                                      it is still
                                                      just a
                                                      prototype, and
                                                      it is known as
                                                      the Case IH
                                                      Autonomous
                                                      Concept
                                                      Vehicle. Check
                                                      it out in the
                                                      [video](https://youtu.be/MwC_Hzm5Z9s)
                                                      .." [Read more](http://futurism.com/the-future-of-farming-meet-the-driverless-tractor/)Hmmm... [Video](https://youtu.be/MwC_Hzm5Z9s)
                                                      is very
                                                      interesting.
                                                      Alain

Latest findings from human factors research on automation in vehicles to be presented

                                                      Sept 2, "Many
                                                      human factors
                                                      experts are
                                                      studying
                                                      effects of
                                                      automation in
                                                      vehicles to
                                                      help ensure
                                                      the safe
                                                      application of
                                                      technology for
                                                      drivers,
                                                      passengers,
                                                      pedestrians,
                                                      and
                                                      infrastructure.
                                                      More work
                                                      needs to be
                                                      done in this
                                                      area as
                                                      vehicle and
                                                      technology
                                                      developers
                                                      rush to bring
                                                      products and
                                                      systems to
                                                      market in what
                                                      has become a
                                                      highly
                                                      competitive
                                                      area in
                                                      transportation.

                                                      Automation in
                                                      vehicles is
                                                      the topic of a
                                                      number of
                                                      presentations
                                                      at the [Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 2016 Annual Meeting](https://www.hfes.org/Web/HFESMeetings/2016annualmeeting.html),
                                                      to be held
                                                      September
                                                      19-23 at the
                                                      Washington
                                                      Hilton.... " [Read more](http://www.sciencecodex.com/latest_findings_from_human_factors_research_on_automation_in_vehicles_to_be_presented-189531)Hmmm...Should be very interesting! Alain

World’s first driverless bus service begins carrying passengers in French city of Lyon

                                                      D. Chazan,
                                                      Sept. 3, "The
                                                      world's first
                                                      driverless bus
                                                      service began
                                                      carrying
                                                      passengers in
                                                      the French
                                                      city of Lyon
                                                      this weekend,
                                                      attracting
                                                      curious
                                                      onlookers keen
                                                      to photograph
                                                      the vehicles.

                                                      Two electric
                                                      minibuses with
                                                      a capacity of
                                                      15 passengers
                                                      each are now
                                                      operating a
                                                      10-minute
                                                      route with
                                                      five stops in
                                                      the city
                                                      centre at an
                                                      average speed
                                                      of 6 miles
                                                      (10km) per
                                                      hour...."Neither
                                                      the current
                                                      technology nor
                                                      the
                                                      legislation
                                                      allow this
                                                      type of
                                                      vehicle to
                                                      operate in the
                                                      midst of cars
                                                      or other
                                                      traffic," said
                                                      Jean-Pierre
                                                      Farandou of
                                                      the Keolis
                                                      transport
                                                      group that
                                                      operates the
                                                      service.... [Read more](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/03/worlds-first-driverless-bus-service-begins-carrying-passengers-i/)Hmmm... Again, another CityMobil2-type preliminary
                                                      step.
                                                      Congratulations!
                                                      (but we are
                                                      not yet close
                                                      to taking the
                                                      first real
                                                      driverless-step.)
                                                      Alain

Dubai debuts driverless minibus

Sept. 3, “DUBAI has unveiled its first driverless bus service, launching a month-long trial period for the electric vehicle with a view to expanding it across the futuristic Gulf city state. The 10-seat vehicle made its first trip on Thursday along a 700-meter (2,300-foot) stretch of road in downtown Dubai, near to the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower….” Read more Hmmm… Ditto. Alain

How Driverless Cars May Interact With People

J. Markoff, Aug 30, “…The Drive.ai cars won’t speak with pedestrians and bicyclists. But they will try to communicate with visual displays that go beyond today’s turn signals, perhaps with bannerlike text and easily identifiable sounds, company officials said….”Read moreHmmm…That’s what Daimler showed @ 2015CES in their F 015! Alain

Uber’s test track almost ready still no official word on when self-driving cars will roll out

M. Belko, Sept 3, “The asphalt is down, the buildings are up, and, for all intents and purposes, it looks like the test roadways for self-driving cars planned by Uber Technologies at the former LTV Coke Works in Hazelwood are about ready to go. But just when the first vehicles will zip across the sprawling fenced-in site is anybody’s guess. Read moreHmmm… The track is a good first step, but self-driving is ultimately more about avoiding the other guys in the weird configurations. Alain

Self-Driving Car Crash Raises Questions About Safety

G. Allen, Sept 2, “A Dallas man says his car drove him straight into a guardrail at 80-miles-an-hour. The wreck is raising questions about the safety of self-driving cars….” Read moreHmmm… See the embedded video report.  Alain

Tesla enters car insurance business as self-driving cars prepare to disrupt the industry

                                                      Aug 30,
                                                      "Electrek has
                                                      learned that
                                                      Tesla is
                                                      entering the
                                                      car insurance
                                                      business
                                                      starting with
                                                      new programs
                                                      in Australia
                                                      and Hong
                                                      Kong.  The new
                                                      program is
                                                      called
                                                      InsureMyTesla
                                                      and it
                                                      features
                                                      custom
                                                      insurance
                                                      plans for the
                                                      company's
                                                      vehicles
                                                      underwritten
                                                      by bigger
                                                      insurers
                                                      partnering
                                                      with Tesla.
                                                      In Hong Kong,
                                                      Tesla is
                                                      partnering
                                                      with AXA
                                                      General
                                                      Insurance and
                                                      in Australia,
                                                      the automaker
                                                      released its
                                                      new plan with
                                                      QBE Insurance.
                                                      [Read more](https://electrek.co/2016/08/30/tesla-enters-car-insurance-business-self-driving-cars-prepare-disrupt-industry/?utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Post%20Blast%20%28bii-iot%29:%20Baidu%20bolstering%20AI%2C%20IoT%20development%20%E2%80%94%20Tesla%20and%20insurers%20develop%20custom%20policies%20%E2%80%94%20C3%20IoT%20raises%20%2470%20million%20in%20funding%20for%20industrial%20solutions&utm_term=BII%20List%20IoT%20ALL)Hmmm... Of course.  It would be interesting to know
                                                      the details of
                                                      the
                                                      partnership. Beginning
                                                      the disruption
                                                      anticipated
                                                      in  [KPMG's report of 2015](http://orfe.princeton.edu/%7Ealaink/SmartDrivingCars/PDFs/KPMG-automobile-insurance-in-the-era-of-autonomous-vehicles-survey-results-june-2015-6.pdf).
                                                      Alain

Driverless cars will kill the most jobs in select US states

M. Farley, Sept 2, “If Silicon Valley gets its way, it won’t be long until every vehicle in the country has nobody behind the wheel. Hmmm… Even if it gets its way, it will be long until even a majority of… Anyway, go on…

                                                      Driverless car
                                                      technology is
                                                      expected to
                                                      reduce labor
                                                      costs, fuel
                                                      costs and
                                                      accidents, but
                                                      it will also
                                                      be a complete
                                                      disaster for
                                                      the millions
                                                      of Americans
                                                      who work as
                                                      long-haul
                                                      truckers, bus
                                                      drivers or cab
                                                      drivers. Truck
                                                      driving alone
                                                      is the most
                                                      common job
                                                      across vast
                                                      swathes of the
                                                      United States,
                                                      and they could
                                                      all be
                                                      unemployed
                                                      within years.

                                                      Almost 3
                                                      percent of all
                                                      working
                                                      American are
                                                      drivers of
                                                      some sort —
                                                      more than 2
                                                      percent are
                                                      truck drivers,
                                                      0.4 percent
                                                      are bus
                                                      drivers and
                                                      0.3 percent
                                                      are cabbies
                                                      and other
                                                      types of
                                                      drivers,
                                                      according to
                                                      Census Bureau
                                                      occupational
                                                      data. ..."  [Read more](http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/02/driverless-cars-will-kill-the-most-jobs-in-select-us-states.html)Hmmm... Way before these folks lose their jobs they
                                                      will each be
                                                      much safer and
                                                      less stressed
                                                      while doing
                                                      their jobs.
                                                      That's the
                                                      biggest
                                                      benefit of
                                                      having
                                                      "silicon
                                                      Valley get its
                                                      way".
                                                      Alain

Some other thoughts that deserve your attention

###

Passenger Jet Service From U.S. to Cuba Starts Wednesday

F. Robles, Aug 31,”The first scheduled passenger jet service in history from the United States to Cuba will take off Wednesday morning from Fort Lauderdale, another important step toward normalized relations between two former Cold War foes.

                                                      It has been so
                                                      long since an
                                                      airline in the
                                                      United States
                                                      flew a
                                                      regularly
                                                      scheduled
                                                      flight to the
                                                      island that
                                                      the last time
                                                      it happened,
                                                      the passengers
                                                      flew on a
                                                      propeller
                                                      plane, said
                                                      Marty St.
                                                      George, the
                                                      executive vice
                                                      president of
                                                      JetBlue..."[Read more](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/28/nyregion/la-guardia-airport-reconstruction-drop-your-bags.html?_r=0)Hmmm...Congratulations Marty!   Alain

Dramatic Video Shows Huge Scale of SpaceX Rocket Explosion

M. Wall Sept 1, “…The two-stage Falcon 9 and its payload, a communications satellite called Amos-6, were destroyed during an engine test Thursday, which was part of the standard protocol to prepare for a planned Saturday (Sept. 3) launch from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station….” Read moreHmmm…After almost 60 years since Sputnik, Vanguard TV3 , others and now this have shown that it isn’t easy. Alain

Intelligent Technology

H. Varian, Sept 2016, “ …One example of technology making a big difference to productivity is photography. Back in 2000, about 80 billion photos were taken worldwide—a good estimate since only three companies produced film then. In 2015, it appears that more than 1.5 trillion photos were taken worldwide, roughly 20 times as many. At the same time the volume exploded, the cost of photos fell from about 50 cents each for film and developing to essentially zero.

                                                      So over 15
                                                      years the
                                                      price fell to
                                                      zero and
                                                      output went up
                                                      20 times.
                                                      Surely that is
                                                      a huge
                                                      increase in
                                                      productivity.
                                                      Unfortunately,
                                                      most of this
                                                      productivity
                                                      increase
                                                      doesn't show
                                                      up in GDP,
                                                      since the
                                                      measured
                                                      figures depend
                                                      on the sales
                                                      of film,
                                                      cameras, and
                                                      developing
                                                      services,
                                                      which are only
                                                      a small part
                                                      of photography
                                                      these
                                                      days...." [Read more](http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2016/09/varian.htm)Hmmm...Interesting. Alain

On the More Technical Side

http://orfe.princeton.edu/~alaink/SmartDrivingCars/Papers/

Learning to Recognize Distance to Stop Signs Using the Virtual World of Grand Theft Auto 5

A. Filiowicz, J. Liu, A Kornhauser, Aug 1 Read more

[The Interplay between Fleet-size, Level-of-Service, and Empty Repositioning Strategies in Large-scale, Shared-ride autonomousTaxis

Mobility-on-Demand Scenarios](http://orfe.princeton.edu/%7Ealaink/TRB%2717/Interplay_Between_Fleet-size,_LoS%20and_EmptyRepositioning.pdf)

S. Zhu, A. Kornhauser, Aug 1 Read more

Synthetic Generation of Individual Vehicle-borne Person Trips That Characterize Individual Mobility Across the United States on a Typical Day

K. Marocchini, A. Kornhauser, Aug 1 Read more

Half-baked

                                                      stuff that
                                                      probably
                                                      doesn't
                                                      deserve your
                                                      time:

Here Comes Russia’s Driverless Minibus

D. Meyer, Aug 25, “…Yandex announced a partnership on Wednesday with Russian truck manufacturer Kamaz, whose shareholders include the Russian government, Daimler and the government-backed NAMI automotive research facility.

                                                      The deal
                                                      revolves
                                                      around the
                                                      development of
                                                      a driverless
                                                      minibus
                                                      shuttle.
                                                      Yandex will
                                                      bring to the
                                                      party its
                                                      expertise in
                                                      computer
                                                      vision,
                                                      artificial
                                                      intelligence,
                                                      and speech
                                                      recognition..."
                                                      [Read more](http://fortune.com/2016/08/25/russia-yandex-google-bus/)  Hmmm...I'm very skeptical for obvious historical
                                                      reasons and
                                                      the provenance.
                                                      Alain

Older

                                                      stuff that I
                                                      had missed:

C’mon Man! (These folks didn’t get/read

                                                      the memo)

Calendar of Upcoming Events:

Sept 15 & 16, 2016 Arlington, VA

                                                      [Sept 19-21, 2016 Antwerp, Belgium](http://podcarcity.org/antwerp/)

 Sept 19-23, 2016 Washington, DC

F1/10 Autonomous Racing Competition

Oct 1-2

Wean Hall, Carnegie Mellon U.

Recent

                                                      Highlights of:

#

###

                                                      August 28,
                                                      2016

Prepare to be Underwhelmed by 2021’s Autonomous Cars

                                                      T. Simonite,
                                                      Aug 23, "BMW,
                                                      Ford, and Uber
                                                      have all
                                                      recently said
                                                      they plan to
                                                      have "fully
                                                      autonomous"
                                                      cars ready to
                                                      drive
                                                      themselves on
                                                      the road in
                                                      2021 (see
                                                      "2021 May Be
                                                      the Year of
                                                      the Fully
                                                      Autonomous
                                                      Car"). Ford
                                                      says its fleet
                                                      of vehicles
                                                      will lack
                                                      steering
                                                      wheels and
                                                      offer a
                                                      robotic taxi
                                                      service.

                                                      But don't
                                                      expect to toss
                                                      out your
                                                      driver's
                                                      license in
                                                      2021. Five
                                                      years isn't
                                                      long enough to
                                                      create
                                                      vehicles good
                                                      enough at
                                                      driving to
                                                      roam
                                                      extensively
                                                      without human
                                                      input, say
                                                      researchers
                                                      working on
                                                      autonomous
                                                      cars. They
                                                      predict that
                                                      Ford and
                                                      others will
                                                      meet their
                                                      targets by
                                                      creating small
                                                      fleets of
                                                      vehicles
                                                      limited to
                                                      small,
                                                      controlled
                                                      areas.

                                                      "Probably what
                                                      Ford would do
                                                      to meet their
                                                      2021 milestone
                                                      is have
                                                      something that
                                                      provides
                                                      low-speed taxi
                                                      service
                                                      limited to
                                                      certain
                                                      roads—and
                                                      don't expect
                                                      it to come in
                                                      the rain,"
                                                      says Steven
                                                      Shladover.
                                                      ...Alain
                                                      Kornhauser,
                                                      ... "By then
                                                      we may be able
                                                      to define [a]
                                                      'fenced'
                                                      region of
                                                      space where we
                                                      can in fact
                                                      let cars out
                                                      there without
                                                      a driver," he
                                                      says. "The
                                                      challenge will
                                                      be making that
                                                      fenced-in area
                                                      large enough
                                                      so that it
                                                      provides a
                                                      valuable
                                                      service."...Jeffrey
                                                      Miller,
                                                      ...says
                                                      figuring out
                                                      how sensors
                                                      limit the
                                                      situations a
                                                      vehicle can
                                                      reliably
                                                      handle on its
                                                      own is one of
                                                      the most
                                                      crucial
                                                      challenges for
                                                      companies
                                                      working on
                                                      autonomous
                                                      driving. [Read more](https://www.technologyreview.com/s/602210/prepare-to-be-underwhelmed-by-2021s-autonomous-cars/)  Hmmm...Achievable reality.  Alain
                                                      August 19,
                                                      2016

Ford Promises Fleets of Driverless Cars Within Five Years

                                                      N. Boudette,
                                                      Aug 16, "In
                                                      the race to
                                                      develop
                                                      driverless
                                                      cars, several
                                                      automakers and
                                                      technology
                                                      companies are
                                                      already
                                                      testing
                                                      vehicles that
                                                      pilot
                                                      themselves on
                                                      public roads.
                                                      And others
                                                      have outlined
                                                      plans to
                                                      expand their
                                                      development
                                                      fleets over
                                                      the next few
                                                      years.

                                                      But few have
                                                      gone so far as
                                                      to give a
                                                      definitive
                                                      date for the
                                                      commercial
                                                      debut of these
                                                      cars of the
                                                      future.  Now
                                                      Ford Motor has
                                                      done just
                                                      that.  At a
                                                      news
                                                      conference on
                                                      Tuesday at the
                                                      company's
                                                      research
                                                      center in Palo
                                                      Alto, Calif.,
                                                      Mark Fields,
                                                      Ford's chief
                                                      executive,
                                                      said the
                                                      company
                                                      planned to
                                                      mass produce
                                                      driverless
                                                      cars and have
                                                      them in
                                                      commercial
                                                      operation in a
                                                      ride-hailing
                                                      service by
                                                      2021....

                                                      "That means
                                                      there's going
                                                      to be no
                                                      steering
                                                      wheel. There's
                                                      going to be no
                                                      gas pedal.
                                                      There's going
                                                      to be no brake
                                                      pedal,'' he
                                                      said. "If
                                                      someone had
                                                      told you 10
                                                      years ago, or
                                                      even five
                                                      years ago,
                                                      that the
                                                      C.E.O. of a
                                                      major
                                                      automaker
                                                      American car
                                                      company is
                                                      going to be
                                                      announcing the
                                                      mass
                                                      production of
                                                      fully
                                                      autonomous
                                                      vehicles, they
                                                      would have
                                                      been called
                                                      crazy or nuts
                                                      or both."...

                                                      Ford also said
                                                      it had
                                                      acquired an
                                                      Israeli
                                                      start-up, [Saips](http://www.saips.co.il/), that specializes in computer
                                                      vision, a
                                                      crucial
                                                      technology for
                                                      self-driving
                                                      cars. And the
                                                      automaker
                                                      announced
                                                      investments in
                                                      three other
                                                      companies
                                                      involved in
                                                      major
                                                      technologies
                                                      for driverless
                                                      vehicles....."
                                                      [Read mor](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/17/business/ford-promises-fleets-of-driverless-cars-within-five-years.html?_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/17/business/ford-promises-fleets-of-driverless-cars-within-five-years.html?_r=0)e
                                                      Hmmm...This
                                                      is significant
                                                      because it
                                                      implies that
                                                      Ford, (or an
                                                      entity under
                                                      its control)
                                                      will operate
                                                      and deliver on
                                                      a day-to-day
                                                      basis MaaS
                                                      (Mobility as a
                                                      Service).  In
                                                      other words it
                                                      will both
                                                      build/assemble
                                                      and operate
                                                      mobility's
                                                      "Cloud".  The
                                                      scale
                                                      economies of
                                                      such a
                                                      mobility
                                                      "cloud" are
                                                      arguably much
                                                      more
                                                      substantial
                                                      than that of
                                                      the data
                                                      storage &
                                                      computing
                                                      "cloud".
                                                      Think about
                                                      it!  Alain
                                                      August 8, 2016

Latest to Quit Google’s Self-Driving Car Unit: Top Roboticist

                                                      J. Markoff,
                                                      Aug 5, " A
                                                      roboticist and
                                                      crucial member
                                                      of the team
                                                      that created
                                                      Google's
                                                      self-driving
                                                      car is leaving
                                                      the company,
                                                      the latest in
                                                      a string of
                                                      departures by
                                                      important
                                                      technologists
                                                      working on the
                                                      autonomous car
                                                      project.

                                                      Chris Urmson,
                                                      a Carnegie
                                                      Mellon
                                                      University
                                                      research
                                                      scientist,
                                                      joined Google
                                                      in 2009 to
                                                      help create
                                                      the
                                                      then-secret
                                                      effort. ...Mr.
                                                      Urmson has
                                                      been unhappy
                                                      with the
                                                      direction of
                                                      the car
                                                      project under
                                                      Mr. Krafcik's
                                                      leadership and
                                                      quarreled
                                                      privately
                                                      several months
                                                      ago with Larry
                                                      Page over
                                                      where it was
                                                      headed,
                                                      according to
                                                      two former
                                                      Google
                                                      employees....

                                                      Mr. Urmson
                                                      said he had
                                                      not decided
                                                      what he will
                                                      do next. "If I
                                                      can find
                                                      another
                                                      project that
                                                      turns into an
                                                      obsession and
                                                      becomes
                                                      something
                                                      more, I will
                                                      consider
                                                      myself twice
                                                      lucky," he
                                                      wrote. [Read more](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/06/technology/alphabet-google-autonomous-car-chris-urmson.html)Hmmm...Very unfortunate.  What a great job he has
                                                      done. All the
                                                      best. Alain
                                                      August 1, 2016

Mobileye Ends Partnership With Tesla

                                                      M. Ramsey,
                                                      July 26, " A
                                                      key supplier
                                                      of
                                                      semiautonomous
                                                      car technology
                                                      ended a supply
                                                      agreement with
                                                      Tesla Motors
                                                      Inc. following
                                                      [a high-profile traffic fatality](http://www.wsj.com/articles/tesla-draws-scrutiny-from-regulators-after-autopilot-feature-is-linked-to-a-death-1467319355)
                                                      in May
                                                      involving one
                                                      of the Silicon
                                                      Valley
                                                      company's
                                                      electric
                                                      vehicles.

                                                      Mobileye NV
                                                      said it would
                                                      no longer
                                                      provide its
                                                      computer chips
                                                      and algorithms
                                                      to Tesla after
                                                      a current
                                                      contract ends
                                                      due to
                                                      disagreements
                                                      about how the
                                                      technology was
                                                      deployed.
                                                      Mobileye
                                                      provides core
                                                      technology for
                                                      Tesla's
                                                      Autopilot
                                                      system, which
                                                      allows cars to
                                                      drive
                                                      themselves in
                                                      limited
                                                      conditions....[Read more](http://www.wsj.com/articles/mobileye-ends-partnership-with-tesla-1469544028)Hmmm....Very interesting!! Alain

                                                      And in [Mobileye's Short Trip with Tesla](http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2016/07/26/mobileyes-short-trip-with-tesla/)
                                                      : D.
                                                      Gallagher,
                                                      July 26, "In
                                                      the emerging
                                                      business of
                                                      autonomous
                                                      driving, even
                                                      the safer road
                                                      isn't free of
                                                      potholes....In
                                                      explaining its
                                                      move, Mobileye
                                                      suggested that
                                                      protecting its
                                                      reputation was
                                                      at least part
                                                      of the
                                                      rationale.
                                                      Below is what
                                                      the company
                                                      said on the
                                                      call:... [Read more](http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2016/07/26/mobileyes-short-trip-with-tesla/)Hmmm....And why in all of this isn't there a
                                                      discussion of
                                                      Automated
                                                      Emergency
                                                      Braking (AEB) technology/suppliers??  There must be no consumer/regulatory appeal to
                                                      AEB?  Alain
                                                      July 21, 2016

Master Plan, Part Deux

Lessons From the Tesla Crash

                                                    Editorial Board,
                                                    July 11, "A
                                                    recent fatal
                                                    crash in Florida
                                                    involving a
                                                    Tesla Model S is
                                                    an example of
                                                    how a new
                                                    technology
                                                    designed to make
                                                    cars safer
                                                    could, in some
                                                    cases, make them
                                                    more dangerous.
                                                    These risks,
                                                    however, could
                                                    be minimized
                                                    with better
                                                    testing (Hmmm....Yes!)
                                                    and regulations
                                                    (Still
                                                      too early, we
                                                      don't know
                                                      enough, yet)...

Hmmm…What we know now (and don’t know):

1.  On May 7, 2016 at about 4:40pm EDT, there was a crash between a Tesla and a Class 8 Tractor-Trailer. The accident is depicted in the Diagram from the Police Report: HSMV Crash Report # 85234095. (1) Google Earth images from the site.

 2. The driver of the Tesla was Joshua Brown.  “No citations have been issued, but the initial accident report from the FHP indicates the truck driver “failed to yield right-of-way.”” (2)

                                                      .  Hmmm....No
                                                      Citations???
                                                      Did the truck
                                                      have a data
                                                      recorder?  Was
                                                      the truck
                                                      impounded, if
                                                      so, how is the
                                                      truck driver
                                                      making a
                                                      living since
                                                      the crash?

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

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

Motor Vehicle Deaths Increase by Largest Percent in 50 Years

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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