Category Archives: cars

Waymo Robotaxies Are Coming To Miami

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Fresh off of successfully becoming a fixture on the streets of San Francisco and Los Angeles despite the please of pedestrians, Alphabet-owned robotaxi service Waymo announced plans to set up a shop in Miami starting next year, according to an announcement made by the company Thursday, Gizmodo reported.

Waymo has tested its vehicles in Florida in the past but said it will be “reacquainting” itself with the Sunshine State by rolling out Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicles equipped with its autonomous driving technology starting in early 2025. It plans to make rides widely available in 2026, allowing Miami’s to order a ride through its Waymo One app.

The Miami fleet will be managed by Moove, an African-based mobility fintech company that offers vehicle financing to ride-hailing, logistics, and delivery drivers. The company, valued at $750 million netted a $100 million investment from Uber earlier this year.

CNBC reported: Waymo is setting its sights on its next location: the Sunshine State.

The Alphabet-owned company announced Thursday that it will be hitting the roads in Miami. Waymo said it will first begin cruising through the Florida city with human safety drivers in 2025 before opening doors to riders for its robotaxi service through Waymo One app in 2026.

The expansion into Miami is indicative of Waymo’s growing confidence in operating its self-driving vehicles in harsher weather conditions in large metropolitan areas in the U.S.

Waymo first tested in Miami in 2019, which the company said helped improve the ability of its self-driving vehicles to navigate in wet and rainy conditions.

“We deepened our learning and understanding of the Waymo Driver’s performance in adverse weather conditions,” a company spokesperson said.

TechCrunch reported it is partnering with Moove, an African mobility fintech that offers financing to gig workers, to handle fleet management operation for its robotaxi service in Phoenix, and soon, Miami.

The partnership marks several firsts. It will signal Waymo’s entry into Miami. And it’s also the first time Moove will enter the U.S. market and work with autonomous vehicles. Today, Moove operates in various cities across Africa, the Middle East, India, and the U.K., and has raised over $400 million from backers like Mubadala Investment Company and BlackRock. Earlier this year, Moove scored $100 million in a round led by Uber.

The partnership with Moove signals that Waymo signals that Waymo is keen to outsource the commercial side of the business and focus on developing the self-driving as a driver-as-a-service model.

In my opinion, Waymo’s robotaxi services could be very useful for people who want to ride in a Waymo vehicle. Ideally, it could make things easier for people who need a ride somewhere.

RoboSense Announces World’s First Public Road Test of Smart LiDAR Vehicle at CES 2020

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RoboSense, the leading autonomous driving LiDAR perception solution provider, announced the world’s first public test of a vehicle equipped with a Smart LiDAR Sensor at CES 2020. The RoboSense Smart LiDAR car, featuring the award-winning RS-LiDAR-M1 Smart LiDAR, will be running outside the Las Vegas Convention Center daily during CES 2020, showing the latest technological progress in autonomous vehicle LiDAR.

Simultaneous exhibitions will be held at RoboSense’s CES Booth #6138 at the LLVC, North Hall showcasing the real-time 3D point cloud data on a vehicle equipped with the multi solid state LiDAR fusion system.

The RoboSense RS-LiDAR-M1 Smart LiDAR is the world’s first MEMS Smart LiDAR Sensor to incorporate sensor hardware, AI perception algorithms, and IC chipsets, transforming conventional LiDAR sensors from an information collector to a complete data analysis and comprehensive system, providing essential information for autonomous vehicle decision-making faster than ever before. The RS-LiDAR-M1 is the winner of the CES Innovation Award for two consecutive years in a row, 2019 and 2020.

At CES and on the streets of Las Vegas, the RoboSense RS-LiDAR-M1 Smart is demonstrating that it is the world’s first and only Smart LiDAR capable of real road tests on open roads.

During CES 2020, RoboSense128-beams LiDAR RS-Ruby and the short-range Blind Spot LiDAR RS-BPearl also go on public road demo, meanwhile there is also a simultaneous exhibition at RoboSense booth. This super high-performance 128-beam LiDAR RS-Ruby possesses an ultra high resolution 0.1° and the range performance of 200m for a 10% reflectivity target.

The RS-BPearl, the first mass produced short-range LiDAR for blind-spot detection, reaches the minimum detection range of less than several centimeters, with hemispheric FOV coverage of 90° * 360°, which not only precisely identifies objects around the vehicle’s body, but can also detect the actual height information in particular scenarios, such as with bridge tunnels and culverts.

The Goodyear blimp floats its way to CES 2020

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Goodyear brought its famous blimp to Las Vegas for this year’s CES. Floating over the Strip, people below surely wondered why the 120 year-old tire company would be at a tech show.

At an event on Tuesday night, Goodyear unveiled AndGo, what they’re calling, the future of mobility.

AndGo is a seamless vehicle servicing platform that combines predictive software and a trusted, national service network to enable consumer fleets to be ready to go when they are needed.

Beyond just tire service, AndGo delivers full vehicle readiness, helping consumer fleets boost their performance. Through monitoring of service needs and quick and easy scheduling, AndGo activates Goodyear’s vast service network for convenient scheduling to reduce downtime.

Additionally, Goodyear announced a new venture capital fund, called Goodyear Ventures, which will have $100 million targeted for new investments in future mobility solutions over the next 10 years.

Goodyear’s Chairman, CEO and President Richard J. Kramer said, “Goodyear is a technology-driven mobility company that seeks out and partners with other mobility thought leaders ranging from small startups to proven business models. Goodyear Ventures will take this effort to the next level to engage and shape how people move in the future.”

AndGo is currently available in select U.S. markets today and will expand to additional markets in mid-2020.

Autoaid Put a Camera in Car Headlight for CES 2018

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At CES 2018, autoaid will be showing off the new Automotive Bulb Camera, combining a high resolution camera and car headlight into standard H7 and H4 lamp fittings. Consequently the camera system can be retrofitted to the vast majority of cars on the road, avoiding expensive specialist redesigns or clunky dashboard attachments. The Berlin-based startup expects the cameras to record traffic video for the training and development of autonomous driving systems. In addition the camera can provide real-time data to in-car driving assistance systems.

Aiming at developers of autonomous driving systems, the autoaid Automotive Bulb Camera is a high-resolution camera which is integrated into a halogen or LED automotive lamp using standard fittings. There’s no need to change anything in the headlight itself and the car still looks like a standard model. The camera communicates with autoaid’s new telematics platform, recording video and joining other driving information, such as steering, acceleration, braking, location, to the dataset. This is passed onto autoaid’s servers, which then uses object recognition to pick out vehicles, traffic lights, signs and so on. This detailed information on driver behaviour can be used to training autonomous systems. For car buyers, the solution also offers attractive driving aids such as a lane-keeping assistant or a collision warning system.

Moritz Funk, founder and CEO of autoaid, sums up the benefits: “The Automotive Bulb Camera can be retrofitted into virtually all vehicles more easily and seamlessly than any other prior
camera. Without visible changes to the car, new assistance systems are enabled for the end customers, while the industry is provided with the urgently needed data pool for the further development of autonomous driving.”

If you want to know more, autoaid are at booth 2401 at CES 2018 or watch the video below.

https://youtu.be/Iq7Yu_xnJpg

Thinkware F800 Dash Cam Wins CES Innovation Award

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Dash cams are a big growth market at present and there’s plenty of innovation in the space from both established automotive brands to new tech startups. The team at Thinkware have innovated with the new F800 Air connected dash cam, borrowing ideas from the Internet of Things to make a “smart” dash cam.

To start with, the F800 Air can text emergency contacts when it detects a crash or collision, much like some of the manufacturer units. Obviously the F800 can be installed in any vehicle, not just a new one. Next, the dash cam constantly monitors the vehicle while parked and notifies the owner via text if there’s any untoward movement such as a door being dinged. Finally, upcoming F800 features will support geo-fencing and driver assessment, which is perfect for the parent who wants to loan their vehicle out to son or daughter and check that they’re driving safely.

Thinkware stated, “With the innovative ‘connected car’ technologies, the dash cam will take on an important role in providing both driver convenience and safety and the continued evolution of the capabilities of the dash cam seem boundless with IoT.”

The F800 Air looks much more stylish too with the camera housed in an aluminium pod to one side. All this tech and good design means that it is a worthy winner of a CES 2017 Innovation Award in the car audio/video category. The dash cam is in the final stages of development and is expected to be available in 2017, but no price has been confirmed.

If you are at CES this year, the Thinkware F800 is at Sands Expo, LV.2 Booth 42572. Check it out.

Famous Route 66 To Become First American Solar Road

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SolarRoadways logoU.S. Route 66 is more of a legend than an actual highway these days. Route 66 was decommissioned as an official thoroughfare decades ago, giving way to more modern interstate transit ways. Portions of Route 66 still remain, however. And there are plenty of guides that can help you drive an approximation of the old route from Chicago to Los Angeles, if you want to indulge in some nostalgic Americana.

In its heyday, Route 66 was emblematic of the mid-20th century American dream. Cars were cool. Gas was cheap. The open road beckoned with a sense of adventure. Much has changed since those times. Cars are seen now more as functional devices than modern works of art. Even when prices are down, most drivers still groan over the cost to fill up a gas tank. Conveniences like GPS and mobile data have taken some of the adventurous edge out of a long road trip.

Change is inevitable. Yet, it seems somehow fitting that Route 66, an icon of 20th century fossil fuel consumption, will become the first road in America to be partially redone with special solar-power generating pavers:

The street pavers were developed by Solar Roadways, a company created by inventors Scott and Julie Brusaw which raised more than $2.2 million in crowdfunding in 2014 to bring their technology to market. The Brusaws claim that replacing all of America’s roads and parking lots with their solar pavers would generate more than three times the country’s electricity consumption in 2009.

It seems like a no-brainer. Why not replace all of the world’s roads and parking lots with solar-generating pavers? It’s all open space that’s just sitting there, waiting for a solar upgrade. The state of Missouri’s transportation department will be spearheading the installation of these photovoltaic pavers on Route 66. They’re hoping to have them in place by the end of the year.

Prevent Car Theft By Storing Your Keys In the Microwave

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MicrowaveThere’s plenty of good advice out there that can help you prevent car-related theft. Park in secure, well-lit areas, Make sure you always keep your windows rolled up and doors locked when you’re away from the vehicle. But police have some new advice when it comes to keeping your vehicle secure. And it’s not like any we’ve seen before. Authorities are now advising owners of keyless fob-style car door openers to store their keychains inside appliances like microwaves and refrigerators.

Apparently, thieves are ditching the crowbar approach to breaking into cars and instead using high-tech methods to gain entry into vehicles:

A recent alert from the department warned of a growing trend of car thieves in California using an electronic device called a power amplifier, which allows them to easily unlock vehicles and quickly pillage them for valuables. According to the alert, the amplifier takes advantage of the radio communication between the cars and the key fobs used by owners to lock and unlock vehicles.

If the methodology behind the crime seems wild, the best way to prevent it may seem even stranger:

According to the department’s alert, one of the best ways to guard yourself against these would-be hackers is to keep vehicle keys in a place that blocks radio frequency signals, hence the advice to store keys in a microwave. The statement also suggests storing keys in the fridge, a metal box, or a specially made Faraday Cage—which can cost anywhere from $25 to more than $300 online—to thwart the high-tech car burglars.

So there you go. Next time you come home from running errands, be sure to place your keychain inside the microwave. Just make sure you take the keys out before you heat up last night’s leftovers.