Uber said Tuesday it was taking the first step toward restarting its autonomous ridesharing program, putting its self-driving cars back on the road in “manual mode,” with a driver at the wheel at all times. The ridesharing giant said its specially equipped vehicles would be back in service for the first time since it suspended […]
Singapore May Use Drones To Deliver Medicine, For Security
Drones could be used across hi-tech Singapore to deliver life-saving medical supplies to a patient during an emergency or to respond to a security breach under a new system in development, a private consortium said Tuesday. Future Flight Consortium, a 13-member group, said it had been chosen by the country’s civil aviation authority and transport […]
Kenya To Get First Deployment Of Internet Balloons From Google Parent
The first commercial deployment for Project Loon—the “balloon-powered internet” being developed by Google parent Alphabet—is headed for Kenya, the US tech giant said Thursday. In a collaboration with Telkom Kenya, Loon will provide internet service from high-altitude balloons whose paths across the sky are choreographed to maintain coverage, according to Loon, the newly independent business unit within […]
China’s Baidu Rolls Out Self-Driving Buses
China’s internet giant Baidu announced Wednesday it had begun mass producing the country’s first autonomous mini-bus, as the firm prepares to roll them out in tourist spots and airports. CEO Robin Li watched the 100th vehicle roll off a production line of a factory in the southeastern city of Xiamen. “2018 marks the first year of commercialisation […]
Kroger To Test Grocery Deliveries With Driverless Cars
Kroger Co. is about to test whether it can steer supermarket customers away from crowded grocery aisles with a fleet of diminutive driverless cars designed to lower delivery costs. The test program announced Thursday could make Kroger the first U.S. grocer to make deliveries with robotic cars that won’t have a human riding along to […]
Autonomous Waymo Vehicle Involved In 5-Car Crash In Arizona
Police in a Phoenix suburb say a self-driving Waymo vehicle was among five cars involved in a collision, but no serious injuries were reported. The driver of the Waymo vehicle told Mesa police that the car was not in autonomous mode at the time of Saturday night’s crash. Witnesses say another car failed to stop for a red light […]
Japan ‘Drone-Brella’ Promises Hands-Free Sun Cover
It’s the hands-free experience you never knew you needed—a Japanese company has developed a drone-powered parasol it says can hover over users, protecting them from the sun. The drone-powered sunshade—being developed by Asahi Power Service—should be released next year, and will initially target those in need of a hands-free head covering wider than your average […]
New Tesla Software To Offer ‘Full’ Autonomy, Musk Says
An update to Tesla’s Autopilot software coming in August will enable “full self-driving features” for the automaker’s electric cars, chief executive Elon Musk says. Musk’s comments come amid a race by automakers and tech firms to roll out fully autonomous vehicles, but also rising concerns about the safety of robotic systems. The Tesla founder made the disclosure in […]
Waymo Adds 62,000 Vehicles For Autonomous Taxi Service
Google-owned Waymo is adding as many as 62,000 Fiat Chrysler minivans to its autonomous fleet in an expanded collaboration announced by the companies on Thursday. Delivery of the Chrysler Pacifica minivans was expected to begin later this year, with the automaker also exploring the potential to build Waymo technology into a self-driving car it might […]
Kasich Orders All Ohio Roads Open To Smart Vehicle Testing
Republican Gov. John Kasich (KAY’-sik) is opening all of Ohio’s public roads to smart vehicle testing. Kasich signed an executive order Wednesday authorizing autonomous vehicle research to take place across the state. The order also lays out safety parameters for such projects and creates a voluntary pilot program linking local governments to participating companies. The order extends […]