Ohio has become the latest state to open its roads for testing self-driving vehicles, in a boost to a nascent industry that has been facing increased scrutiny after a well-publicized death involving Uber's self-driving car testing. In Ohio, self-driving vehicles will have to meet safety requirements and comply with the state's traffic laws, Republican Governor John Kasich said in an executive order. It allows companies to test on any public road in the state, including without a driver behind the wheel. A licensed driver does need to at least monitor the vehicle remotely and "have the ability to avoid accidents if the car's system fails," according to Bloomberg. While announcing the order, Kasich said he wants Ohio to be the "wild, wild west" for self-driving car testing. "We have to move forward and we have to invest in this technology," Kasich said, as reported by Automotive News. "Computers do not comb their hair. Computers do not text. Computers do not talk on cellphones ... And … [Read more...] about Ohio wants to be the ‘Wild, Wild West’ for self-driving cars
Self driving car laws
Google won the last maps war. Self-driving cars give other mapmakers a chance to find their own way
On any given day, there could be half a dozen autonomous cars mapping the same street corner in Silicon Valley. These cars, each from a different company, are all doing the same thing: building high-definition street maps, which eventually may serve as onboard navigation guides for driverless vehicles.These companies converge where the law and weather are welcoming — or where they can get the most attention. For example, a flock of mapping vehicles congregates every year in the vicinity of the CES technology trade show, a hot spot for self-driving advances. “There probably have been 50 companies that mapped Las Vegas simply to do a CES drive,” said Chris McNally, an analyst with Evercore ISI. “It’s such a waste of resources.”Autonomous cars require powerful sensors to see and advanced software to think. They especially need up-to-the-minute maps of every conceivable roadway to move. Whoever owns the most detailed and expansive version of these maps … [Read more...] about Google won the last maps war. Self-driving cars give other mapmakers a chance to find their own way
California Scraps Safety Driver Rules for Self-Driving Cars
Supported by Technology By DAISUKE WAKABAYASHIFEB. 26, 2018 Continue reading the main story Share This Page Continue reading the main story SAN FRANCISCO — California regulators have given the green light to truly driverless cars.The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles said Monday that it was eliminating a requirement for autonomous vehicles to have a person in the driver’s seat to take over in the event of an emergency. The new rule goes into effect on April 2.California has given 50 companies a license to test self-driving vehicles in the state. The new rules also require companies to be able to operate the vehicle remotely — a bit like a flying military drone — and communicate with law enforcement and other drivers when something goes wrong.The changes signal a step toward the wider deployment of autonomous vehicles. One of the main economic benefits praised by proponents of driverless vehicles is that they will not be limited by human … [Read more...] about California Scraps Safety Driver Rules for Self-Driving Cars
GM partner’s self-driving car gets a ticket from San Francisco cop
Share This Story! Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about Facebook Email Twitter Google+ LinkedIn Pinterest GM partner's self-driving car gets a ticket from San Francisco cop A motorcycle cop ticketed a Cruise autonomous vehicle’s human safety driver, saying the car came too close to a pedestrian. Sent! A link has been sent to your friend's email address. Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. 6 Join the Conversation To find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQs Randy Essex, Detroit Free Press Published 11:56 a.m. ET March 29, 2018 | Updated 12:39 p.m. ET March 29, 2018 CLOSE Ford Motor Co. is making Miami-Dade County its new test bed for self-driving vehicles. Ford CONNECT TWEET LINKEDIN 6 COMMENT EMAIL MORE It sounds like the setup for a joke: A self-driving car got a ticket last week in San Francisco, KPIX-TV … [Read more...] about GM partner’s self-driving car gets a ticket from San Francisco cop
Uber victim stepped suddenly in front of self-driving car
Police say a video from the Uber self-driving car that struck and killed a woman Sunday shows her moving in front of it suddenly, a factor that investigators are likely to focus on as they assess the performance of the technology in the first pedestrian fatality involving an autonomous vehicle.The Uber had a forward-facing video recorder, which showed the woman was walking a bike at about 10 p.m. and moved into traffic from a dark center median. "It's very clear it would have been difficult to avoid this collision in any kind of mode," Sylvia Moir, police chief in Tempe, Arizona, told the San Francisco Chronicle."The driver said it was like a flash, the person walked out in front of them," Moir said, referring to the backup driver who was behind the wheel but not operating the vehicle. "His first alert to the collision was the sound of the collision."The chief's account raises new questions in the investigation that holds importance to the future of the burgeoning autonomous vehicle … [Read more...] about Uber victim stepped suddenly in front of self-driving car
Motorcycle cop tickets a self-driving car in San Francisco
Now here's a genuine novelty: In San Francisco, a motorcycle cop pulled over an autonomous vehicle and issued it a ticket. The future has arrived. But the reason — police said it failed to yield to a pedestrian at a crosswalk — probably shouldn't be taken lightly, coming a day after a self-driving car operated by Uber Technologies Inc. struck and killed a woman walking her bicycle across the road March 18 in Tempe, Ariz. Cruise Automation, the operator of the ticketed self-driving car, says the vehicle did nothing wrong. The story was first reported by CBS affiliate KPIX-TV. Cruise tells the station that its onboard data shows the pedestrian was 10.8 feet away from the car when it began driving in autonomous mode down Harrison Street at 14th Street. The officer pulled the car over shortly after it began accelerating and ticketed the human test driver. "Safety is our priority in testing our self-driving vehicles," Cruise said in a statement. "California law requires the … [Read more...] about Motorcycle cop tickets a self-driving car in San Francisco
A Cruise Self-Driving Car Got A Traffic Ticket In San Francisco A Week After The Deadly Uber Crash (Updated)
Just a week after the deadly Uber crash in Arizona, a self-driving car in San Francisco was ticketed for being too close to a pedestrian, according to KPIX, with a witness capturing a photo of the scene. Cruise, for its part, denies the car was doing anything unsafe, and said it has data to prove it. Cruise did not immediately return a request for comment from Jalopnik, but according to the version of events it gave KPIX, it says it was a little more than 10 feet away from the pedestrian before the car was ticketed. The car was in self-driving mode until it got pulled over. Here’s KPIX: A witness, Kevin O’Connor, snapped a photo after seeing the motorcycle officer pull over the self-driving car as O’Connor drove through the South of Market area last week. “There was another car stopped alongside and he looked a little befuddled,” said O’Connor. “The cop was just writing a regular ticket like they always do.” According to data collected … [Read more...] about A Cruise Self-Driving Car Got A Traffic Ticket In San Francisco A Week After The Deadly Uber Crash (Updated)
Waymo accepts $245m settlement in Uber self-driving car lawsuit
SAN FRANCISCO - Uber Technologies Inc will pay $245 million worth of its own shares to Alphabet Inc's Waymo self-driving vehicle unit to settle a legal dispute over trade secrets, allowing Uber's new chief executive to move past one of the company's most bruising public controversies.The settlement was announced on Friday just before the fifth day of testimony was about to begin at a jury trial in San Francisco federal court.Waymo sued Uber last year, saying that one of its former engineers who became chief of Uber's self-driving car project took with him thousands of confidential documents.The lawsuit cost Uber precious time in its self-driving car ambitions, a key to its long-term profitability. Uber fired its self-driving chief after Waymo sued, and it is well behind on its plans to deploy fleets of autonomous cars in one of the most lucrative races in Silicon Valley.The settlement now allows Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi to put another scandal behind the company and move ahead with … [Read more...] about Waymo accepts $245m settlement in Uber self-driving car lawsuit
One self-driving car program far exceeds the others at … self-driving
SAN FRANCISCO — Waymo, the self-driving arm of Google parent company Alphabet, is way out ahead of rivals based on a key measure of autonomous driving performance — how rarely a human has to take over control. This according to a report released on Wednesday by the California Department of Motor Vehicles.California requires automakers, technology companies and startups that test their self-driving vehicles on public roads to provide an annual compilation of miles traveled in autonomous mode and the number of "disengagements." Disengagements occur when the self-driving system is deactivated with control handed back to humans because of a system failure or a traffic, weather or road situation that required human intervention.The metric is one way to measure the reliability of any self-driving system, although regulators have not yet determined how safe autonomous vehicles must be before they are introduced in large numbers, a timeframe that could be a decade or more away.The … [Read more...] about One self-driving car program far exceeds the others at … self-driving
Google ’self-driving car that least needs a human,’ and the answer is …
SAN FRANCISCO — Waymo, the self-driving arm of Google parent company Alphabet, is way out ahead of rivals based on a key measure of autonomous driving performance — how rarely a human has to take over control. This according to a report released on Wednesday by the California Department of Motor Vehicles.California requires automakers, technology companies and startups that test their self-driving vehicles on public roads to provide an annual compilation of miles traveled in autonomous mode and the number of "disengagements." Disengagements occur when the self-driving system is deactivated with control handed back to humans because of a system failure or a traffic, weather or road situation that required human intervention.The metric is one way to measure the reliability of any self-driving system, although regulators have not yet determined how safe autonomous vehicles must be before they are introduced in large numbers, a timeframe that could be a decade or more away.The … [Read more...] about Google ’self-driving car that least needs a human,’ and the answer is …