2016-09-09
September 09, 2016
The Head of CMU’s Robotics Lab Says Self-Driving Cars Are ‘Not Even Close’
J. Peterson, Sept 1, “..To find out what it’s been like to rebuild a top robotics lab after being gutted by one of the most powerful companies in the world, I called up Herman for a candid conversation about what universities can do that corporations can’t, and how CMU has managed to pick up the pieces of what Uber left behind…
Maybe, and maybe not. The objectives of companies like Uber, and our objectives as a university, are different. Uber as a company has to worry about its valuation. I think part of the reason that they released the news about these autonomous taxis is marketing. Technically, I’m not sure if it’s ready. They still have to have engineers in the car. So, for technical reasons, it’s not there. But for non-technical reasons, they decided that it’s a good idea to start talking about it…” Read more Hmmm…Juicy! Alain
2015 Motor Vehicle Crashes: Overview
DOT HS 812
318, Aug,
2016, "The
Nation lost
35,092 people
in crashes on
U.S. roadways
during 2015,
an increase
from 32,744 in
2014. The
7.2-percent
increase is
the largest
percentage
increase in
nearly 50
years..." [Read more](https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812318) Hmmm...Very bad news. Can anyone say "texting"! Alain
Open data and traffic fatalities
R. Ragupathy,
Aug 30
"Traffic
fatalities in
the U.S.
jumped 7.2% to
35,092 last
year, the
sharpest
increase in
about 50
years.
Yesterday the
NHTSA's
Fatality
Analysis
Reporting
System (FARS)
released final
2015 data on
vehicle
crashes in the
United States.
The Department
of
Transportation
(DOT),
National
Highway
Traffic Safety
Administration
(NHTSA), and
the White
House also
issued an
unprecedented
call to action
asking for
help analyzing
fatality data
to find ways
to prevent
these
tragedies:...
Responding to
this call, we
created the
map below to
show where
fatal crashes
have occurred
over the last
five years.
Enter your
address and
the
destination of
your commute
to see fatal
crashes that
occurred along
your route
between 2011
and 2015.
Toggle between
additional
information,
such as
alcohol,
excessive
speeding,
cyclists, or
pedestrians
involved and
compare the
differences
between the
years." [Read more](https://www.mapbox.com/blog/fars-2015/) Hmmm...You must look at their "map below" It is
really good!!
Alain
Michigan Moves to Not Require Human in Driverless Test Cars
D. Eggert
(AP), Sept 7,
"Michigan
would no
longer require
that someone
be inside a
self-driving
car while
testing it on
public roads
under
legislation
passed
unanimously
Wednesday by
the state
Senate, where
backers touted
the measures
as necessary
to keep the
U.S. auto
industry's
home state
ahead of the
curve on
rapidly
advancing
technology...."
[Read more](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-07/michigan-may-not-require-a-human-in-self-driving-test-cars) Hmmm...This is very significant because, as far as I
know, we have
yet to drive
the first
meter/foot
down a normal
street in a
normal
environment
without anyone
in a
self-driving
(aka... a
driverless
self-driving)
car! This is
necessary
legislation to
negate
legislation
requiring that
a person must
be in a car
motoring down
a street (or
legislation
requiring
remote
operation of
an empty
vehicle.) Alain
Intel to buy Movidius to help it win in new tech like virtual reality, driverless cars
A. Kharpal,
Sept 6, "U.S.
semiconductor
giant Intel is
to acquire
Movidius, a
company that
creates
so-called
"computer
vision" chips
which will
play a key
role in
technologies
from virtual
reality (VR)
to driverless
cars, the
company
announced
Tuesday.
Movidius makes
processors
that use
artificial
intelligence
to assess the
world around
them. The
company is
already
working with
Chinese
dronemaker DJI
with its tech
implemented in
the Phantom 4
unmanned
aircraft,
giving it the
ability to
sense and
avoid
obstacles in
real time and
hover in a
fixed position
without the
need for a GPS
signal...."[Read more](http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/06/intel-to-buy-movidius-to-help-it-win-in-new-tech-like-virtual-reality-driverless-cars.html) Hmmm...Very interesting! Alain
Civil Maps Debuts Augmented Reality Maps for Self-Driving Cars
Sept 8, “Civil Maps, a software provider for crowdsourcing continental scale 3D maps for fully autonomous machines, today unveiled a passenger-facing augmented reality (AR) experience that integrates the company’s localization technology with 3D dynamic maps….” Read more Hmmm…Interesting! Alain
Driverless bus takes to the road in Perth
C. Griffith,
Sept 1, "The
first
driverless
vehicle on a
public
Australian
road rolled
out yesterday,
mixing it with
other cars,
cyclists and
pedestrians in
Perth.
The 11-seater
French Navya
shuttle bus
was bought by
automotive
club the [RACWA](http://intellibus.rac.com.au/)
for $296,000
and will spend
the next three
months
covering a
2.7km stretch
of the South
Perth
foreshore
along the Swan
River,
operating at
speeds of up
to 25km/h. [Read more](http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/driverless-bus-takes-to-the-road-in-perth/news-story/05b173c19c7474949df57927639586cb) Hmmm...Another first adopters! Alain
Nvidia and Baidu partner on a ‘top-to-bottom’ platform for self-driving cars
D.
Etherington,
Aug 31,
"Nvidia
co-founder and
CEO Jen-Hsun
Huang revealed
a new
partnership on
stage at
Baidu's annual
Baidu World
conference
today. This
partnership
with Baidu
will see
Nvidia and the
Chinese tech
giant work
together on
building a
comprehensive
autonomous
driving
platform.
"We're going
to bring
together the
technical
capabilities,
our expertise
in AI, and the
skills of two
world-class
companies,"
Huang said,
noting that
the
partnership
will the AI
and deep
learning
skills of both
companies. "By
combining
these
capabilities,
we will be
able to
deliver a
cloud-to-car
architecture
platform that
promises to
get cars on
the road in
the next
several
years."
Nvidia and
Baidu will be
building an
end-to-end
solution for
self-driving
cars,
according to
Huang. The end
goal is a
platform that
allows Baidu
to get a
self-driving
taxi fleet on
the road, and
the same
platform is
also designed
for use in OEM
cars, tied
into the same
network...." [Read more](https://techcrunch.com/2016/08/31/nvidia-and-baidu-partner-on-a-top-to-bottom-platform-for-self-driving-cars/) Hmmm..."end-to-end" solutions AND supply OEMs!???
Sound like a
monopoly???
Alain
Tesla says Autopilot system not responsible for Dutch crash
AP, Sept. 7,
"Tesla Motors
says the Model
S sedan
involved in a
fatal crash in
the
Netherlands
wasn't
operating in
the company's semi-autonomous Autopilot mode and was going more than 96 miles per hour
when it
crashed..." [Read more](http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/driver-dies-tesla-slams-tree-central-dutch-town-41921104) Hmmm...I hate to say this, but maybe it is now time
for cars to
keep us from
behaving
irresponsibly
when we
exercise our
privileged to
drive. It
is a
privileged and
we should be
doing it
responsibly.
If it is
really
important that
we go 96 mph,
then there
should be an
easy way for
us to get
permission to
do it (for
example if we
are trying to
commit
suicide, or
???); else,
the car should
not let us do
it. In this
case, the car
knew it was
going 96 mph
and that it
wasn't on the
German
autobahn (and
that it wasn't
avoiding
something).
While in this
case no one
else was
killed, a
bunch of
people had to
clean up the
mess that was
created.
"AutoPilots"
should make it
much more
difficult/challenging
for us to
behave
irresponsibly.
[See also](http://www.carscoops.com/2016/09/autopilot-helps-save-tesla-driver-from.html) Alain
Big Carmakers Merge, Cautiously, Into the Self-Driving Lane
N. Boudette,
Sept 1,
"...The big
carmakers hope
to avoid the
criticism that
has enveloped
Tesla's
Autopilot —
that the
driver-assistance
technology can
lull the
person behind
the wheel into
a
mind-wandering
sense of false
security.
"Through the
driver's eyes,
you can detect
his or her
level of
attention,"
Mark Reuss,
G.M.'s
executive vice
president for
global product
development,
said in July
at an auto
technology
conference in
Detroit.
The monitoring
system, which
analyzes
images of the
drivers' eyes
and head to
tell if they
are looking
forward, will
notice if
drivers are
drowsy,
looking down
at their
cellphones or
have turned to
reach into the
rear seat. If
the driver
does not turn
back to the
road after a
few seconds,
warning tones
and lights go
off. If the
driver does
not respond,
SuperCruise
can (...will???)
slow or (...safely pull over and ???)stop the car,
Mr. Reuss
said. [Read more](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/02/automobiles/big-carmakers-merge-cautiously-into-the-self-driving-lane.html?_r=1) Hmmm...OK!?! Alain
‘Best practices’ for autonomous car testing sought by new industry grou
R. Beene, Sept
8, "Bolstering
shaky public
confidence in
the safety of
autonomous
cars will be a
key aim for a
new group of
transportation,
research and
former
government
officials
formed to
issue
recommendations
about how
driverless
cars should be
tested on
public roads.
Dubbed the
Commission on
Autonomous
Vehicle
Testing and
Safety, the
group will
study and
publish "best
practices" for
the safe
testing of
self-driving
cars on public
streets to
inform
automakers and
policymakers
working on the
issue.
The group is a
project of
Securing
America's
Future Energy,
or SAFE, a
Washington-based
nonprofit that
advocates
reducing U.S.
dependence on
petroleum. The
organization
has recently
begun a major
push for
autonomous
vehicles. The
autonomous
vehicle
commission is
expected to be
announced by
SAFE
today...." [Read more](http://www.autonews.com/article/20160908/OEM11/160909866/group-forms-to-recommend-how-to-test-autonomous-cars) Hmmm...Good! Alain
Toyota and University announce driverless car project details
K. Linder, Sept 7, “In a continued partnership with the University of Michigan, Toyota announced it will invest $22 million to fund research on driverless cars and methods of artificial intelligence. This is an expansion of the Toyota Research Institute’s April announcement, which revealed TRI will be opening a new facility in Ann Arbor….” Read more Hmmm…Congratulations! Alain
Volvo will sell its self-driving car tech to other automakers
J. Golson,
Sept 6, "Volvo
is forming a
joint venture
with Swedish
automotive
safety
supplier
Autoliv to
develop
autonomous
driving
software and
sell it to
other
automakers.
It's the first
time an
automaker has
partnered with
a "tier-one"
supplier to
develop
self-driving
technology...."
[Read more](http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/6/12805388/volvo-autoliv-autonomous-self-driving-joint-venture)Hmmm...Since we have software folks getting in he
car business,
why not have
car folks in
the software
business! Is
this really
the "1st"?
Alain
Volvo first in the world with self-driving truck in underground mine
Press Release,
Sept 9,
"Volvo's fully
autonomous
truck is the
first in the
world to be
tested in
operations
deep
underground in
the
Kristineberg
Mine. The
self-driving
truck is part
of a
development
project aimed
at improving
the transport
flow and
safety in the
mine. The
truck will
cover a
distance of 7
kilometres,
reaching 1,320
metres
underground in
the narrow
mine tunnels.
[See Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwhyoUyJNoY), [Read more](http://www.volvogroup.com/group/global/en-gb/newsmedia/_layouts/CWP.Internet.VolvoCom/NewsItem.aspx?News.ItemId=152149&News.Language=en-gb)Hmmm...Seems like to would be easier. Not many
options.Well
defined
edges/walls.
Alain
Google’s driverless cars fitted with police detection technology
H. Williams,
Sept 7, "...A
supporting US
patent filing
revealed that
Google has
hoped for a
system that
will recognise
emergency
services'
flashing
lights. The
sensors would
be made to
identify red
or blue
colours, as
well as that
of ambulance
vehicles...[Read more](http://www.cbronline.com/news/internet-of-things/smart-technology/googles-driverless-cars-fitted-with-police-detection-technology-4998725)Hmmm...See patent application [20160252905](http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220160252905%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20160252905&RS=DN/20160252905).
Alain
How This Tech in Self-Driving Cars Is Paving a Road Beyond Silicon
K. Fehrenbacher, Sept 8, “Ever heard of gallium nitride transistors? You’re about to thanks to Lidar in cars….
For more on
how
self-driving
cars are
blowing up the
auto industry,[watch video](http://fortune.com/video/2016/06/23/self-driving-car-market/):
[Read more](http://fortune.com/2016/09/08/lidar-self-driving-cars/) Hmmm...OK. Alain
Some other thoughts that deserve your attention
###
Dilbert
Sharing to help solve the snarls of traffic
G. Lombaerde, Sept. 8, “…What Air BnB did to match a house guest with that extra room in your home, Hytch does for empty seats in your car. Sharing the cost of a ride turns that unused asset into a money maker. Imagine 50 to 75 people in your neighborhood who are on your route to work or just a stone’s throw off your route for pickup. If you had 75 options available for sharing a ride, would you take advantage once in a while? Once a week?…” Read more Hmmm…As a former Hitch-hiker, I can’t understand why the smartPhone hasn’t completely rejuvenated THE original of the shared economy? Alain
Intelligent Technology
H. Varian, Sept 2016, “ …One example of technology veloping services, which are only a small part of photography these days….” Read moreHmmm…Interesting. Alain
On the More Technical Side
http://orfe.princeton.edu/~alaink/SmartDrivingCars/Papers/
Shared Autonomous Electric Vehicle (SAEV) Operations across the Austin, Texas Network with a Focus on Charging Infrastructure Decisions
Ben Loeb, Kara Kockelman, and Jun Liu. Under review for presentation at the 96th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board and publication in Transportation Research Record (2017). Read more
Tracking a System of Shared Autonomous Vehicles across the Austin, Texas Network using Agent-Based Simulation
Jun Liu, Kara
Kockelman,
Patrick
Boesch, and
Francesco
Ciari. Under
review for
presentation
at the 96th Annual
Meeting of the
Transportation
Research Board
and
publication
in Transportation
Research
Record (2017).
[Read more](http://www.caee.utexas.edu/prof/kockelman/public_html/TRB17SAVs_acrossAustin.pdf)
Anticipating the Emissions Impacts of Autonomous Vehicles Using the MOVES Model
Jun Liu, Kara
Kockelman
& Aqshems
Nichols. Under
review for
presentation
at the 96th Annual
Meeting of the
Transportation
Research Board
and
publication
in Transportation
Research
Record (2017).
[Read more](http://www.caee.utexas.edu/prof/kockelman/public_html/TRB17CAVEmissions.pdf)
Economic Effects of Autonomous Vehicles
Lewis Clements
& Kara
Kockelman. Under
review for
presentation
at the 96th Annual
Meeting of the
Transportation
Research Board
and
publication
in Transportation
Research
Record (2017).
[Read more](http://www.caee.utexas.edu/prof/kockelman/public_html/TRB17EconomicEffectsofAVs.pdf)
Anticipating the Regional Impacts of Connected and Automated Vehicle Travel in Austin, Texas
Yong Zhao
& Kara
Kockelman. Under
review for
presentation
at the 96th Annual
Meeting of the
Transportation
Research Board
and
publication
in Transportation
Research
Record (2017).
[Read more](http://www.caee.utexas.edu/prof/kockelman/public_html/TRB17TDMwithCAVsAustin.pdf)
Making the Most of Curb Spaces in a World of Shared Autonomous Vehicles: A Case Study of Austin, Texas
Qinglu Ma,
Kara
Kockelman,
& Marc
Segal. Under
review for
presentation
at the 96th Annual
Meeting of the
Transportation
Research Board
and
publication
in Transportation
Research
Record (2017).
Half-baked
stuff that
probably
doesn't
deserve your
time:
Older
stuff that I
had missed:
C’mon Man!(These folks didn’t get/read the
memo)
Simulating motion sickness in autonomous cars
J. Duarte, Aug 25, “…That’s right … people are getting sick in simulators in order to make a new generation of vehicles more sensitive to its occupants’ suffering from motion sickness. …“ Read more Hmmm…Wait a minute, I get sick every time I get in one of those simulators irrespective of what I’m doing, yet when I ride shotgun and my better half is driving, not so much. What??? C’mon man!. Alain
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
Recent
Highlights of:
#
###
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 moreHmmm…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 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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