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US government set to change driverless vehicle regulations under pressure from automakers

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US President Donald Trump is set to announce “within the next few months” new regulations that will eliminate the barriers to autonomous cars on the roads, according to a report on Reuters. 

The current transportation secretary, Elaine Chao, acknowledged that automakers have been calling for rule changes which will give them more freedom to test and develop autonomous cars.

Chao says: “The pressure is mounting for the federal government to do something. We don’t want rules that impede future technological advances.”  [Read more…] about US government set to change driverless vehicle regulations under pressure from automakers

5G Automotive Association and European Automotive Telecom Alliance to develop new connected car standards

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5gaa image

The 5G Automotive Association and the European Automotive Telecom Alliance have entered a cooperation deal in the field of connected and autonomous driving solutions as well as standardisation, spectrum and related use cases. 

5GAA and EATA say they are dedicated to prioritising the use cases identified by the two organisations in order to establish the technical requirements that need to be addressed, both in the short and in the long term.

In order to better support standards for connected and automated driving, standardisation prioritisation for standards bodies such as ETSI, 3GPP and SAE is necessary as well.  [Read more…] about 5G Automotive Association and European Automotive Telecom Alliance to develop new connected car standards

ABB and Nova Bus announce collaboration on electric transportation

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abb nova buses electric charging
ABB links up with Nova Buses for electric charging. Picture: Anna Rehnberg for ABB

ABB and Nova Bus have partnered to meet what they see as the “growing need for electric buses and charging infrastructure in North America”

ABB, an engineering company specializing in automotive energy technologies, and Nova Bus, the North American buses manufacturer and division of Volvo Buses, have entered a business collaboration that consists of the delivery of the first ABB’s electric bus “opportunity charger” in North America.

This is the latest development in ABB’s growing network of electric charging infrastructure.

This collaboration reflects Nova Bus plans to keep investing in climate action by offering charging stations and electrified bus solutions to major cities in the United States and Canada.

Derek Monk, general manager, ABB in Canada, says: “Transportation can be one of the biggest contributors to climate change. Supporting Nova Bus with ABB’s innovative charging solution will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Volvo Buses, it represents a major step in the advancement of electric buses in public transit in North America and it will be the first ABB electric bus opportunity charging station in the Americas.”  [Read more…] about ABB and Nova Bus announce collaboration on electric transportation

US Senate approves Elaine Chao to steer driverless policy

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elaine-chao

The US Senate has approved Elaine Chao to become the next secretary of transportation. 

This means she will be in charge of the department at something of a crossroads in motoring history, with autonomous vehicles accelerating their way onto public roads faster than many had predicted, and with the steady growth of intelligent transport systems.

Chao – who has extensive links to the communist Chinese government – was approved by the Senate by a vote of 93 to 6 earlier this week.  [Read more…] about US Senate approves Elaine Chao to steer driverless policy

Piaggio, maker of Vespa, launches mobile robot as part of its newly created robotics-oriented business unit

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piaggio gita
Gita, the object-carrying mobile robot from Piaggio, being driven round the bend

Piaggio, the company behind the iconic Vespa motor bikes, is launching a cylindrical mobile robot with a carrying capacity of 40 lb 

Piaggio Group, which claims to be the largest European manufacturer of two-wheel motor vehicles such as the famous Vespa, has launched Piaggio Fast Forward, a newly-established company based in the US formed to pioneer future robotics-oriented technology.

Piaggio was founded over 130 years ago, but the company says its new division is aiming to “fundamentally rethinking the movement of people and goods”.

Michele Colaninno, chairman of PFF, says: “We have established Piaggio Fast Forward to reinvent the future of mobility and this is best accomplished with PFF as a separate entity, but with the backing and experience of the Piaggio Group. You can expect to find Piaggio Fast Forward blurring the lines between transportation, robotics, and urban environments.”  [Read more…] about Piaggio, maker of Vespa, launches mobile robot as part of its newly created robotics-oriented business unit

President Barack Obama appoints GM CEO Mary Barra to advisory panel on self-driving cars

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General Motors CEO Mary Barra.
General Motors CEO Mary Barra

US President Barack Obama has appointed General Motors chief executive Mary Barra to a newly created advisory committee on self-driving cars, and critics are already saying she should be the first person to whom the incoming president, Donald Trump, should say: “You’re fired.” 

Consumer advocates called on President-elect Donald Trump to make Barra his first firing and remove her as co-chairman of the newly created Department of Transportation Advisory Committee on Automation in Transportation.

In a letter to Trump, Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, John Simpson, the group’s privacy project director, and Joan Claybrook, chair of Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways, wrote: “As you know, robot cars, trucks, drones and other technology threaten to replace tens of millions of American jobs, pose a danger to the safety of our roads and public spaces, and come with significant privacy and security threats.

“We should not allow the robot makers alone to oversee the safety of vehicles coming out of robot factories, but the Obama Administration’s eleventh hour appointments do just that.”  [Read more…] about President Barack Obama appoints GM CEO Mary Barra to advisory panel on self-driving cars

Apple more or less confirms autonomous car project in letter to US government

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apple autonomous car
An artist’s illustration of what the Apple car may or may not end up looking like

By David Shepardson, Reuters

Apple is wading in to the debate over regulation of self-driving cars, declaring it is excited about the potential for automated transportation and calling on US regulators not to restrict testing of such vehicles.

A five-page letter from Steve Kenner, Apple’s director of product integrity, to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is the company’s most comprehensive statement yet about its interest in self-driving vehicle technology.

The November 22 letter followed more than a year of industry speculation about the computer and iPhone maker’s plans for expanding into transportation.  [Read more…] about Apple more or less confirms autonomous car project in letter to US government

There will be data: Exclusive interview with Honeywell UOP cloud boss

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honeywell uop cps petrochemical plant

The oil and gas industry is the lifeblood and oxygen of the modern world. It produces the stuff that powers the power stations, providing the energy on which we all depend if we live in a country with even a moderate infrastructure. 

Much as we’d all like to live on fresh air, and run our iMachines on the light that shines in through our windows, the harsh reality is that the dirty and dangerous business of fossil fuels is still the biggest generator of energy in the world today.

No developed or developing economy on Earth can do without oil and gas, and no oil and gas plant can do without systems to prevent downtime. Every second of unscheduled downtime can cost the oil and gas company millions of dollars. Not only that, the secondary effects on all the businesses connected to the oil and gas company’s supply lines – which basically permeate the whole of society – could be devastating to a nation’s economy and wellbeing if those seconds turn into minutes, hours or days.  [Read more…] about There will be data: Exclusive interview with Honeywell UOP cloud boss

nuTonomy to test its self-driving cars on public roads in Boston

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On-street testing will begin before the end of 2016 in Raymond Flynn Marine Park

nuTonomy, the developer of software for self-driving cars, has signed a deal with the City of Boston and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation that authorizes nuTonomy to begin testing its growing fleet of self-driving cars on specific public streets in a designated area of Boston.

nuTonomy will begin testing its self-driving Renault Zoe electric vehicle before the end of the year in the Raymond L Flynn Marine Park in the Seaport section of the city.

nuTonomy outfits its vehicles with a state-of-the art software system, which has been integrated with high-performance sensing and computing components, to enable safe operation without a driver.  [Read more…] about nuTonomy to test its self-driving cars on public roads in Boston

Be part of our new publication: Industrial Internet

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iot

Contribute articles and advertise in our new digital publication

Robotics and Automation News is planning a new ebook with the working title Industrial Internet.

The digital publication will be distributed through Apple and Amazon stores. Moreover, advertisers and commercial partners will have their content featured on the RoboticsAndAutomationNews.com website and Sensor Data, the accompanying newsletter.

The publication is planned to contain features about the following subjects:

  • Industrial Internet of Things
  • Machine-to-Machine Networks
  • Industrial Networks
  • Wireless Networks
  • Industrial Computers
  • Human Machine Interface
  • Control Systems
  • Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
  • Ethernet
  • Programmable Logic Controllers
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Deep Learning
  • Machine Learning
  • Manufacturing
  • Smart Factories
  • Transportation
  • Logistics
  • Cyber Security
  • Data Management

These are the subjects which are planned. However, it partly depends on you. If you are interested in other subjects we have not listed, contact us and let us know.

If you would like to be featured within any of the features listed or any new ones we develop in co-operation with you, we can agree a structure for a commercial partnership.

An example of a typical partnership would be: Article and Advertising package – from $500.

For more information, contact us: sales[at]roboticsandautomationnews.com