Where Innovation Meets Imagination
As Joni Mitchell once sang, and Janet Jackson reiterated, “You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone”.
So it was when Amazon bought Kiva Systems in 2012 for a chart-topping $775 million.
Now one of the world’s largest online retailers, Amazon is also growing its logistics business, with 30,000 Kiva robots working away at its warehouses all over the world. [Read more…] about Logistics robots: The way you move
Bright Box, a specialist provider of connected car solutions, says its new self-driving car system has been trained using a neural network, deep learning and extreme racing computer games, in particular GTA 5.
Bright Box, a European company, says its software is the basis for connected-vehicle applications used by the Nissan Smart Car app in Middle East, and KIA Remoto app.
Bright Box says its autonomous car solution also uses data from real-life examples. [Read more…] about Bright Box launches self-driving car platform trained with extreme driving in computer games
Autoliv, a provider of advanced driver assistance systems, and Volvo Cars, the car maker, have agreed to form a new jointly-owned company to develop next generation autonomous driving software.
The planned new company will have its headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden, and an initial workforce taken from both companies of around 200, increasing to over 600 in the medium term. The company is expected to start operations in early 2017.
Once finalized, the joint venture will be a new entrant in the growing global market for autonomous driving software systems. It will mark the first time a leading premium car maker has joined forces with a tier one supplier to develop new advanced driver assist systems and autonomous driving technologies. [Read more…] about Volvo and Autoliv to create joint venture to develop autonomous driving technology
BMW has unveiled a new concept for its Mini model as part of its “Vision Next 100” project to steer the company into the future.
The new Mini Cooperizer is designed as a computerized, electric, connected, and autonomous car, which is meant as part of the company’s own ride-sharing scheme.
BMW plans to locate Minis all over a town for people to hire as and when they want through its app. [Read more…] about BMW reveals new autonomous Mini concept
Ghost Robotics says Minitaur four-legged robot built for highly-precise force feedback applications and movement across unknown, rough and vertical terrains
University of Pennsylvania startup company Ghost Robotics has launched its first patent-pending direct-drive legged robot platform, Ghost Minitaur.
Ghost Robotics specialises in the research and development legged, direct-drive or gearless and proprioceptive robotics technologies.
Founded by University of Pennsylvania PhD candidates, Avik De and Gavin Kenneally, Ghost Robotics is researching and building next-generation legged robots that are superior to wheeled and tracked autonomous vehicles in many field applications. [Read more…] about University of Pennsylvania’s Ghost Robotics launches Minitaur four-legged robot platform for autonomous vehicle applications
Uber rival Grab signs deal with driverless car developer nuTonomy
nuTonomy, a developer of software for self-driving cars, and Grab, which claims to be Southeast Asia’s leading ride-hailing app, have entered a partnership to expand nuTonomy’s ongoing public trial of self-driving cars in Singapore, believed to be the first such public trial anywhere in the world.
The trial will give select Grab users a chance to experience the full end-to-end experience of e-hailing and riding in a nuTonomy self-driving vehicle.
Combining nuTonomy’s autonomous vehicle software and technology system with Grab’s fleet routing technology and mapping in its app will enable both companies to study the end-to-end user experience of on-demand hailing of driverless vehicles. [Read more…] about nuTonomy and Grab partner to expand public trials of self-driving cars
Boston-based startup Sea Machines is developing autonomous technologies that will enable traditional boats to become self-driving vessels.
The company says its development heralds a smarter, safer and more efficient era of marine operations brought forward through self-aware and self-driving boats and ships.
With autonomy readily making its way into many traditional land-based and airborne sectors, the massive marine domain is even better suited for autonomous systems with fewer barriers to entry, a high risk operating environment, and an accommodating regulatory space.
More than 20 million vessels are plying the world’s waters including 15 million recreational boats and 100,000 cargo ships; Sea Machines foresees autonomy disrupting this largely manual sector and rapidly developing into a $60 billion space. [Read more…] about Startup company Sea Machines developing self-driving technology for which can be added to traditional boats
Consumer Watchdog has called on US President Barack Obama to hold expected autonomous vehicle policies and stop the administration’s undue haste to get autonomous vehicle technology on the road after newly released documents showed “an inappropriate and possibly unethical relationship between Google and key members of your administration involved in developing autonomous vehicle policy”.
In a letter to Obama, John Simpson, Consumer Watchdog’s privacy project director, writes: “The new revelations make it even more imperative that any such NHTSA policy statements be delayed until adequate Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards covering autonomous technologies are implemented through a public rule-making process.” [Read more…] about US government officials criticized for ‘inappropriate’ relationship with autonomous car developer Google
While everyone seems fascinated by driverless cars brought to us via Silicon Valley, established suppliers of advanced driver assistance systems are quietly doing a roaring trade
The automotive industry is going through some fundamental changes, mostly because of computer technology.
The changes include higher levels of computer processing, fully driverless vehicles, greater levels of autonomy, internet connectivity, and the switch from petrol-powered combustion engines to electric.
It’s probably inevitable that the combustion engine will be gone from most mass-manufactured cars within a couple of decades, and will eventually only be seen in antique cars and supercars, although even some supercars are going electric.
Which means the road-going vehicle of the near-future will essentially be computers with wheels, connected to the cloud, and largely autonomous – or, in other words, a robot. In fact, this is what is already happening because of advanced driver assistance systems, or ADAS. [Read more…] about Advanced driver assistance systems trump driverless cars by stealth
Yaskawa Motoman has demonstrated a range of new automation solutions for material handling, human-robot collaboration, and mobile machine tending and material movement during IMTS 2016. [Read more…] about Yaskawa Motoman demonstrates new range of robots at IMTS
