Automotive industry regulators, in the United States in particular, are seeking to remove regulatory restrictions on the development and testing of autonomous vehicles without compromising job No. 1 — safety.
"There is widespread recognition that automated vehicles will coexist with conventional vehicles and ad some point operate side-by-side with them on the highways," said Nicole Nason, administrator of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), one of several government speakers at the Automated Vehicles Symposium held in Orlando in July.
Autonomous Vehicles
Autonomous Vehicles
Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners partners with Georgia Tech and Delta Air Lines to advance autonomous vehicle research
In an effort to advance autonomous vehicle and infrastructure research, Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners has partnered with Georgia Tech and Delta Air Lines.
The entities say that the collaboration between Curiosity Lab and Delta will provide Georgia Tech researchers with “critical seed funding.” Researchers will also have access to the Lab’s 1.5 mile autonomous vehicle test track and living laboratory.
Some of the features of Curiosity Lab include dedicated fiber, smart poles and a network operations center for researchers to track and trend data from connected internet-of-things (IoT) devices.
EHang completes first passenger-carrying autonomous aerial vehicle demonstration flight
EHang has announced that during the 2019 Northeast Asia Expo in August, it conducted the first passenger-carrying autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) demonstration flight.
According to EHang, its passenger-grade AAV, EHang 216, has also completed similar public demonstration flights in other Chinese cities such as EHang's headquarters in Guangzhou, Lianyungang and Luzhi in Jiangsu province, Taizhou in Zhejiang province, Yantai in Shandong province and Shenyang in Liaoning province.
TomTom unveils fully autonomous test vehicle
TomTom has launched its fully autonomous test vehicle, which is designed to test and improve the location technology specialist’s autonomous driving technologies, which includes the TomTom High Definition (HD) Map, TomTom Roadagrams, and TomTom AutoStream, a map streaming service.
“Having our own autonomous vehicle is a critical advantage when it comes to developing the technology required for safe and comfortable autonomous driving,” says Willem Strijbosch, TomTom’s head of Autonomous Driving.
Designated Driver's teleoperation technology being added to Texas A&M's autonomous shuttles
Texas A&M University will add Designated Driver’s teleoperation technology to its autonomous shuttles.
A developer of teleoperation technologies for autonomous vehicles, Designated Driver says that this is the first time that a teleoperation system is being deployed commercially on public roads. The company says that its system will provide remote guidance and way points to the shuttles operating in downtown Bryan, Texas.
“We are enabling Texas A&M to get the safety driver out of the driver’s seat by deploying a reliable teleoperation solution,” says Manuela Papadopol, CEO, Designated Driver.
Pony.ai, Toyota collaborating on autonomous driving pilot
In an effort to “accelerate the development and deployment of autonomous vehicles,” autonomous driving technology company Pony.ai has announced plans to work with Toyota on an autonomous driving pilot, as the companies look into the various possibilities to provide safe mobility services for all.
“Autonomous driving technology is the key to creating a better transportation system and delivering value to the lives of many,” the companies say in a press release.
“Through such collaborations, Toyota and Pony.ai are accelerating the arrival of a safer, more efficient, and more enjoyable mobility future for all.”
Karragarra Island on Redlands Coast selected as first location in Queensland to test driverless bus
Australia's Redland City Council and Queensland, Australia's peak motoring body RACQ have announced that Karragarra Island on Redlands Coast will be the first location in Queensland to test a driverless bus.
According to Mayor Karen Williams, the Council began looking into new technologies because better transportation options was a priority for residents.
“Redlands Coast has unique transport challenges that need innovative solutions, which is why we’re partnering with RACQ and Easy Mile on the Smart Mobility trial,” Williams says.
UPS invests in TuSimple; testing self-driving tractor trailers in Arizona
UPS has announced that its venture capital arm, UPS Ventures, has made a minority investment in self-driving truck company TuSimple.
Building off of an ongoing commercial relationship between the two companies in which UPS has purchased transportation services from TuSimple, UPS and TuSimple are testing self-driving tractor trailers on a route in Arizona to determine if the vehicles are capable of improving service and efficiency in the UPS network.
“UPS is committed to developing and deploying technologies that enable us to operate our global logistics network more efficiently,” says Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, Scott Price.
EHang to test autonomous aerial vehicles in Guangzhou, China
Autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) company EHang has selected Guangzhou, China as its first urban air mobility (UAM) pilot city in the world to establish a low-altitude aviation transportation network that shuttles passengers and goods in a “safe, fast, environmentally friendly, cost-efficient and intelligent way.”
Through the pilot program, EHang will help the Guangzhou government establish a command-and-control center to make sure that multiple AAVs flying at the same time in the city can remain in the air in a “safe and efficient manner,” and can respond to emergencies quickly.
EHang also plans on helping the city build up the basic infrastructure to support urban air mobility, which will include designing safety rules and market entry thresholds.
