Why CERN’s work on Volvo’s autonomous cars won’t matter much
CERN hopes to use sophisticated software to help autonomous cars make decisions more quickly, but that's not the biggest challenge facing autonomous driving. Autonomous cars also need an array of reliable sensors and the knowledge to make an informed decision in any situation.
Toyota partners with Chinese autonomous-driving startup Pony.ai
Toyota is teaming up with Chinese autonomous-driving startup Pony.ai to continue the development of self-driving cars. Partnerships are becoming the norm in the world of autonomous driving, and Toyota is also working with Uber and Chinese tech firm Baidu on the technology.
Waymo’s test riders offer honest opinions on its robo-taxi service
Waymo has been getting lots of feedback from test riders taking trips in its autonomous cars. Overall, the responses were usually very good, though judging by some comments — one rider described their experience as “downright alarming” — there’s still plenty of room for improvement.
Nissan creates a self-driving golf ball that always finds the hole
If golf is your thing but your putting game sucks, you might want to try using Nissan's self-driving golf ball. Inspired by the carmaker's ProPilot 2.0 autonomous vehicle technology that leads your car to a designated highway exit, the high-tech ball finds the hole every time!
A self-driving Toyota will escort the 2020 Olympic flame in Tokyo
Toyota will use the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to show off its zero-emission vehicle technology. The automaker will have everything from electric scooters to hydrogen fuel-cell buses on hand. Toyota expects to deploy about 3,700 vehicles, most with fuel-cell, battery-electric, or hybrid power.
Waymo takes its self-driving cars to Florida for testing in heavy rain
Extreme weather conditions still present big challenges for self-driving cars, which is why Waymo is taking its autonomous vehicles to Florida for testing in heavy rain during the hurricane season. The vehicles will begin trial runs on a closed course before moving to the state’s public roads.
GM’s Cruise autonomous car unit teams up with Humanmade on job training
General Motors' Cruise self-driving car division is based in San Francisco, where the tech industry has created some unfortunate economic side effects. Cruise and Humanmade hope to address that imbalance. Cruise is supporting Humanmade's makerspace and job training programs.
Waymo found inspiration in airports for its Arizona self-driving car hub
When it decided to set up a self-driving car maintenance hub in Arizona, Waymo looked at how airports are run in order to make it work. The company also partnered with a large dealership chain to keep its autonomous test fleet on the road. Waymo has over 400 cars at the hub.
Optimus Ride launches autonomous shuttle service in New York City
Self-driving startup Optimus Ride is bringing its autonomous vehicles to New York City. It'll roll out its technology at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a 300-acre industrial park with more than 400 manufacturing businesses and 9,000 people workers, and offer rides between the site's various facilities.
Electrify America will build a robotic charging facility for self-driving cars
Electrify America and charging company Stable Auto will build a pilot site in San Francisco to test charging technology for self-driving cars. Robotic arms will connect charging cables to cars. If things work out, Electrify America could scale up the technology to other charging sites.
In the future, hackers could cause traffic chaos by stalling self-driving cars
Think self-driving cars will solve all our traffic problems? Not if hackers have anything to do with it. Physicists at Georgia Tech University say that hackers could wreak havoc on cities by seizing control of a limited percentage of autonomous cars and causing them to stall.
Ford’s latest acquisition will help boost the development of self-driving cars
Ford has acquired Michigan-based software and robotics company Quantum Signal to help continue development of self-driving cars. Quantum Signal's experience with simulation will help in this area, according to Ford. The first production Ford self-driving car is expected to arrive in 2021.
Robo-van trial helps Walmart with grocery deliveries, but not to your door
Like a growing number of companies, retail giant Walmart appears keen to incorporate autonomous vehicles into its shipping operations. Its latest trial involves using driverless vehicles for the so-called "middle-mile" part of the distribution network, which could eventually see savings passed onto online shoppers.
Smart assistive driving tech allows one truck driver to control multiple trucks
Connected vehicle company Peloton Technology has developed some impressive new assistive driving technology that allows one driver to control multiple trucks at the same time. Here's how it works -- and why it could turn out to be a game-changer for the trucking industry.
GM autonomous vehicle chief engineer wants to make disabled access a priority
Self-driving cars could help give disabled people more mobility, Kristy Rasbach, General Motors' chief engineer for autonomous vehicles, believes. But GM is still in the very early stages of learning how to do that. The first GM autonomous cars will likely be deployed in ridesharing services.
Setback for GM’s autonomous car unit as it delays launch of robo-taxi service
GM's autonomous car unit wanted to launch a robo-taxi service before the end of this year. But Cruise Automation's CEO said on Wednesday it needed more time to test its self-driving vehicle in real-world conditions. The San Francisco-based company couldn’t offer a new date for the launch of its driverless taxi service.
Volkswagen and Ford confirm partnership on electric cars, autonomous driving
Volkswagen and Ford have confirmed a major tech-sharing deal. It will give Ford access to VW's MEB platform, which will underpin many of the German automaker's future electric cars. VW will also invest in Ford-backed autonomous-driving startup Argo A.I. The Ford MEB electric car launches in 2023.
Waymo explores perks for riders to set its robo-taxi service apart from rivals
With more than 60,000 autonomous vehicles on order, Waymo has big plans to expand its robo-taxi service. It's also thinking seriously about incentives that it can offer riders to persuade them to hop inside its cars. Early ideas include free Wi-Fi and music streaming through the car’s speakers via Google Play Music.
Robo-taxis take another step toward commercial use in California
Waymo is now allowed to take passengers in its self-driving cars in California as the company takes another step toward launching a robo-taxi service similar to the limited one it already offers in Arizona. Until now only safety drivers and Waymo engineers have been allowed inside its autonomous cars during test rides.
Subaru and Mazda join Toyota’s self-driving car development venture
Five Japanese automakers -- including Subaru and Mazda -- will each invest in a self-driving car joint venture started by Toyota and SoftBank. The goal of the venture, dubbed Monet, is to develop mobility services around self-driving cars. Other new investors include Suzuki, Isuzu, and Daihatsu.
How GM’s Cruise self-driving cars navigate around double-parked vehicles
Self-driving cars need to do more than obey the speed limit. They need to be able to handle unusual scenarios. Here's how GM's Cruise self-driving cars handle one of the most common of those scenarios: Double-parked cars. Self-driving cars regularly encounter double parking in San Francisco.
Apple buys Drive.ai and shifts its autonomous car plans into high gear
Apple has cracked open its massive war chest to purchase self-driving car startup Drive.ai. The four-year old, California-based company was about to shut down and lay off its 90 employees. There's no word yet on how much Apple paid for Drive A.I., or what it plans to do with it in the coming years.
Nissan and Renault are the latest automakers to ally themselves with Waymo
Waymo is partnering with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance to research uses for self-driving cars in France and Japan. This is the first time Waymo has considered deploying self-driving cars outside the United States. Waymo, Renault, and Nissan will focus on mobility services.
Waymo at last fires up the self-driving smarts of the Jaguar I-Pace
A year after inking a deal with Jaguar to use the I-Pace crossover for its self-driving program, Waymo has started testing the modified electric vehicle in driverless mode. The plan is to use the I-Pace for autonomous ridesharing services such as the one it’s already operating in Phoenix, Arizona.
This futuristic driverless pod will soon be delivering pizza in Texas
Pizza delivery using driverless pods is about to become a thing. Domino's has partnered with autonomous-tech specialist Nuro to use the futuristic pods for a trial delivery service starting later this year. Customers place their order on an app and then tap in a code to grab the pizza from the pod when it arrives.
Florida allows autonomous cars to drive on its roads without human supervision
Florida governor Ron DeSantis passed a law that establishes a legal framework for self-driving cars to operate in the state. It allows companies to test self-driving cars without a human operator behind the wheel, and, significantly, defines the technology as the car's operator when it's active.
Will Detroit be the ultimate test for Argo A.I.’s self-driving Ford?
Ford-backed Argo A.I. revealed its third-generation autonomous prototype in Detroit. Based on the Ford Fusion Hybrid, the prototype is fitted with new technology that sees better and further, thinks faster, and is more comfortable to ride in. Volkswagen could join Ford and Argo's quest to make autonomous cars a reality.
Uber’s next self-driving car, a hat-wearing Volvo, will start testing in 2020
Volvo and Uber have unveiled their latest autonomous prototype. It's based on the second-generation XC90, and it's fitted with the self-driving technology Uber developed in-house. The companies plan to begin testing in real-world conditions in 2020, but the prototype won't be sold to the general public anytime soon.
Fiat Chrysler is the latest to partner with autonomous-tech specialist Aurora
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Silicon Valley startup Aurora are partnering to develop self-driving technology for commercial services, the companies announced on Sunday. It's the latest in a growing number of collaborations between established automakers and firms specializing in autonomous-driving technology.
Startup Boxbot has a unique plan for its autonomous delivery vehicles
Boxbot plans to use small autonomous electric vehicles to make local deliveries as part of a logistics network that includes automated distribution hubs, as well as human-driven vehicles. Boxbot will test this concept with logistics firm OnTrac in California this summer.
Lyft’s robo-taxis have made more than 50,000 rides in Las Vegas
Lyft has announced that it's now provided over 50,000 automated rides to paying passengers in Las Vegas a year after it launched the service with vehicle technology company Aptiv. Riders have responded positively about their experience, with most trying the self-driving technology for the very first time.
Uber’s earnings report could give a clearer picture on self-driving cars
Uber will resume testing self-driving cars on the streets of Pittsburgh after a nine-month hiatus that followed a deadly accident in Arizona. The program will resume on a significantly reduced scale, and the company promises it will put a bigger focus on safety than ever before.
Waymo’s huge autonomous trucks return to the roads of Arizona
Waymo is ramping up testing of its autonomous trucks with the relaunch this week of tests on freeways in Arizona. The company last tested there in 2017 before starting trials in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2018. Waymo is already familiar with Arizona as it carries out testing of its autonomous cars in Phoenix.
Watch Cruise Automation’s driverless car perform one of the trickiest maneuvers
With so much to watch for, unprotected left turns in urban environments are one of the trickiest maneuvers a driver has to perform — and the same goes for self-driving cars. A video released by autonomous-vehicle company Cruise Automation reveals that the GM-backed team appears close to nailing it.