autonomous cars

Does it seem as if some trends are omnipresent on everyone’s annual “Anticipated Trends” lists? 

Don’t worry, it's not just you. Innovation doesn’t just instantaneously burst onto the scene out of the blue.

There are levels to this–specifically, there are stages of development before concepts turn into actual working products fit for public consumption. 

On that note, these are three (not all unfamiliar) tech trends we’re looking forward to in 2023.

Flying Taxis

FAA compliance aside, this is one kind of tech that excites the sci-fi geek in many of us. 

No longer just a futuristic concept in...

Ford's newest idea sounds straight out of a superhero or futuristic spy movie. It's an autonomous motorcycle that pops out of a car for final mile journeys. A patent from October reads that the “'multimodal transportation apparatus'  is intended to include, in particular, at least driving a vehicle to a location at which the vehicle can be parked, and then riding/driving away from the vehicle to a final destination using further transportation."

Inspired by Parking Problems and Carbon Emissions

The idea is inspired by spaces where engines may be restricted or areas with limited available and...

2016 has been the year we talk a lot about autonomous vehicles. A lot has happened this year. Google created Waymo, a self-driving vehicle company under the Alphabet umbrella. MIT designed a mini city for testing, and GM is testing on public roads in Michigan. Self-driving Ubers (with a driver for emergencies) are being tested in Pittsburgh as I type this.

Playing By The Rules

A few days ago Uber expanded this testing to San Francisco, but with some changes. The cars used in California are EX90 SUVS, the result of a collaboration with Volvo, who does not have a permit for self-driving cars from...

Start your (self-driving) engines! While Ford has announced fully automated cars by 2021, and Nissan has a similar plan for 2020,  two other auto suppliers have teamed up to create SAE level 4/5 automated technology.

Israel-based Mobileye, a company that specializes in computer vision systems, and auto parts supplier Delphi Automotive have joined forces to create autonomous driving systems that could enter production by 2019, and hit the market by 2021 or 2022. These off-the-shelf systems are intended for use in a wide variety of vehicles, including small cars, pickups and SUVs. Rear View Safety...

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating a fatal crash involving a Tesla Model S cruising on autopilot mode. This is the first fatal crash in a semi-autonomous car.

The Verge reports that Joshua Brown, a 40-year-old Ohio resident and Navy SEAL was killed when neither he nor the Tesla’s sensors saw a tractor trailer pulling in front of the car on a Florida highway. The driver of the other vehicle was not injured. Brown’s obituary can be found here.  The crash occurred on May 7^th.

“We learned yesterday evening that NHTSA is opening a preliminary evaluation into the...

On April 26th, Google, Ford, Lyft, Uber and Volvo Cars announced the formation of the Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets. These are some of the biggest names in their respective industries teaming up for one purpose: to advocate for autonomous vehicles. The group will first work with civic organizations, municipalities and businesses to bring the idea of self-driving vehicles to life.

The formation of the Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets comes at an interesting time in the development of autonomous cars, the whole concept is still very new and not a lot of regulations or standards...

The streets of Beverly Hills are known for fancy cars and A-List celebrities. However something else will soon start turning heads in this glamorous Los Angeles County city, a fleet of driver less autonomous vehicles (A.V.s).

During an April 5th City Council meeting, The city of Beverly Hills passed a resolution creating a program to develop autonomous shuttles as a new method of public transportation. Council members unanimously approved the program, calling for Beverly Hills to become a leader in the testing and implementation of autonomous shuttles.

“Beverly Hills is the perfect community to...

Autonomous cars are no longer a distant dream. Tesla already has a car with an advanced autopilot mode with some “automatic” features, including autonomous braking and self-parking, while Google, Delphi and Audi are currently developing and testing fully-autonomous models. These tests began years ago. Induct Navia is already using autonomous public shuttles in Europe and Asia. While this technology is flashy, futuristic and downright fun, one important question remains: Are they safe?

The benefits of this tech is clear. Consumers could have a more productive trip, working, reading...

We couldn't help ourselves with this post, what are your thoughts on Google's Self-Driving Cars?

"Driving too slowly? Bet humans don’t get pulled over for that too often.

We’ve capped the speed of our prototype vehicles at 25mph for safety reasons. We want them to feel friendly and approachable, rather than zooming scarily through neighborhood streets.  

Like this officer, people sometimes flag us down when they want to know more about our project. After 1.2 million miles of autonomous driving (that’s the human equivalent of 90 years of driving experience), we’re proud to say we’ve never been...