Automated vehicles
Simulation system to train driverless cars before they hit the streets
MIT researchers have invented a simulation system to train driverless cars, helping them to learn to navigate a host of worst-case scenarios before driving down real streets. The system creates a photorealistic world with infinite steering possibilities, teaching autonomous vehicle control systems to experience hazardous 'edge cases' and learn for themselves how to recover from them.
mit.edu
TuSimple and ZF partner on tech for autonomous trucks
TuSimple, a global autonomous trucking technology company, has announced a partnership with automotive supplier ZF to develop and commercialise technology for autonomous trucks. The companies plan to co-develop production-quality technologies, while ZF will support TuSimple's pre-production autonomous system, serving as the default supplier for its production-ready system for commercialised vehicles.
driverless.directory
Passenger-carrying autonomous vehicles to be tested in Shenzhen
The southern Chinese city of Shenzhen is reportedly planning to greenlight road tests of passenger-carrying autonomous vehicles as part of its efforts to build a smart transport system. CX Tech reports that Shenzhen's transport authorities are seeking public views on a policy that would allow self-driving cars to test passenger transportation in designated areas such as university campuses and industrial complexes, quoting a report by state-run newspaper Shenzhen Special Zone Daily.
caixinglobal.com
Yamaha Motor and Tier IV partner on autonomous transportation services
Yamaha Motor and Tier IV have announced the launch of eve autonomy, a joint-venture company based in Japan that will develop autonomous transportation services. The company's solutions will combine Tier IV's Autoware, an open-source operating system for autonomous driving, and Yamaha Motor's vehicle-body development technologies.
prnewswire.com
Connected vehicles
Connected vehicle project seeks to end motorway pile-ups
Cranfield University researchers have been involved in a project to develop technology that uses artificial intelligence and vehicle-to-vehicle communications to radically reduce the number of multi-vehicle collisions on motorways. The Multi-Car Collision Avoidance research and development project uses the technologies to instruct autonomous vehicles to make decisions cooperatively to avoid potential incidents.
driverlessguru.com
Policy
NHTSA looking at rules for self-driving cars
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is proposing tweaks to federal vehicle safety rules that could help to ease the way for the widespread use of self-driving cars, reports WIRED. The proposed rules would make small changes to the language of the current standards, which assume a human sits behind the steering wheel of each vehicle, but could have a big impact on getting street-legal self-driving cars into production, according to the publication.
wired.com
Investment
LiDAR start-up Blickfeld closes Series A financing round
A Munich-based LiDAR start-up, Blickfeld, has completed a Series A financing round that will allow it to ramp up production of its sensors for the automotive mass market. The company will use the new financing to increase production and qualify its LiDAR sensors for the automotive market.
driverless.directory
Aptiv and Hyundai complete formation of autonomous driving JV
Aptiv and Hyundai Motor Group announced this week that they have completed the formation of their 50/50 autonomous driving joint venture (JV). The JV, whose name will be announced at later date, will leverage Hyundai's design, engineering and manufacturing expertise and Aptiv's autonomous driving solutions to commercialise an autonomous driving platform for robotaxi providers, fleet operators and carmakers.
hyundai.com
Driverless car AI firm Helm.ai raises $13M
Helm.ai, a deep learning autonomous vehicle technology firm, has raised $13 million in seed funding, according to TechCrunch. The company will reportedly use the funding to advance its engineering and R&D, hire more employees and fulfil deals with customers.
techcrunch.com
Infotainment
Are infotainment systems more distracting than cannabis or alcohol?
The latest in-vehicle infotainment systems can impair drivers' reaction times more than alcohol and cannabis use, according to a recent study from road safety charity IAM RoadSmart. While the charity noted that today's systems can perform better than more traditional buttons and controls, it found that reaction times at motorway speeds increased average stopping distances to between four and five car lengths, with drivers taking their eyes off the road for as long as 16 seconds.
iamroadsmart.com
Mapping
Highly accurate gyroscope for autonomous cars
A small, inexpensive gyroscope could help autonomous cars to stay on track without a GPS signal, according to researchers at the University of Michigan. The team say their gyroscope is 10,000 times more accurate than those used in most smartphones, and could be used more cost-effectively for backup navigation systems in autonomous vehicles.
umich.edu