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GM’s Cruise Automation unveils new driverless electric vehicle

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Cruise Automation, the driverless car startup acquired by General Motors, has unveiled its first vehicle.

The Cruise Origin, as it is called, is electric, autonomous, driverless with no steering wheel, and designed to carry several people – about six in spacious comfort.

The company says the Origin is the answer to the many problems of motoring today. Cars today use fossil fuels which pollute the atmosphere, and are designed in a way that limits the space available. [Read more…] about GM’s Cruise Automation unveils new driverless electric vehicle

Hyundai develops ‘world’s first’ machine learning-based cruise control technology

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Hyundai says it has developed “the world’s first machine learning-based Smart Cruise Control” system. Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence. 

The automaker says the SCC-ML technology incorporates the driver’s patterns into its self-driving behavior, creating a custom experience for the driver.

The technology, an industry first, incorporates artificial intelligence within the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) feature. The system is planned for implementation in future Hyundai Motor Group vehicles. [Read more…] about Hyundai develops ‘world’s first’ machine learning-based cruise control technology

GM’s autonomous driving business Cruise raises another $1.15 billion

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The autonomous driving business which General Motors acquired three years ago, Cruise, has raised more than $1 billion in its latest funding round, bringing total capital raised to approximately $7 billion.

Cruise says the equity investment of $1.15 billion is from a group comprising institutional investors, including funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, and existing partners GM, SoftBank Vision Fund and Honda.

Dan Ammann, Cruise CEO, says: “Developing and deploying self-driving vehicles at massive scale is the engineering challenge of our generation.

[Read more…] about GM’s autonomous driving business Cruise raises another $1.15 billion

UTC begins work on hybrid electric aeroplane

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United Technologies (UTC) has recently launched the advanced projects group within the company, which moves at speed to build and pilot ambitious product and service demonstrators.

The group’s first product demonstrator is a hybrid-electric X-plane under the project name, Project 804.

The number “804” represents the straight-line mileage between the Pratt & Whitney facility in Longueuil, Québec, and the Collins Aerospace facility in Rockford, Illinois.

[Read more…] about UTC begins work on hybrid electric aeroplane

Honda, Cruise and GM team up to build new autonomous vehicle

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Cruise and General Motors have joined forces with Honda to pursue the shared goal of transforming mobility through the large-scale deployment of autonomous vehicle technology.

Honda will work jointly with Cruise and General Motors to fund and develop a purpose-built autonomous vehicle for Cruise that can serve a wide variety of use cases and be manufactured at high volume for global deployment.

In addition, Cruise, General Motors and Honda will explore global opportunities for commercial deployment of the Cruise network.

[Read more…] about Honda, Cruise and GM team up to build new autonomous vehicle

Schindler brings its ‘PORT’ Technology to the high seas

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‘Carnival Horizon’, Carnival Cruise Line’s newest vessel, is the first ship to be equipped with Schindler’s PORT Technology.

The cruise ship has been supplied with 33 lifts/elevators and 4 escalators, installed by Schindler‘s specialist Marine Unit. The 16 core passenger lifts are all equipped with Schindler’s PORT Technology, which enhances the current operations and enables a smooth and efficient embarkation and debarkation process for up to 4,500 passengers.

Schindler’s PORT Technology is a highly sophisticated lift control and security access technology based on a Schindler innovation: the elevators know where the passengers are going before they enter the car.

[Read more…] about Schindler brings its ‘PORT’ Technology to the high seas

A different way to think about autonomous technology

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By Megan Nichols, editor of SchooledByScience.com

Autonomous cars are the wave of the future, with more models released every year. These cars typically feature either a full auto pilot or driver assistance systems designed to make the ride safer and smoother.

Most of the technology we think of as autonomous or self-driving is already implemented in new cars as advanced driver assistance systems. These systems, like cruise control, lane sensing, blind spot alerts and more are all pieces of the self-driving car puzzle, found in most new car models.

For example, the basic concept of cruise control is not a new one. Ralph Teetor filed the first patent for a cruise control device in 1948, and it was installed on its first model just 10 years later. Today, adaptive cruise control (ACC) systems installed in newer cars take the basic idea introduced more than half a century ago and add features like automatic speed adjustment based on the location of other cars on the road.  [Read more…] about A different way to think about autonomous technology

Pepper lands a job on luxury cruise liner

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Costa Cruises is bringing five of the latest generation of Pepper robots on board the flagship of the fleet, to entertain guests during their vacations

Costa Diadema, flagship of the Costa Cruises fleet, has introduced Pepper, the first robot in the world able to recognize main human emotions and proactively interact with the surrounding environment.

Five Pepper robots will be operative on all seven-day cruises of the Costa’s flagship in the Western Mediterranean: their task will be to entertain cruise passengers, making their on board experience even more unique and unforgettable.

This innovation, unique in the cruise industry, is the result of an agreement signed between the Italian cruise company and SoftBank Robotics (formerly Aldebaran), part of SoftBank Group, announced late last year.  [Read more…] about Pepper lands a job on luxury cruise liner

Costa Group to test Pepper humanoid robots on cruise liners

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Cruise liner company Costa Group has signed an exclusive agreement with the French company Aldebaran for a pilot project with Pepper robots.

Aldebaran, which is a subsidiary of the SoftBank Group through SoftBank Robotics Corp, said the contract was worth more than a million euros.

Pepper is the world’s first robot that reads main human emotions, says the company, adding that it is ideally suited to help and delight guests on board of cruise ships. Aldebaran adds that Pepper will improve guest experience and provide help and entertainment on board the ships of the Costa Group’s cruise brands: AIDA and Costa.  [Read more…] about Costa Group to test Pepper humanoid robots on cruise liners