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Global: 1st to LEVEL4 autono M.O.U.S.E.y?

17K views 76 replies 11 participants last post by  2b2 
#1 · (Edited)
Jaguar Land Rover ready to test Level 4 self-driving car in cities
MotorAuthority
- Viknesh Vijayenthiran - June 23, 2017

Jaguar Land Rover on Thursday announced it is ready to start testing Level 4 self-driving car prototypes on public roads in urban environments.

The prototypes are fitted with the British firm’s Autonomous Urban Drive technology which allows them to drive in complex environments without any driver involvement. According to Jaguar Land Rover, the prototypes have no problem obeying traffic lights as well as negotiating junctions and roundabouts. This is in contrast to some rival systems that are designed for simpler conditions such as highways and traffic jams.

Using Autonomous Urban Drive, a person only needs to select a location on the navigation and the prototype will decide the best route and head off. Jaguar Land Rover hasn’t detailed what conditions the system works within. It’s likely only set routes where highly detailed map data is available will be possible initially.

A self-driving car is considered to be at Level 4 capability if it can safely operate in specific conditions without the need of the driver. Should the car approach roads outside of the specific conditions, the driver will be requested to take over well in advance. If the driver fails to take over, the car will be able to safely bring itself to a stop.

Self-driving technology available today is at Level 2 capability. Here, the car can handle specific conditions on its own but requires a driver to constantly monitor in case of errors. Level 3 is similar to Level 4 but less capable and the warning time provided for the driver to take over is much shorter. Because of these shortcomings, many automakers are likely to skip Level 3 and go straight to Level 4.

Level 5, the ultimate goal, is where no driver is required whatsoever.

Jaguar Land Rover has been testing the technology at the HORIBA MIRA test site in the United Kingdom. With the tests on this closed-off environment successfully completed, the next phase will see the prototypes take to public roads in the cities of Milton Keynes and Coventry by the end of 2017.

The automaker expects to have the technology available for sale within the next decade.
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#2 ·
(NOT Quite)Global: first to LEVEL 4 autonom.o.u.s.e.y?

Driverless cars: Kangaroos throwing off animal detection software
ABC News
(Australia) - By: Jake Evans - July 24, 2017

Driverless car makers are discovering a unique problem as they begin to test the vehicles in Australia.

It turns out the unusual way that kangaroos move completely throws off the car's animal detection system.

"We've noticed with the kangaroo being in mid-flight ... when it's in the air it actually looks like it's further away, then it lands and it looks closer," Volvo Australia's technical manager David Pickett said.

Because the cars use the ground as a reference point, they become confused by a hopping kangaroo, unable to determine how far away it is.
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#3 ·
re: Global: first to LEVEL 4 autonoM.O.U.S.E.y?

Jaguar, along with the rest of the industry is moving right along with autonomous technology. But one thing about autonomous vehicles, it not about being first, it's about being the most dependable, the safest.....the BEST.

It seems once we get the basics of autonomous tech down, it will be time for different driving modes, like Normal or Sport.
 
#4 · (Edited)
re: Global: first to LEVEL 4 autonoM.O.U.S.E.y?

Ford has been a pioneer in autonomous driving tech like assisted parking, lane departure and keeping, road-sign recognition and more. Like electrics I'm pretty sure they are doing their homework and due diligence to implement the technology affordably and safely. However, I think Lincoln really needs to step-up their tech exclusives and competitiveness, right now Lincoln is still trying to catchup with the basics like HUD.
 
#5 ·
re: Global: first to LEVEL 4 autonoM.O.U.S.E.y?

I think Lincoln really needs to step-up their tech exclusives and competitiveness, right now Lincoln is still trying to catchup with the basics like HUD.
I cannot agree more. They need to INNOVATE and offer high tech. Stuff like night vision, 4ws, camera mirrors, lightweight chassis, even onboard event recording and rear video screens w hdmi are offered on Cadillac. Some of it industry first. This is where luxury cars are now. I still can't believe that rear video screens aren't even offered on continental! C'mon Lincoln, no more excuses.
 
#6 ·
re: Global: first to LEVEL 4 autonoM.O.U.S.E.y?

There are not many exclusive Lincoln engineers who are developing new technology just for Lincoln that I know of. Lincoln is not to that point yet. Ford obviously develops plenty of technology, and I think their focus has been more on making certain tech available to the masses, rather than making Lincoln stand out. Remember when things like auto park or trailer backup or 360 cameras were available on luxury cars only? In fact, there is a plethora of technologies that Ford has made far more accessible, and many of them are safety related. Google it and see.

Hard to fault a company that focuses first on making the lives of the masses better and safer, above the very few rich so as to claim more features. I am not sure many brands have attempted similar.
 
#7 ·
re: Global: first to LEVEL 4 autonoM.O.U.S.E.y?

There are not many exclusive Lincoln engineers who are developing new technology just for Lincoln that I know of. Lincoln is not to that point yet. Ford obviously develops plenty of technology, and I think their focus has been more on making certain tech available to the masses, rather than making Lincoln stand out. Remember when things like auto park or trailer backup or 360 cameras were available on luxury cars only? In fact, there is a plethora of technologies that Ford has made far more accessible, and many of them are safety related. Google it and see.

Hard to fault a company that focuses first on making the lives of the masses better and safer, above the very few rich so as to claim more features. I am not sure many brands have attempted similar.
C'mon wings, no more excuses for Lincoln 😂

Speaking of bringing innovation to market...gm is first yet again.... Using the excellent onstar system along w in-car wifi, it's called Proactive Alerts which basically collects car data and looks for potential vehicle issues before it happens, thus keeping the customer safe and inconvenienced. Brilliant and game changer. This was actually quietly released last year and it's the first I heard of it.

http://www.autonews.com/article/201...-rewrite-service-business?X-IgnoreUserAgent=1
 
#11 ·
re: Global: first to LEVEL 4 autonoM.O.U.S.E.y?

sometimes it seems like GM's biggest advantage is that nobody's lastname is 'GM' nor Chevy, etc... ;
so everyone's eventual bottom line is the corporation, not just one brand.

imho there should be Fomoco engineers,
whose work, when it'd be expensive to implement (always, at first) would be used first on the higher priced vehicles (which it IS imho -BUT- regardless of Brand...
...which it hasn't been, yet)

What's been going on is almost like not offering a feature on Titanium or Platinum until it can be included on an 'S' or base-fleet stripper
 
#14 ·
re: Global: first to LEVEL 4 autonoM.O.U.S.E.y?

A simple keypad hidden from view until touched, is about as useful a simple feature as possible, yet so few bother to even offer them.

I use mine frequently, if not daily. Going to the beach or the park, the keys and fob stay in the car. Or how about this scenario, you walk the dog, last kid in the house runs out and locks all doors. No problemo for Ford, just use the keypad to get to the garage door opener. No calls to a paid monthly subscription either.

Bravo Ford!

Of course, some may not feel it is as useful as recording your backup camera on a thumbdrive. There's a technological marvel however. One can just store it along with the gazillion other pictures and videos that will almost certainly never get watched.


As for letting Lincoln prosper for a while with new tech first.....I guess it depends on the tech. If it is safety related, no way. Let the masses have it ASAP. I would say similar for advancing fuel economy and lowering emissions. Things that make everyone's lives better.

And honestly, what's better....to gain a few customers at Lincoln or gain a few thousand customers at Ford and Lincoln.
Yup.
 
#20 ·
re: Global: first to LEVEL 4 autonoM.O.U.S.E.y?

A simple keypad hidden from view until touched, is about as useful a simple feature as possible, yet so few bother to even offer them.

I use mine frequently, if not daily. Going to the beach or the park, the keys and fob stay in the car. Or how about this scenario, you walk the dog, last kid in the house runs out and locks all doors. No problemo for Ford, just use the keypad to get to the garage door opener. No calls to a paid monthly subscription either.

Bravo Ford!

Of course, some may not feel it is as useful as recording your backup camera on a thumbdrive. There's a technological marvel however. One can just store it along with the gazillion other pictures and videos that will almost certainly never get watched.


As for letting Lincoln prosper for a while with new tech first.....I guess it depends on the tech. If it is safety related, no way. Let the masses have it ASAP. I would say similar for advancing fuel economy and lowering emissions. Things that make everyone's lives better.

And honestly, what's better....to gain a few customers at Lincoln or gain a few thousand customers at Ford and Lincoln.
Yup.
RemoteLink is free, I'll just use that. And when the trial is up, I have peace of mind with crash notification, stolen vehicle remote ignition lock, tracking and slowdown, live concierge. (Funny side note, I was just talking to friends who buy only ford and asked how they like the keypads. They looked at each other and replied they've never used it. Ever. Said it was gimmicky and completely unnecessary. Now there's an endorsement lol)

The Cadillac surround vision records when the alarm is activated and can record while driving, showing both front and rear views, just like a dash cam. But way better. But good on u for dismissing technology that ford doesn't offer.

Offering safety tech to the masses? I'm all for it. Recent examples from GM is teen driver and back seat alert which is widely standard equipment. But I can counter w many more examples. Fuel economy? Yup. GM embraced DI, AFM and start/stop and did it very well. Where's ford's AFM? ...guess they'll copy it in about 5 years.

So back to my original post about Lincoln needing to offer better tech...all I see is excuses and re-directs. That's not the way to re-build a once awesome brand. So yeah, more innovation ford. Give it to Lincoln to rebuild that tarnished image.

And wings, u follow me like a puppy dog here at FIN...thanks, it's amusing.
 
#15 · (Edited)
re: Global: first to LEVEL 4 autonoM.O.U.S.E.y?

I can remotely unlock my car, start it, locate it, check the vitals, etc. with an app on my phone and I don't have to pay extra for it. So sure Ford is a couple decades late but we always had the keypad anyway.

The keypad on a car is nice to have but it's definitely a redundancy of a redundancy at this point. Fortunately it's not the eyesore that it once was so it makes more sense now...and it's one of the many little touches that make Ford a little more unique.
 
#16 ·
re: Global: first to LEVEL 4 autonoM.O.U.S.E.y?

I can remotely unlock my car, start it, locate it, check the vitals, etc. with an app on my phone and I don't have to pay extra for it. So sure Ford is a couple decades late but we always had the keypad anyway.

The keypad on a car is nice to have but it's definitely a redundancy of a redundancy at this point. Fortunately it's not the eyesore that it once was but they can certainly start to eliminate it with the next-gen designs if they want.

Are you suggesting that people never lose, misplace or break their phone and will always have access with it? Or how about just a dead battery. Or how about you go running and you just don't want that brick with you?

Some
Redundancy

is
good
Redundancy
 
#25 · (Edited)
re: Global: first to LEVEL 4 autonoM.O.U.S.E.y?

So try re-purposing your argument with the scenario that you can't leave your fob in the car. So now you're going to take your car somewhere jogging/beaching/biking/walking....you lock your phone in the car but have to keep the fob to lock the car...why do you have the keypad again?

It's fine if you want to turn your Ford into a lock-box for guests to access, or if you walk out to your car and need to get something but forgot your fob...but I guarantee you that this is so useless to people that they don't even remember their codes anymore. There is no question this feature is going to be eliminated soon, the reason it existed has already been fixed.

My new garage doors don't even have keypads because you can use WiFi and an iPhone app.
 
#28 ·
re: Global: first to LEVEL 4 autonoM.O.U.S.E.y?

I am planning a canoe and camping trip this weekend. I will try to remember that leaving my keys hidden in the car and not stressing over them, is not really all that useful an option and that there are 'better' options out there. I just wish somebody would explain one too me.
 
#31 ·
re: Global: first to LEVEL 4 autonoM.O.U.S.E.y?

Having the option of not carrying a key/fob is very liberating. This just can’t be denied. It’s no different than a keypad to enter your garage. Sure, it’s nice to have a dedicated overhead button in car, portable fob, or wall button, or even cell phone option using wifi. But sometimes, you find yourself standing outside without any of the above in hand, and voila. And you find yourself taking advantage of the liberties too.

Funny though, I recall Ford was experimenting with translucent paint that hid the keypad in the sheet metal, and glowed through when touched. This goes back about a decade. I wonder why we have not seen it.
 
#32 ·
re: Global: first to LEVEL 4 autonoM.O.U.S.E.y?

Funny though, I recall Ford was experimenting with translucent paint that hid the keypad in the sheet metal, and glowed through when touched. This goes back about a decade. I wonder why we have not seen it.
Didn't they show that on a concept recently? Or maybe I am mistaken but I thought I remember seeing a image of it. The hidden one on the B pillar now is kind of the same idea but not as hidden as that would be.
 
#35 · (Edited)
re: Global: first to LEVEL 4 autonoM.O.U.S.E.y?

via MKII :thumb:

No major incidents with driverless buses in first three days
news.err.ee
- Aili Vahtla, Editor - yesterday at 07.37

While twin driverless buses introduced on a limited route in Tallinn (, Estonia) on Saturday have had a few close calls, none in their first three days of operation have required emergency response.

One such close call happened on Monday, when, according to an eyewitness, one of the driverless buses did not yield to a police car with its lights flashing when crossing the intersection at Mere Avenue, despite the Traffic Act requiring vehicles to yield in such situations.

As can be seen in photos, ERR photographer Rene Suurkaev also witnessed a situation in which one of the buses ignored a pedestrian green light and drove through the crosswalk, surprising pedestrians.

The intersection at Mere Avenue and Ahtri Street is the only point at which the driverless shuttle buses come in direct contact with live traffic, as the remainder of its route follows the tramway currently not in use due to track work further up the line. As this is the case, the driverless vehicle traffic is generally safe, but special attention must be paid, and human intervention engaged if necessary, at this intersection in order to avoid collisions with emergency vehicles or pedestrians, for example.

Humans ready to intervene
Both driverless shuttles operate with human escorts travelong on board, which are compulsory according to Estonia's Traffic Code. While they are, on the surface, present to explain the driverless techology to passengers, they have also been trained to intervene in the operation of the vehicle if necessary.

"The artificial intelligence must do everything, but just in case, there is a person on board, a human escort, who has a button with which they can stop the vehicle," explained Talvo Rüütelmaa, director of the Traffic Management Department of Tallinn Transport Administration, the agency responsible for the safety of the driverless vehicles. "The artifical intelligence is designed so that if it has any doubts, it will come to a stop, so if anyone steps in front of it, it will stop in any case."

The technology guiding the bus would not be able to yield automatically to an emergency vehicle, as the shuttle only registers the go-ahead signaled by a green light. Why the human escort on board the bus in question did not manually intervene to stop the bus in Monday's close call is another question, however, and one that must be asked of the employee directly, according to Rüütelmaa. The city transport official considered it likely that the human escort may have judged such a sudden stop to be dangerous, although the shuttle buses are traveling at maximum speeds of just 20 kilometers per hour. The buses are capable of maximum speeds of 50-60 kilometers per hour, but will not exceed the 20 kilometer per hour limit during the current testing phase.

The buses' human escorts should also intervene in situations such as the one captured on photo by ERR's photographer, in which one of the shuttles did not yield to a pedestrian green light.

"Currently there has not been one substantial incident," Rüütelmaa concluded. "People who have ridden the bus have been very pleased — they only say that it should go faster."

Police: Driverless vehicles will take getting used to
Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) spokesperson Seiko Kuik confirmed to ERR that they are not aware of any incidents with the shuttle buses that have required police intervention.

He also noted that emergency vehicle drivers themselves must also always take the safety of drivers and pedestrians around them into account, even when responding to a call, and that police working in Central Tallinn are all aware of the new type of vehicle being showcased during Estonia's presidency of the Council of the EU.

Kuik pointed out that driverless vehicles are yet unfamiliar to all road users. "Years ago it was probably a similar situation with the first automobiles," he added.

Tallinn is the first city in which driverless buses will come in direct contact with live traffic. While the twin Easymile shuttles only officially began operating on Saturday, its training began long prior, with a specialist flying in from France to help the vehicles practice traveling along their route.

The driverless buses will not remain in Estonia long, however; the testing phase will conclude at the end of August, after which the vehicles will be returned to France. Following the month of operation, synopses will be compiled on experiences employing the driverless vehicles, based upon which it will later be decided whether or not to continue testing the technology on different routes in the future, according to Rüütelmaa.

Driverless shuttles to operate through end of August
Visitors and residents interested in trying out the driverless buses are encouraged to do so before the end of the month, as no more test runs with the Easymile buses are planned for the rest of the year — in part due to the fact that tram service will be restored along Mere Avenue beginning in September, and also due to the fact that while it may be possible to put winter tires on the vehicles, the French buses as currently equipped would not be able to safely handle icy and wintry conditions.

The driverless buses, which service a limited route between the Mere puiestee (Mere Avenue) stop and Tallinn Creative Hub, will operate from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday, through the end of August.

The shuttles, which were introduced as part of Estonia's EU presidency, one of the priorities of which is the development of technology and its impact on society, are free of charge for everyone.

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#36 ·
Re: Global: first to LEVEL 4 autonoM.O.U.S.E.y?

via & foto-credit: AutoVerdict

Fiat Chrysler joins BMW-Intel self-driving car alliance
Reuters [Innovation and Intellectual Property]
/ Staff / August 16, 2017 / 2 days ago

SAN FRANCISCO/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Fiat Chrysler will join an alliance led by BMW to develop self-driving cars, intensifying a race by carmakers and technology companies to develop "robotaxis" which can be called up via smartphone and paid for by the minute.

The market for such self-driving cabs could be worth $2 trillion by 2030, according to consultants McKinsey, as younger customers abandon car ownership in favor of a pay-per-use mobility service.

Fiat Chrysler (FCA) said it plans to put autonomous car technology into production by 2021, matching a timeframe shared by rival companies who are also developing self-driving cars.

BMW and its partners Intel and Mobileye said FCA would bring engineering and other expertise to the deal, paving the way to creating an industry-wide autonomous car platform which other carmakers could adopt.

Automakers are seeking alliances to share the high costs of developing autonomous cars, which according to consulting firm Frost & Sullivan will make up about 10 to 15 percent of vehicles in Europe by 2030.

FCA Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne cited the "synergies and economies of scale" possible in joining the alliance.

Marchionne has long argued that automakers must merge in order to survive the prohibitively high costs of making more technologically advanced vehicles.

In April, he said FCA was looking for new partners in self-driving development because "banking all of our solutions on one possible outcome is going to be disastrous".

FCA is also part of a separate alliance with Alphabet Inc's self-driving unit Waymo to develop self-driving cars based on Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivans.

Autonomous cars will allow carmakers to disrupt the taxi market which is run by fleet operators and ride-hailing firms. Without having to pay drivers, ride-hailing could become more cost effective and compete against other forms of transport including buses.

Ride-hailing services, which make up around 33 percent of the global taxi market, could grow eightfold to $285 billion by 2030, once autonomous robotaxis are in operation, according to Goldman Sachs.

Auto suppliers Delphi Automotive and Continental have also joined the BMW-Intel alliance. The consortium said it was on track to put 40 self-driving test vehicles on the road by the end of 2017, and would learn from the 100 test vehicles to be deployed by Mobileye in the United States later this year.
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#37 · (Edited)
Re: Global: first to LEVEL 4 autonoM.O.U.S.E.y?

crossreference: Mr.Hatchett 100 Day Review thread

Ford CEO: Robots won't own the road anytime soon
Automotive News - Europe
/ Katie Burke / August 18, 2017


SAN FRANCISCO -- Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Hackett doesn't foresee a robot takeover when it comes to the advent of autonomous vehicles.

Hackett outlined his vision for future mobility at Ford's City of Tomorrow event in San Francisco on Thursday. Rather than predict an all pod-car streetscape within the next decade, he said technology will gradually augment current challenges, easing pain points such as limited parking and vehicle access that commuters deal with on a daily basis.

"When you paint the robots as perfect and humans as imperfect, we've made a big mistake," Hackett said. "We don't need the robot to get around."

Hackett, who formerly headed Ford's Smart Mobility subsidiary before replacing​ Mark Fields as CEO in May, has been tasked with formulating Ford's mobility strategy in an increasingly competitive field. The company has invested in various transportation technologies, including lidar-maker Velodyne, mapping startup Civil Maps, bike-share company Motivate, ride-sharing startup Chariot and autonomous driving startup Argo AI.

In July, Hackett said he was using his first 100 days as CEO to review Ford's future product plans -- which includes the introduction of a Level 4 self-driving vehicle for commercial use by 2021.

To make the most of technological innovations in transportation, companies must examine every perspective, Hackett said, and work to create an egalitarian system. While automated technology can ease problems such as crash avoidance, navigating traffic accidents and parking options, it can't fully address problems of equal access on its own.

Hackett said a combination of analog and new technologies will be necessary to create a better transportation environment.

"Networks only get stronger by inclusion, there's no gain by carving someone out," he said.

Hackett acknowledged that some of Ford's competitors in autonomous vehicle development have gained an advantage in data collection by operating services off of smartphones, adding that to deliver effective mobility services, Ford must be able to understand consumer patterns and preferences.

"We need to be able to piece together these attributes of what inside a city are the pain points for customers today," he said. "We can then marry that technological capability to the stepping stones of the pain points in a city."

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#38 ·
Re: Global: first to LEVEL 4 autonoM.O.U.S.E.y?

Ford, Argo eye new possibilities for autonomous cars
The Detroit News
, Ian Thibodeau, Aug. 27, 2017


San Francisco — Jim Hackett doesn’t want to be handcuffed on how Ford’s first fully self-driving vehicles might be deployed in 2021.

The launch date for those autonomous cars without a steering wheel, brake pedal or an accelerator is still four years away, but Hackett, Ford Motor Co.’s new CEO, wants the company to think more broadly about the best use of that technology. In the past, Ford executives agreed that the first autonomous vehicles would operate in ride-hailing services on established routes.

Hackett doesn’t want to restrict Ford to that one use, he said during a recent interview with The Detroit News in San Francisco at Ford’s City of Tomorrow event. He wants options.

“We won’t define the markets,” he said. “(The market for autonomous vehicles) will change with this capability. ... I would bring everybody into the same room and say you reported on this wrong, and all the automotive people, you told this story wrong. They all got it wrong, and let’s start to clear it up. Look at the computer industry. Why didn’t we say the first time you’re going to have a computer that can talk back to you?”

That’s a big change for Ford, and a line of thought that’s alien to an auto industry where executives and engineers are accustomed to knowing five years ahead of a launch which products will be in the lineup. With new and developing technology like autonomy, it’s unwise to commit too early to a final product, according to Hackett.

That critical thinking could pay off for Ford.

Sam Abuelsamid, analyst with Navigant Research, said, “If anything, I’d describe the attitude as a bit more bullish than (former CEO) Mark Fields, since they are looking at other usage.”

Bryan Salesky, CEO of Argo AI, suggests the robotic cars could operate as delivery vehicles or a freight service in addition to the ride-hailing option. Ford is paying Argo AI $1 billion to build the “brains” for those vehicles.

“We’re looking at all sorts of business models as to how to put this into production,” Salesky said during a Detroit News interview in San Francisco. “And one of the advantages of being partnered with an auto company is you’ve obviously got a number of vehicle platforms to draw from depending on the business model. (We are) collaborating on what are the right ones to go after.”

The teams at Ford and Argo are emphatic that they will have all of the technical capability to bring an autonomous vehicle in some form to market by 2021. Salesky said Argo will soon begin focusing on testing its virtual-driver program in preparation for that date.

Sherif Marakby, Ford’s (new) vice president for autonomous vehicles and electrification, explained Ford’s position on autonomy in a recent blog post.

“Ride-sharing and hailing is on the rise, and shopping at malls is giving way to buying online, which is increasing package delivery services,” Marakby wrote. “Therefore, we’re building a business to capitalize on both of these trends. We plan to develop and manufacture self-driving vehicles at scale, deployed in cooperation with multiple partners, and with a customer experience based on human-centered design principles.”

Salesky said Argo will have more than 30 autonomous vehicles testing on the road in Dearborn, Ann Arbor and Pittsburgh by the end of the year. Those vehicles, developed less than a year after Ford partnered with Argo, will fine-tune Argo’s virtual-driver system using Ford Fusions outfitted with the automaker’s suite of cameras, sensors, radar and lidar (light detection and ranging). They will have someone in the driver’s seat monitoring the system.

The partnership with Ford helped Salesky and Argo avoid a pitfall that technology companies like Alphabet Inc., Apple Inc. and Uber Technologies Inc. found after launching their own autonomous programs: Argo doesn’t have to worry about making an automobile.

Those Silicon Valley companies quickly discovered it was hard to build good cars to pair with the software, which resulted in those companies scaling back or scrapping the autonomous work.

In short, Ford brings a fleet of time-tested vehicles and other hardware, Argo brings the software. The companies focus all of that on one goal.

“We’re talking about a system of vehicles that will, if deployed properly, be a completely game-changing way of moving anything from A to B in a city,” Salesky said. “This technology can fundamentally change how cities move.”

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#39 ·
Re: Global: first to LEVEL 4 autonoM.O.U.S.E.y?

did they think if they moved the Mobility/autonoMOUSEy stuff across the Pond, we wouldn't notice?

Ford Opens A Smart Mobility Office In London
FordAuthoritah
— Aaron Brzozowski — Oct 25, 2017

Ford Motor Company last week opened its new “Smart Mobility Innovation Office” in London, England, which will focus on the near-term development of mobility technologies with a focus on the particular needs of Europe’s urban centers. Sarah-Jayne Williams, who was named Ford Europe’s first-ever Director of Smart Mobility last August, will lead this new office.

The new Ford Smart Mobility Innovation Office’s location at London’s Here East digital campus gives it valuable proximity to potential future partners: tech companies, startups, and established academic institutions. It also puts the office close to some of the company’s existing partners, like research partner Loughborough University. As with Ford’s Palo Alto Research and Innovation Center here in the US, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, the automaker sees the location of the facility and the resulting ease of access to other firms in the tech industry as key.

“London is not only one of Europe’s biggest mega-cities, it is also one of the most progressive in its openness to new ideas and new partners, as we work together to create smart vehicles for a smart world,” says Ford President and CEO Jim Hackett. “Here East is the perfect location for Ford’s European smart mobility hub with Plexal’s incredible talent pool and start-up diversity right on the doorstep.”

Links @ site
 
#40 · (Edited)
global: first to LEVEL 4 autonoM.O.U.S.E.y?

and HERE is WHY Fomoco ain't gonna TRY for less than LEVEL 4 (FOUR)...
...
well, ONE reason :angel


Google ditched autopilot driving feature after test user napped behind wheel
Reuters
- Paresh Dave - October 31, 2017


ATWATER, Calif. (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc’s self-driving car unit ( WHAMMO or something like that ) stopped developing features that required drivers to take control in dangerous situations, its chief executive said Monday, as autopilot reliance left users prone to distractions and ill-prepared to maneuver.

The decision followed experiments of the technology in Silicon Valley that showed test users napping, putting on makeup and fiddling with their phones as the vehicles traveled up to 56 mph.

John Krafcik, the head of Waymo, which was formed in 2009 as a project within Alphabet’s Google unit, told reporters that about five years ago the company envisioned technology that could autonomously drive cars on highways as a quick way to get on the market.

Other self-driving automakers include similar autopilot features for highway-driving in vehicles, but they require drivers to take over the steering wheel in tricky situations. Waymo planned to do the same.

“What we found was pretty scary,
Krafcik said on Monday during a media tour of a Waymo testing facility. “It’s hard to take over because they have lost contextual awareness.”

Krafcik said the company determined a system that asked drivers to jump in at the sound of an alert was unsafe after seeing videos from inside self-driving cars during tests.

The filmed tests were conducted in 2013, with Google employees behind the wheel. The videos had not been publicly shown until Monday’s event, Waymo spokeswoman Lauren Barriere said.

The company decided to focus solely on technology that didn’t require human intervention a couple of days after the napping incident, said Krafcik, who joined as CEO in 2015. It has also since argued against allowing “handoffs” between automated driving systems and people.

“Our technology takes care of all of the driving, allowing passengers to stay passengers,” the company said in report this month.

The two drive controls provided to passengers in Waymo’s Chrysler Pacifica minivans are buttons for starting a ride and asking the vehicles to pull over at their next chance.

Waymo is running a ride-hailing pilot program around Phoenix, Arizona that chauffeurs an undisclosed, but growing number of users in self-driving cars. The service area is limited to well-mapped roads on which Waymo has extensively tested.

Krafcik declined to specify when the company would expand beyond the small experiment, saying only that such a moment is getting “close.”

He reiterated that the company is simultaneously also identifying ways to launch self-driving trucks, municipal transit services and partnerships with carmakers.

“We see four potential applications, whether it’s Waymo branded or not,” he said.

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#41 · (Edited)
#42 · (Edited)
global: first to Level#LAWSUIT in autonoM.O.U.S.E.y? ....WHAMMO!

Driverless shuttle in crash on first day of service in downtown Vegas
News3LV.com
- Kyndell Nunley, Gabby Hart and Jami Seymore - Nov 8 2017

Shuttle Down!
Self-Driving-Shuttle Era Begins with a First-Day Crash in Las Vegas

C & D
- Pete Bigelow - Nov 8, 2017

commentary: "The other driver was obviously at fault as he received a citation for the incident..."

- - - - - - -

hmm
a town spends a WAD on a MOUSEy system ... who they gonna BLAME??
:facepalm:
 

Attachments

#44 ·
VEGAS: first to Level#LAWSUIT on autonoM.O.U.S.E.y? ....WHAMMO!

TTAC: stupid title omitted
By Jack Baruth on November 9, 2017


...Well, that’s all very simple, isn’t it? If the truck had been as “smart” as the shuttle, the accident wouldn’t have happened. Are you convinced? You shouldn’t be. The autonomous vehicle was at the very least complicit in the accident, if you define “complicit” as “unable to take simple steps to avoid the crash.”

That sounds like an unreasonably high bar but it’s one that human drivers have to clear all the time. Here’s an example...

...In the case of the Las Vegas “crash,” a human driver most likely would have backed away from the truck, possibly while banging on the horn and/or yelling something impolite, and the accident would have been avoided. This sort of thing happens ten thousand times a day in cities across the globe. It’s common for delivery truck drivers to expect this kind of mild courtesy in an urban environment. If they need to back up, and you’re behind them, and there’s nothing behind you, then you should back up. That’s the kind of problem that human beings can easily solve. Yet it’s not easily codified into machine behavior.

This situation works very well when all the players are autonomous; the truck just stops dead until it’s safe to move. And it usually works very well when all the players are human; the truck moves, the car moves, somebody flips somebody off, and life continues as before. The problem is in the hybrid situation, because the two players have different sets of rules. Don’t bother to respond that the rules of the road are the same for all parties. That would work fine in my little home town of Powell, Ohio, where traffic densities are mild, roads are wide, and the general mood is so unhurried that it’s far from uncommon to see people doing 30 mph on the marked-45 two-lanes. But it won’t work in New York, Los Angeles, or even in Las Vegas.

This is all completely obvious to me, to you, and to anybody who has the low-grade pattern-recognition ability to see the obvious. We could talk a lot... ...but it’s not necessary. If you’ve driven in a major city for more than two hours of your life, you can intuitively understand why the hybrid system won’t work. So if a middle-aged Dad from Nowheresville can figure it out without breaking a sweat, why can’t all the big brains on the Left Coast do the same?

The answer, of course, is that they absolutely can. There’s no future in the strikehybrid/strike(MIXED) model and there never was any future in the hybrid model...

...The government officials involved in these pilot programs may be nothing more than useful idiots, but the people who are designing and funding the programs understand very well what’s going on. Did you hear the one about the last human driver on the road? Everything was his fault, even when it wasn’t.

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#46 ·
Re: VEGAS: first to Level#LAWSUIT on autonoM.O.U.S.E.y? ....WHAMMO!

...In the case of the Las Vegas “crash,” a human driver most likely would have backed away from the truck, possibly while banging on the horn and/or yelling something impolite, and the accident would have been avoided. This sort of thing happens ten thousand times a day in cities across the globe. It’s common for delivery truck drivers to expect this kind of mild courtesy in an urban environment. If they need to back up, and you’re behind them, and there’s nothing behind you, then you should back up. That’s the kind of problem that human beings can easily solve. Yet it’s not easily codified into machine behavior.

.
Exactly! I can't wait to see 2 autonomous vehicles stopped in the road, neither knowing to back off enough to allow the other to manuever.
Not only in urban areas, but there lots of situations on country roads where they will be baffled. I'd love to see how they handle the deer population on my drive to work. They are not like people, who stand just near the road when ready to cross They can be 10 feet from the road, and perfectly still. A driver would know to slow down and watch for their reaction, knowing they might wait to the very last second to jump out in front of your car. if you maintained speed, there would be no chance of avoidance.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2b2
#48 ·
Uber buys *24k* XC90s ... for XMAS delivery? ;-)

...no, Not solid gold: Twenty-Four T H O U S A N D...

Uber orders 24,000 Volvo XC90s for its self-driving fleet
MotorAuthopritah
- Viknesh Vijayenthiran - Nov 21, 2017

Uber is in the race to develop a fully self-driving system to one day power a fleet of driverless taxis.

To develop the system, Uber is using a fleet of Volvo XC90 SUVs fitted with all the necessary hardware required for self-driving capability, such as cameras and sensors. The vehicles also incorporate necessary safety and redundancy systems to handle emergency situations.

Volvo has been installing the hardware on XC90s supplied to Uber since August 2016. On Monday, the two companies announced that Volvo will supply as many as 24,000 of its XC90s to Uber between 2019 and 2021.

Uber is using the vehicles to develop the complex software that crunches the incoming data from the sensors to make instructions that then control the vehicle. Uber has been conducting most of its testing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, although the company’s test fleets have also taken to roads in Arizona and California.

Uber has no intention to manufacture its own cars for its future driverless taxis. Instead, it will purchase them from established automakers such as Volvo. It’s not clear when there will be driverless taxis on the road but many in the industry give a timeline of 5-10 years.

“This new agreement puts us on a path towards mass produced self-driving vehicles at scale,” Jeff Miller, Uber’s head of auto alliances, said in a statement.

Volvo is working on its own self-driving system in a partnership with Swedish supplier Autoliv. Volvo says it will have a car capable of driving itself on its own in certain conditions on sale by as early as 2021. To help develop its self-driving system, Volvo launched the Drive Me project where project where 100 self-driving prototypes are being handed over to regular customers in Gothenburg, Sweden, the automaker’s hometown. In certain sections of Gothenburg, the prototypes are able to operate in full autonomous mode.

“The automotive industry is being disrupted by technology and Volvo Cars chooses to be an active part of that disruption,” Volvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson said in a statement. “Our aim is to be the supplier of choice for [autonomous drive] ride-sharing service providers globally.”
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#49 ·
Re: Uber buys *24k* XC90s ... for XMAS delivery? ;-)

24k that's quite a bit!
 
#50 · (Edited)
Uber: naughty or nice ... for XMAS delivery? ;-)

meanwhile...

Uber Paid Hackers to Delete the Stolen Data of 57 Million People
TTAC,
by Matt Posky on November 22, 2017

In the midst of Uber Technologies’ corporate restructuring and cultivation of a squeaky-clean new image, the ride-hailing company was apparently hiding a dark secret. Striving for transparency, the company has now confessed that hackers stole the personal information of 57 million customers and drivers in October of 2016.

The coverup, apparently conducted by the firm’s chief security officer and another staff member, involved over $100,000 in payments to the hackers in the hopes to keep them quiet. The data lost included names, email addresses, and phone numbers of around 50 million Uber riders across the globe. Another 7 million drivers were also subjected to the digital attack, with over half a million of those losing their driver’s license numbers.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Uber claims that no Social Security numbers or credit card information was lost during the original incident. But it also confessed that it ignored its legal obligation to come forward about the nature of the attack and shouldn’t have paid hackers to delete the stolen data and keep the event secret.

“None of this should have happened, and I will not make excuses for it,” Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s chief executive officer since September, said in a statement. “We are changing the way we do business.”

While large companies losing customer data to digital criminals is nothing new, Uber going so far out of its way to ensure a coverup is alarming. Travis Kalanick, Uber’s co-founder and former CEO, appears to have learned of the hack in November 2016, one month after it took place. At the time, Uber had only just settled a lawsuit with the New York attorney general over data security disclosures, and was in the process of negotiating with the Federal Trade Commission over the handling of consumer data.

Joe Sullivan, the outgoing security chief, headed the response to the hack last year, according to a company spokesperson. The company’s board has been particularly interested in Sullivan’s decisions since 2015 and had hired a law firm to conduct an investigation into his doings earlier this fall. According to the company, that investigation is what uncovered the hacking and subsequent coverup.

From Bloomberg:
Two attackers accessed a private GitHub coding site used by Uber software engineers and then used login credentials they obtained there to access data stored on an Amazon Web Services account that handled computing tasks for the company. From there, the hackers discovered an archive of rider and driver information. Later, they emailed Uber asking for money, according to the company.

A patchwork of state and federal laws require companies to alert people and government agencies when sensitive data breaches occur. Uber said it was obligated to report the hack of driver’s license information and failed to do so.

“At the time of the incident, we took immediate steps to secure the data and shut down further unauthorized access by the individuals,” Khosrowshahi said. “We also implemented security measures to restrict access to and strengthen controls on our cloud-based storage accounts.”

After Uber’s confession...

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