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US Department of Transportation updates autonomous car rules
The US Department of Transportation has released its latest set of voluntary guidelines for automated driving systems, a report that builds on previous versions released over the past two years. With Preparing for the Future of Transportation: Automated Vehicles 3.0, the DOT outlines additional safety principles, updates policy and offers guidance to state and local governments. "The integration of automation across our transportation system has the potential to increase productivity and facilitate freight movement," said DOT Secretary Elaine Chao. "But most importantly, automation has the potential to impact safety significantly -- by reducing crashes caused by human error, including crashes involving impaired or distracted drivers, and saving lives.
Ford asks for a common language for self-driving cars
Ford has been developing its own means for self-driving cars to communicate their intent, but it also knows that fragmentation could be a huge problem in the autonomous driving world. How are you supposed to know what cars are doing when each one has a different visual cue? Accordingly, Ford has issued a memorandum of understanding that asks the industry to create a signalling standard for cars capable of at least SAE Level 4 automation (that is, they can handle all driving tasks under some conditions). It hopes the exchange of standards will lead to a common language that human drivers and pedestrians will understand, regardless of where they live or how tech-savvy they may be.
Engineer spends $6,000 invalidating Waymo's lidar patents
An engineer with no connection to the self-driving industry has spent $6,000 of his own money to stop Alphabet's self-driving car business Waymo from patenting key technology. Following a challenge filed by Eric Swildens, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) rejected 53 out of 56 claims in Waymo's 936 patent. The reason for his action? He just "couldn't imagine the [lidar] circuit [described in the 936 patent] didn't exist prior," Ars Technica reported.
Mercedes self-driving van concept swaps bodies to match its cargo
Self-driving vehicles are useful for hauling both people and cargo, but you can usually only prioritize one of those tasks unless you can afford to buy separate vehicles. Mercedes-Benz might have a solution to the problem: build a machine that can change its role on demand. Its Vision Urbanetic concept van uses a modular body system to switch between people-carrying and cargo duties, with an electric-powered platform underneath.
Uber doesn't plan to sell its self-driving car division
Uber isn't in a rush to sell its self-driving car unit despite the fatal Arizona crash and its aftermath. Company chief Dara Khosrowshahi told Reuters in an interview that there aren't any plans to sell the autonomous driving wing "at this time." The team is a "big asset" to the company, the executive said, pointing to Toyota's $500 million investment as an example. He added that Uber was "quite optimistic" about resuming self-driving tests before the end of 2018.
Apple reports its first self-driving car crash
Apple has been keeping most of its self-driving car plans and progress under wraps, but every once in a while, we get a small peek at what the tech giant has been doing. It has revealed in a DMV filing, for instance, that one of its autonomous vehicles was recently involved in a crash in the Bay Area -- and it was caused by human error. According to the document, an Apple test vehicle driving in autonomous mode on August 24th (2:58PM) was rear-ended by a 2016 Nissan Leaf. It happened while the test vehicle was waiting for a safe gap to merge onto the notoriously congested Lawrence Expressway. Apple's car was driving at less than 1 mph, while the Nissan Leaf was moving at around 15 mph.
Yandex begins public tests of its self-driving cars in Russia
Russia's Yandex has taken its self-driving efforts one step further, launching an autonomous ride-hailing service in the university city of Innopolis, Russia. The company claims it's the first such service to launch in Europe. For now, there will be two self-driving vehicles in operation and they'll provide rides to specific locations, such as the university, the stadium and residential blocks, for free. A safety engineer will ride in the passenger seat and around 100 people have agreed to test the service.
Toyota will invest $500 million in Uber (updated)
Toyota plans to invest around $500 million in Uber, the Wall Street Journal reports, as the two enter an agreement to work together on driverless technologies. The publication cites sources familiar with the matter and the investment would value Uber at $72 billion. Reports surfaced earlier this month that Uber investors told the company it should consider selling off its self-driving car unit due to the substantial losses the project has racked up.
Lyft and Aptiv complete 5,000 self-driving rides in Las Vegas
Lyft's experiment with paid self-driving rides in Las Vegas appears to be going as smoothly as you might hope. Lyft and its partner Aptiv have revealed that they've completed 5,000 autonomous trips since launching service earlier in 2018. The passengers are happy with the experience, Lyft claimed. About 96 percent said they planned to use self-driving service again, while 20 percent have already used the service at least twice. Lyft also touted the average five-star rating, although that's not surprising when max ratings are par for the course among human ridesharing drivers.
Tesla will open its security code to other car manufacturers
Tesla might just get into the habit of releasing source code for its in-car tech. Elon Musk has signaled his intention to post the source code for Tesla's car security software, letting any automaker roll it into their own machines. It would be "extremely important" to ensure the safety of future self-driving cars, he argued, and that's not without merit. You really don't want intruders crashing your car or otherwise causing havoc, especially when you're not at the wheel.
Former Tesla engineering lead Doug Field is back with Apple
Tesla confirmed in July that instead of returning from a six-week break, senior engineering VP Doug Field had departed the company. The timing was interesting as it came during Tesla's push to ramp up production of the Model 3 sedan, which was the kind of issue we'd expected Field to address after he joined in 2013. Whatever the reasons for his split from Tesla, Daring Fireball writer John Gruber has confirmed with Apple PR that Field is back with the company he left five years ago. Going a step further, Gruber said that he has heard from sources that instead of returning to Mac engineering, Field is working on Apple's rebooted Project Titan vehicle team -- a move that could suggest it has bigger plans than just an add-on self-driving car kit. Normally, we'd be on alert for a snarky tweet or two from Elon Musk about the shift (three years ago he told a German paper "If you don't make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple" before apologizing) but he might be distracted by the SEC at the moment.
Waymo test will provide rides to and from public transportation
Waymo announced today that it's partnering with the Phoenix area's regional public transportation authority, Valley Metro, in order to explore whether self-driving vehicles are an effective way to get people to and from public transportation. Starting in August, Valley Metro employees will be able to hail a Waymo ride via the company's app for their first- and last-mile transit connections. Waymo said in its announcement that as cities grow, "the 'last mile' -- how people connect to public transportation efficiently, affordably and safely -- is one of the main challenges communities struggle to solve." With its Valley Metro partnership, Waymo aims to test how autonomous vehicles can help fill those mobility gaps.
Drive.ai’s autonomous ride-hailing service is now operating in Texas
Drive.ai's autonomous ride-hailing service has launched in Frisco, Texas, providing transportation between Hall Park offices and The Star. The company announced in May that the service was on the way, and while a safety driver will be present in the vehicle at launch, Drive.ai plans to transition to a passenger seat chaperone and then passenger-only rides going forward. "Today is the exciting start to our on-demand ride service, which we hope will benefit a community and increase understanding of and confidence in self-driving technology," the company said in a blog post today.
Uber ends autonomous truck program to focus on self-driving cars
Two years after Uber bought self-driving truck developer Otto to the tune of $680 million, the ride hailing company announced on Monday that the Uber Advanced Technologies Group is shuttering its autonomous truck unit. The company remains committed to further developing its self-driving car platform, which has only killed one pedestrian so far. Uber Freight, a separate service that helps connect shipping companies with drivers, is being spared as well.
Chinese car giants team up on a ridesharing platform
It's not just Western automakers jumping head-first into transportation services. Three of China's largest car brands (Chongqing Changan, Dongfeng and FAW Group) have launched a venture that will create a ridesharing platform. T3 Mobile Travel Services will bring in partners from other fields to create the Uber-style service, and it'll unsurprisingly take advantage of the country's burgeoning self-driving car industry.
Watch a self-driving car complete Goodwood's legendary hill climb
Want a hint of how the automotive zeitgeist is changing? You only need to look at the just-ended Goodwood Festival of Speed. Roborace has carved out a small niche in history with the first self-driving vehicle to successfully complete Goodwood's famous hill climb, where vehicles have to tackle a gradual 300-foot ascent that includes narrow hay- and brick-lined passages. It wasn't a flat-out assault, but the attempt (which was preceded by a practice run) went off without a hitch -- which you can't say for the other autonomous contender at the festival.
Uber lays off roughly 100 workers in its self-driving team
Uber is scaling back its self-driving team in the wake of the fatal Arizona crash and the subsequent shutdown of its autonomous operations. The ridesharing company has confirmed to Pittsburgh's Action 4 News that it laid off about 100 employees in its self-driving vehicle team. It didn't specify their roles, but noted that most were in its Pittsburgh team while others were in Uber's home territory of San Francisco. Quartz sources reported that these were vehicle operators.
Ex-Apple employee arrested with stash of self-driving car secrets
In a world where everyone wants a piece of the growing self-driving industry, we might have to get used to reports of betrayal and trade secret theft. US authorities have just arrested a former Apple employee for stealing the tech giant's self-driving trade secrets. Xiaolang Zhang was charged with stealing circuit boards and a computer server from Cupertino's self-driving car lab. He's also being accused of downloading a 25-page blueprint for a driverless car circuit board, which served as the basis for the criminal charge, though he reportedly downloaded some technical manuals and reports to his wife's computer, as well.
Audi and Huawei team up on connected car technology
Audi is no stranger to developing networked, internet-savvy cars. It still believes it needs a boost, however. To that end, it just signed a memorandum of understanding with Huawei that will see the two companies collaborate on "intelligent connected vehicles." These cars need a fast, reliable data connection, Audi said, and Huawei's involvement is bound to help. They see the alliance helping for everything from autonomous driving through to online services.
Recommended Reading: Self-driving cars still have a lot to learn
Self-driving cars are headed toward an AI roadblock Russell Brandom, The Verge It's no secret that the auto industry is racing towards production of fully autonomous vehicles. A number of companies say they can achieve the feat in the next year or so; however, critics say it may be a while longer before you're able to completely relax during your commute. The Verge explains why AI experts argue self-driving cars could be years or maybe decades away from being able reliably avoid accidents.
