via (1) The transparent avatar in your brain: Thomas Metzinger at TEDxBarcelona – YouTube
Month: December 2018
China’s banning new factories that only make fossil-fuel cars — Quartz
QuoteNow, China has rolled out rules that basically nix investment in new fossil-fuel car factories starting next year.
The National Development and Reform Commission, China’s top economic planner, said at a press conference (link in Chinese) on Tuesday that from Jan. 10, the country won’t allow new companies that only make such vehicles to be set up. The new rules (pdf, link in Chinese), which were published last week, come after the body announced major changes to auto industry investment policy in May.
via China’s banning new factories that only make fossil-fuel cars — Quartz
Robot Vacuums Are Finally Good—Here’s Which One to Buy – WSJ
QuotePostmates Unveils New NVIDIA Jetson AGX Xavier Equipped Delivery Robot – NVIDIA Developer News CenterNVIDIA Developer News Center
QuotePostmates, the on-demand delivery company that operates across the United States announced the launch of a new all-electric autonomous delivery robot equipped with the latest NVIDIA Jetson AGX Xavier module for autonomous machines.
The robot called Serve can carry 50 pounds of goods with a range of 30 miles. The system is designed to work alongside the Postmates fleet and can move items over short distances efficiently, the company said.
“Serve was built to respect cities, meets customer demands, and helps local businesses sell even more,” the company wrote in a blog post.
The robot runs on electric power and moves at walking speed.
In addition to the Jetson AGX Xavier system, Serve is equipped with Velodyne LIDAR sensors to help create a virtual picture of the world in real time.
The Denver Broncos’ latest pickup: A Bud Light-pouring robot that delivers beers with the push of a button – The Washington Post
QuoteOn Saturday, the robot is scheduled to make its official debut in Mile High Stadium, the team said, where the Denver Broncos are facing off against the Cleveland Browns. The machine will be at least the second known robot to pour fans beers inside an NFL stadium. In Florida, a robot produced by the robotics company FANUC and “employed” by the Jacksonville Jaguars has also been serving Bud Light to fans on game days.
Hyundai’s Kona EV has great range and costs as much as the average car – The Verge
QuoteHyundai announced late last week that the Kona Electric, the company’s second fully electric vehicle, will start at $36,450 in the US when it goes on sale in early 2019 — basically dead even with the current average sale price of a new car in the United States, according to Kelley Blue Book.
via Hyundai’s Kona EV has great range and costs as much as the average car – The Verge
With US EV sales forecast to explode, Southern says grid will be prepared | Utility Dive
QuoteAs more states, cities and municipalities work toward 100% zero emission vehicles by 2050, utility experts view the growing flexible load from electric vehicle (EV) charging as an opportunity.
Despite concerns about meeting the anticipated load growth as utility generation increasingly incorporates renewable energy, utility representatives said they have already prepared for the growth of EV adoption, according to panelists at the Copper Development Association’s EV Tech Summit on Tuesday. “We’ve done multiple studies on how much infrastructure you need to support a future of all EVs,” Darren Epps, product development specialist for Southern Company, said on the panel.
via With US EV sales forecast to explode, Southern says grid will be prepared | Utility Dive
Understanding Consumer Behavior Influences EV Purchases
QuoteGiven that Tesla commands most of the market share for current EV sales in the U.S., we weren’t surprised to see current EV shoppers tend to skew male, given Tesla’s position as a luxury performance vehicle.
EVadoption.com says, “The Tesla brand and mystique has also done a great job of making this (luxury/performance) customer segment more aware of EVs.”
Considering CDK’s research that suggests 85% of car buying decisions involve women, EV marketers appeal to women by featuring practical benefits of EV usage, such as safety ratings, parking and HOV lane access, driving range and long-term cost savings.
Watch A Porsche Speedster Get Electrified With A Tesla Battery
QuoteWatch A Porsche Speedster Get Electrified With A Tesla Battery
QuoteUber fired Anthony Levandowski. Now he’s back with a self-driving truck startup.
QuoteLevandowski worked for Google’s Waymo before he left to start his self-driving truck company, Otto, which was almost immediately purchased by Uber. He was then fired from Uber after Waymo said he stole proprietary information about self-driving tech like LiDAR, which uses light and lasers to help vehicles “see.” Levandowski refused to cooperate with the investigation leading up to the trial, and Uber ended its driverless truck testing this summer.
via Uber fired Anthony Levandowski. Now he’s back with a self-driving truck startup.
The Autonomous Car Is The Next Entertainment Frontier
QuoteIn the not too distant future, drivers will find themselves with a great deal of free time in-car. Rather than having to focus on driving, time can be spent on working, being entertained, or simply relaxing.
In the near future, driving yourself will be about as popular as riding horses for transportation, according to Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk.METAMORWORKS / GETTY IMAGES
Audi calls this newly recoverable time “The 25th Hour” and recently revealed that it was working on a new type of media to fill the time.
People are attacking Waymo’s autonomous vehicles
QuoteA new report from the Arizona Republic describes how Waymo drivers have reported everything from a case of slashed tires, to thrown rocks, to a drunken man stopping a Waymo van by standing unflinchingly in the middle of the street. In one case, a Waymo driver even saw a 69-year-old man waving a gun at their vehicle. Police apprehended the suspect–whose wife said he had age-related cognitive impairment.
Some of these reports actually have some overlap, too: The same Jeep was found running Waymo vehicles off the road six separate times.
LM Industries Autonomous Shuttles Head to California, Arizona Campuses | Digital Trends
QuoteThe first two winners are both school campuses: Sacramento State University, and East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT), a joint technical education campus that offers classes for Phoenix-area high school students. Each location gets two Olli vehicles for three months. Local Motors, the division of LM Industries that builds the vehicles, will begin mapping both locations “within weeks,” and hopes to deploy vehicles for public use by the end of January, according to a press release.
via LM Industries Autonomous Shuttles Head to California, Arizona Campuses | Digital Trends
Analysts See Autonomous Flying Vehicles Taking Off
Quote“If you’re bullish on autonomous cars, it’s time to start looking at autonomous aircraft,” the analysts, including Adam Jonas, Ravi Shanker and Rajeev Lalwani, said in a research note this month. In many ways, an aircraft is “an easier software problem to solve than an autonomous car,” they wrote, pointing out that drones have been used in the military for years and are now being tested for package delivery.
Doug's Cars, Drones, Robots and Gadgets 