Driverless Cars Soon Becoming a Reality

[Ajay Sreedhar]

Re: Google Unveils Self-driving Car

The Google car is for real, and interestingly comes without a steering wheel, accelerator pedal, or brake pedal, as a car driver won’t need any of it. The software and sensors do all the driving.

Google reveals, “The vehicles will be very basic—we want to learn from them and adapt them as quickly as possible—but they will take you where you want to go at the push of a button. And that’s an important step toward improving road safety and transforming mobility for millions of people. “

For now, it is a cute-looking ptototype that would remind you of Tata Nano. If the technology develops, Google plans to work with partners to bring this technology into the world safely. Talking about the interiors, the car has two seats and some space for passengers’ belongings. “On the inside, we’ve designed for learning, not luxury, so we’re light on creature comforts, but we’ll have two seats (with seatbelts), a space for passengers’ belongings, buttons to start and stop, and a screen that shows the route—and that’s about it,”

Basically, at the push of a button, the car safely takes you to your destination, says Google. It has been designed keeping safety in mind. The self-driving Google car is infused with sensors that can remove blind spots and detect distant objects. For now, the speed limit has been capped to 25mph. With the new car, drunk and distracted driving will be history, says Google.


http://tech.firstpost.com/news-anal...steering-wheel-top-speed-of-25mph-224572.html

 

[bhvm]

Re: Google Unveils Self-driving Car

bring it to India.
if it can navigate the begger filled, cow ridden and pothole full roads of India, it'll work anywhere.

 

[sethumurugan]

How does Google's self-driving car work, some recent pics on this and when can we drive one?









Source

 

[Ajay Sreedhar]

^^ you will have only a start and stop button. Thats all you will have to do. The camera on the roof will be synced with the google map for navigation with traffic details and there will be obstacle sensors(like in robotics) to identify the obstacle and divert it accordingly. I doubt this will be practical enough in india

 

[bhvm]

Just think of the Privacy invasion...
Google already knows whom we call, Email and what we talk. What apps we use.
Now Google KNOWS where do we go...

"Hacking" can take it to a whole new level where a hacker can remotely take us to some Unknown Location (and loot/ Kidnap people). Especially kids because kids will be sent alone on such driverless cars.

P-s- Has it been TRAINED to tackle Speed breakers? Which come suddenly without warning? Or will it simply stop with an error "Cant find route to climb 'Mountain"' ha ha@
Ground clearance also does not look inspiring.

 

[sethumurugan]

^^ you will have only a start and stop button. Thats all you will have to do. The camera on the roof will be synced with the google map for navigation with traffic details and there will be obstacle sensors(like in robotics) to identify the obstacle and divert it accordingly. I doubt this will be practical enough in india

Just think of the Privacy invasion...
Google already knows whom we call, Email and what we talk. What apps we use.
Now Google KNOWS where do we go...

"Hacking" can take it to a whole new level where a hacker can remotely take us to some Unknown Location (and loot/ Kidnap people). Especially kids because kids will be sent alone on such driverless cars.

P-s- Has it been TRAINED to tackle Speed breakers? Which come suddenly without warning? Or will it simply stop with an error "Cant find route to climb 'Mountain"' ha ha@
Ground clearance also does not look inspiring.

First of all, this may not suit for Indian roads (there are so many obstacles, this car itself will get confused) then only we should think of those small mountains. I think only trucks will not hit those speed breakers. Lot of buses also affected since most of the buses are semi low floored.

 

[Akash1886]

Buddies,

ET reports that M&M has been experimenting on driver-less cars and preparing a software for the same in the Indian Context. It seems, the new concept shall become a reality for us soon.

Mahindra's electric car subsidiary, Mahindra Reva, has submitted proof of concepts for driverless cars in the UK and Singapore, a senior executive told ET. "We have already begun experiments in our R&D facility in Bengaluru. Once we get approvals from the respective governments, we'll start testing these cars on road," the executive said.

ET

Regards

Akash

 

[Akash1886]

Buddies,

The latest version of Google's self-driving car i.e a two-seater that needs no accelerator or steering, shall make its debut on public roads in 2015 summer. This is a important step in Google's mission to have driver-less cars available to consumers in the next five years.

This prototype is the first vehicle built from scratch for the purpose of self-driving, Google says. It looks like a Smart car with a shiny black bowler hat to hide its sensors and it can drive, brake and recognise road hazards without human intervention. It has more capabilities than the prototype Google introduced last May which was so rudimentary it had fake headlights.

link

Regards

Akash

 

[incarnation]

Ford is Working on Self-Driving Vehicles

America's second-largest automaker is following in the heels of Silicon Valley and pursuing self-driving vehicles. Ford announced Tuesday that it has created a team devoted to autonomous vehicle development.

Based in Palo Alto, California, the team will be tasked with "taking the company to the next level in connectivity, mobility and autonomous vehicles," according to a press release.

"During the next five years, we will move to migrate driver-assist technologies across our our product lineup to help make our roads safer and continue to increase automated driving capability," said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president of Global Product Development, in the release.

"At the same time, we are working to make sure those features and the whole way you shop for, buy and own a Ford vehicle provides an outstanding customer experience."

Ford has lagged behind competitors, including GM, Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes and Tesla, which have all announced plans to offer semi-automated driving systems within the next year and a half, according to Reuters.

Automatic braking and pedestrian detection are also on the docket for Ford's Silicon Valley research and innovation center, which expects to have 125 employees by year-end. Those features are already available on the Mondeo sedan in Europe.

Ford says that all its vehicles will feature pre-collision assist and pedestrian detection by 2019.

Source:economictimes.indiatimes.com

 

[Nairrk]

Honda Shows Off Self-Driving Cars at New California Testing Facility

Honda Motor Co gave a sneak preview of its self-driving prototypes on Wednesday, saying it was already on its way to offering semi-autonomous safety functions to the mass market.

The Japanese automaker has been less vocal about its plans for self-driving cars than larger rivals like Toyota and General Motors, which in recent months have shown off major research and development projects and big-ticket acquisitions.

But under the radar, Honda has been building semi-autonomous functionality, including forward-collision warning, lane- departure warning and lane-keeping assist. These features are already being rolled out in Honda's Acuras and the Civic model year 2016, which costs about $22,000 (roughly Rs. 14.7 lakhs).

"We under-promise and over-deliver as a promise, as a company. There are a lot of promises talked about by a lot of companies," said Jim Keller, chief engineer for Honda Research and Development Americas, referring to the pervasive industry hype.

With the current roll-out of semi-autonomous functions, which it says will pave the way for full autonomy on highways by 2020, Honda says it differs from rivals, whose self-driving efforts have centered on their luxury models.

"This is a unique differentiator for Honda ... who is committed to the concept of safety for everyone," said Keller. "Unless we democratize it across our lineup it will be just a niche."

Honda showed off two prototypes it has used in testing at the GoMentum Station, a 5,000-acre former naval munitions zone that features 20 miles of paved roadway, tunnels and other infrastructure ideal for testing.

On Wednesday, reporters saw the cars accelerate, stop and cede the way for pedestrians, and turn in autonomous mode.

The site in Concord, California, about 30 miles northeast of San Francisco, hopes to lure other carmakers to test autonomous cars there. Besides Honda, the French maker of driverless shuttles, Easy Mile, also tests there.

The auto industry has been marked by a series of high-profile investments and acquisitions related to autonomous driving in recent months. General Motors in January bought autonomous vehicle technology start-up Cruise Automation for a reported $1 billion, while Toyota has committed to spending $1 billion over five years to develop technologies behind the self-driving car.

Honda Shows Off Self-Driving Cars at New California Testing Facility | NDTV Gadgets360.com

 

[rselva]

I would like to see how self driving cars perform in Indian Traffic. I bet it will just stand still all day long !

 

[Akash1886]

Buddies,

Unbelievable but True, Rolls Royce Vision NEXT 100 Autonomous Concept!







​

Rolls-Royce 103EX is our first ever vision vehicle, and embodies just one of the endless possibilities that awaits. A personalised icon for the future, providing a sanctuary of calm in an ever-faster world. The pinnacle of effortless autonomous travel, gliding silently through the cities of tomorrow. This is our VISION NEXT 100.

PS: No matter how it looks, till the time Rolls Royce is offering an umbrella in it, its VFM!

Official

Regards

Akash

 

[Nairrk]

Driverless Car Tested on UK Streets for the First Time

​

With the steering wheel turning on its own and radar and camera technology guiding it, a driverless car took to Britain's streets for the first time on Tuesday, as part of trials aimed at getting autonomous vehicles onto the roads by 2020.

The electric-powered pod - like a small two-seater car - navigated its way around a pedestrianised area in the southern English town of Milton Keynes at 5 miles (8km) per hour, turning corners and stopping as pedestrians crossed its path.

The government is encouraging tech firms and carmakers to develop and test autonomous driving technology in Britain, aiming to build an industry to serve a worldwide market it says will be worth around 900 billion pounds ($1.1 trillion) by 2025.

Earlier this year, it launched a consultation on changes to insurance rules and motoring regulations to prepare for driverless cars by the turn of the decade and said vehicles would be tested on motorways from next year.

The pod, heavily adapted from a compact Renault car, was developed by Oxford University spin-out Oxbotica, with organisers hoping the trials will show how the vehicle interacts with road-users and introduce it to the public.

Read more:

 

[Akash1886]

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to Join BMW Group, Intel and Mobileye in Developing Autonomous Driving Platform

​

BMW Group, Intel Corporation, Mobileye, an Intel company, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) signed a memorandum of understanding for FCA to join them in developing a world leading, state-of-the-art autonomous driving platform

The cooperation allows the companies to leverage each other’s individual strengths, capabilities and resources

The platform will be scalable for Level 3 to Level 4/5 automated driving and can be used by multiple automakers around the world while maintaining their unique brand identities

MUNICH, 16 August, 2017 – BMW Group, Intel and Mobileye announced today that they have signed a memorandum of understanding with the intention for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) to be the first automaker to join them in developing a world leading, state-of-the-art autonomous driving platform for global deployment.

The development partners intend to leverage each other’s individual strengths, capabilities and resources to enhance the platform’s technology, increase development efficiency and reduce time to market. One enabler to achieve this will be the co-location of engineers in Germany as well as other locations. FCA will bring engineering and other technical resources and expertise to the cooperation, as well as its significant sales volumes, geographic reach and long-time experience in North America.

“In order to advance autonomous driving technology, it is vital to form partnerships among automakers, technology providers and suppliers,” said FCA Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne. “Joining this cooperation will enable FCA to directly benefit from the synergies and economies of scale that are possible when companies come together with a common vision and objective.”

In July 2016, BMW Group, Intel, and Mobileye announced that they were joining forces to make self-driving vehicles a reality by collaborating to bring solutions for highly automated driving (Level 3) and fully automated driving (Level 4/5) into production by 2021. Since then, they have been designing and developing a scalable architecture that can be used by multiple automakers around the world, while at the same time maintaining each automaker’s unique brand identities.

The cooperation remains on-track to deploy 40 autonomous test vehicles on the road by 2017 yearend. It also expects to benefit from leveraging data and learnings from the recently announced 100 Level 4 test vehicle fleet of Mobileye, an Intel Company, demonstrating the scale effect of this collaborative approach.

“The two factors that remain key to the success of the cooperation are uncompromising excellence in development, and the scalability of our autonomous driving platform,” said Harald Krüger, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG. “With FCA as our new partner, we reinforce our path to successfully create the most relevant state-of-the-art, cross-OEM Level 3-5 solution on a global scale.”

“The future of transportation relies on auto and tech industry leaders working together to develop a scalable architecture that automakers around the globe can adopt and customize,” said Brian Krzanich, Intel CEO. “We’re thrilled to welcome FCA’s contribution, bringing us a step closer to delivering the world’s safest autonomous vehicles.”

“We welcome FCA’s contributions and use of the cooperation’s platform, which has made substantial progress over the last year and is rapidly entering the testing and execution phase,” stated Professor Amnon Shashua, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer of Mobileye, an Intel Company. “The combination of vision-intense perception and mapping, differentiated sensor fusion, and driving policy solutions offers the highest levels of safety and versatility, in a cost efficient package that will scale across all geographies and road settings.”

BMW Group, Intel, Mobileye and FCA, together with the recently announced development partners and system integrators, invite and welcome additional automakers and technology suppliers to join them in adopting this autonomous driving platform in an effort to create an industry-wide solution.

Regards

Akash