Google is looking into wireless charging for its driverless cars

By Lulu Chang Published February 6, 2016

It’s not enough that Google’s cars don’t need drivers — now, they don’t want plugs either. The autonomous technology is now also looking into wireless charging, because you can’t have too much of a good thing, it would seem. In Federal Communications Commission (FCC) filings first spotted by IEEE, it would appear that Google is “testing wireless charging systems for its electric self-driving cars.” Rather than relying on charger cables, Google appears to be working on “beaming power” to make for a truly 21st-century vehicle.

According to the FCC documents, it would look as though Google is investigating Hevo Power and Momentum Dynamics, both wireless charging companies that use plates embedded in roads and driveways to send power to the receivers found in the underbellies of cars. In principle, it’s the same concept employed in wireless phone charging systems — just a lot bigger.

Recommended Videos

If successful, this wireless charging technology could obviously have enormous implications on the transportation industry. Indeed, such innovation could allow for cars to be constantly charging no matter where they are, all but eliminating the need not only for fossil fuels, but plugs, cable cords, and the like as well.

Having this wireless charging system could really up the ante on the already ambitious autonomous car program, one that Google says may soon become integral to the lives of people around the country. Back in December, Chris Urmson wrote in a Medium post, “We’ve heard countless stories from people who need a fully self-driving car today. We’ve heard from people with health conditions ranging from vision problems to multiple sclerosis to autism to epilepsy who are frustrated with their dependence on others for even simple errands.”

Google is by no means the only company looking into the possibility of wirelessly charging cars. As the Christian Science Monitor points out, Stanford University, bus manufacturers in South Korea, and Highways England have all looked into the practice with wireless charging embedded in roads themselves. And in South Korea, this technology is already in use in the city Gumi.

So look forward to the future, friends. Where every aspect of driving is easier than you could’ve ever imagined possible.

Former Contributor

Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…

Topics

Emerging Tech

Pangram, the gold standard for AI text checks, releases Image 1.0 tool to sniff fake pics and videos

It can identify AI-generated pictures with an astounding 99.96% accuracy on its own evaluation set.

AI image detector tool pangram

Pangram, one of the most widely used and trusted AI text detectors out there, is finally releasing its multimedia detection tools to the masses. Pangram Image 1.0, which was previously available as a research preview, is now widely available on the web, through the company’s API, and via its eponymous Chrome extension.

The company claims its image detector can identify AI-generated pictures with an astounding 99.96% accuracy on its own evaluation set. Pangram also notes that it has improved the model’s accuracy over the past few months, especially against edited images, low-resolution pictures, and pictures made by the most advanced AI models out there. As far as the competition goes, TruthScan achieves an accuracy of 96.33%, followed by AI or Not at 91.38% and Sightengine at 88.33%.

Emerging Tech

Scammers are using AI to fake missing pet photos, and what happens next is horrifying

Criminals are using AI-generated pet photos to convince desperate owners their missing animals have been found, before demanding money and making disturbing threats.

Brown and white cat meowing in Inzoi.

Losing a pet can be heartbreaking, and anyone who's experienced it knows how quickly you'd drop everything if someone called to say they'd found your missing dog or cat. Unfortunately, scammers have learned to exploit that desperation, and AI is making their tricks even more convincing.

A disturbing new scam is targeting pet owners across the UK, with criminals using AI-generated images to pretend they've found missing animals. They then demand money for their return, sometimes going as far as threatening to kill the pets if the owners refuse to pay. According to a BBC report, several pet owners have already experienced these attacks, with scammers using convincing photographs, emotional stories, and increasingly aggressive messages to pressure them into paying.

Emerging Tech

AI can turn your Instagram posts into scam that know a little too much about you

Your public social media posts could be helping scammers create emails that feel personal, and existing AI safeguards aren't doing enough to stop them.

Electronics, Mobile Phone, Phone

We've all received those suspicious emails claiming we've won something, missed a delivery, or need to urgently update our bank details. Most are easy enough to ignore, especially when they're full of strange wording or have absolutely nothing to do with us. But what happens when a scam email actually knows what you've been up to lately? That's where things get a little worrying.

Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington have found that AI can use information people share publicly on social media to create phishing emails that feel personal. And we're not just talking about knowing your name or where you work. These emails can reference things you've recently done, places you've visited, or even something you've been looking forward to. The researchers showed how widely available AI models could gather these details and turn them into targeted messages, potentially letting scammers reach large numbers of people without spending hours researching each person individually.