Embark
Latest
Uber’s self-driving trucks are making deliveries in Arizona
Uber announced today that its self-driving trucks have been operating in Arizona for the last couple of months. The company said it has two main transfer hubs in Sanders and Topock, but other than that, Uber is being pretty tight-lipped about the operation. For instance, it hasn't shared how many trucks are in use, how many miles they've driven, what they're shipping or how often drivers have to take over for the autonomous system, and has only said that the trucks have completed thousands of rides to date.
Embark’s self-driving semi completes trip from California to Florida
Last year, autonomous trucking company Embark announced that it would begin using its Level 2 autonomous semis to deliver refrigerators from Texas to California. Now, TechCrunch reports, the company has taken it a step further as one of its trucks has now completed a 2,400 mile trip from Los Angeles to Jacksonville, Florida. The trip took five days, which included scheduled rest breaks for the driver that was on board, and TechCrunch says that Embark's team is now assessing all of the trip's data. While there's no word yet on just how often the system required the driver to step in, those on board said that the truck went "hours at a time with no disengagements, and when they did occur they were usually only a few seconds," according to Embark CEO Alex Rodrigues.
Embark's semi-autonomous trucks are hauling Frigidaire appliances
Last year, Otto made a 120-mile beer run. Now Frigidaire and Ryder have partnered with autonomous trucking company Embark to deliver smart fridges from Texas to California. You know, so you have a place to store the brews. Embark thinks that freeways are the ideal test grounds for its autonomous efforts because there aren't any traffic lights, pedestrians or oncoming traffic to deal with. Which makes sense. All a truck needs to do, basically, is stay in its lane, maintain speed and keep a safe distance from other cars.
MTA, AT&T declare winners of transit app contest
New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and AT&T announced the winners of the 2013 App Quest challenge this week. The challenge was designed to highlight the best mobile apps for the millions of MTA customers who tote up to an impressive 2.6 billion trips each year on the MTA's buses, subways and commuter rail trains. Best Overall App went to the developers of Citymapper (free), which provides real-time information on subways, buses and even bicycle sharing in New York City and London. The developers won US$20,000 for the app, which not only provides transportation information but also local weather and information on shutdowns and service disruptions. It can even tell passengers when to get off a bus. The MTA fought third-party apps initially, but in 2010, it decided to work with developers and started making information on scheduling, ridership and route performance freely available. The App Quest competition is in its second year -- last year's winning app, Embark (free), was acquired by Apple last month.
Apple acquires Embark, a transit app it recommended during the iOS Maps disaster
Remember that time Apple launched a new iteration of iOS with a godawful mapping app? Shortly after that, it also recommended that users in major metropolitan areas lean on third-party apps for mass transit navigation, given that iOS Maps had no such functionality. As it turns out, Embark was one of those app makers, and it has very much enjoyed the influx of attention that has arrived thanks to Apple's gaffe. Now, however, the small team will likely not be toiling on future Android apps, as Jessica Lessin is reporting that Embark has been acquired by Apple itself. It's unclear how much money changed hands, but one could surmise that Apple will be using Embark's technology to bolster its own mass transit routing -- an area where Google currently rules the roost. Will proper integration happen prior to iOS 7's release this autumn? It's doubtful, but we've sure seen crazier things happen.
