Tag: before-the-end

Semi-autonomous truck convoys due to hit UK roads next year

Convoys of semi-autonomous trucks are expected to be tested on public roads in the UK before the end of next year, the government announced today . The Department for Transport and Highways England have rustled up £8.1 million in funding between them to pass on to the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), the independent organisation that’ll conduct the trials. TRL will start with simulation studies and driver training before moving onto a test track and finally, public roads by the end of 2018. Platooning, as it’s known, is one of the simpler ways of harnessing self-driving technology. While the truck at the front of a convoy remains under human control, trailing vehicles follow its lead autonomously. Wireless connections (aka vehicle-to-vehicle communication) keep all trucks talking to each other so the self-driving members of the conga line can immediately respond to changes in the lead lorry’s direction and speed. With software managing the distance between vehicles, it should be possible to create a much tighter convoy than would be safe if human limbs were in charge of the wheel and pedals. This has the potential to ease congestion, but more importantly reduces drag on the trailing trucks, meaning better fuel efficiency and lower emissions. TRL has already done some preliminary feasibility studies on the government’s instruction. In fact, platooning trials on UK motorways were originally due to start in late 2016 , but the project has been delayed for one reason or another. At the time, the Financial Times reported that various manufacturers of heavy goods vehicles were just not particularly keen on taking part. Several real-world trials of semi-autonomous convoys are taking place elsewhere , and TRL is looking at how these are addressing the technical and practical challenges of public platooning tests. There’s no substitute for conducting your own in situ , though, which is why TRL will investigate everything from fuel efficiency to safety, acceptance by drivers and the public, the suitability of UK infrastructure and future, commercial viability. Source: Department for Transport

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Semi-autonomous truck convoys due to hit UK roads next year

SpaceX plans to start launching high-speed internet satellites in 2019

Last November, SpaceX asked the FCC for permission to launch 4, 425 satellites to provide high speed internet around the globe. While current satellite internet can be slow and high-latency , the Elon Musk-founded company promises its proposed service will be much better thanks to custom satellites deployed into low-Earth orbit. In a Senate hearing today on US Broadband infrastructure, SpaceX’s vice president of government affairs Patricia Cooper explained the company’s plan, which includes its intention to begin launch operations in 2019. SpaceX hopes to start testing its satellites before the end of this year and continuing through the early months of 2018. If that’s successful, the company plans to launch satellites in phases between 2019 and 2024, after which the system will be at full capacity. SpaceX plans to launch the system with its Falcon 9 rocket , which has been successfully launched and landed with an eye toward re-usability. The entire system, said Cooper, is meant to provide a high volume of broadband capacity at “fiber-like” speeds over a wide area. The company says it’s designed its system to be highly adaptable, too, with the ability to “steer dynamically a large pool of beams to focus capacity where it is needed.” The company also promises that its system will be cost-effective. Cooper concluded her remarks with specific recommendations for current and future regulations, including those that require NGSO systems to launch within six years of licensure. These regulations were written more than 20 years ago, the company argues, and should not apply to modern systems like the one SpaceX is proposing. The company would also like to see more of the national funding for broadband projects. Cooper mentioned that only 1.5 percent of all funds appropriated for broadband infrastructure had been awarded to satellite systems. In addition, SpaceX would like the Senate to reward systems that promote efficient spectrum use, revise specific policies around the use of satellite-specific spectrums and to streamline the licensing process for the same. Oh, and “modernize” the FAA commercial launch regulations, which would allow for more launches per year than is currently allowed. Having a ton of satellites close to Earth providing broadband internet to anyone regardless of location certainly sounds fantastic, and a solid step forward for an increasingly internet-reliant populace. Still, without more specific timelines and operational details, it’s hard to get too excited, even though we secretly are . Via: Ars Technica Source: Senate Remarks, SpaceX’s Patricia Cooper

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SpaceX plans to start launching high-speed internet satellites in 2019

McDonald’s will satisfy your Big Mac craving with UberEats delivery

McDonald’s already tried delivering Quarter Pounder combo meals via Uber in Florida and now the fast-food restaurant it ready to expand the option. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that McDonald’s will launch its delivery option in more cities before the end of June. And yes, it’s still powered by UberEats . That original testing phase included 200 locations in Florida, and for now, there’s no word on exactly where the delivery option is headed next. Those details are likely to come soon, so you might be able to satisfy your Big Mac craving without leaving the house in the near future. For now, McDonald’s is trying to perfect the process of accepting orders, finding the right packaging for deliveries and tackling other “operational challenges.” The company also tried its hand at delivery in 2015 with help from Postmates. That initiative is limited to New York City, though. Delivery isn’t the only move McDonald’s is making to meet the needs of diners in 2017. The company began testing mobile ordering and payments back in March, a feature of its app that’s now available for 400 locations in Chicago, California, Washington state and the DC area. The plan is for every location to have the mobile ordering system in place eventually. As part of the Uber news, McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook explained that restaurant redesigns and digital options like mobile ordering are top priorities over the next two years. Source: Crain’s Chicago Business

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McDonald’s will satisfy your Big Mac craving with UberEats delivery

Geohot will sell a semi-autonomous driving kit this year

Legendary iPhone and PlayStation hacker George Hotz (aka “Geohot”) isn’t wasting time translating his DIY self-driving tech into something you can buy. His Comma.ai startup plans to release a semi-autonomous driving kit, Comma One, before the end of 2016. The $999 upgrade combines its camera with your car’s existing front radar (read: it won’t work with every vehicle) to relieve you of some control during your drive. It’s “about on par” with Tesla’s Autopilot , Hotz claims, and reportedly good enough to take you from Mountain View (conveniently, Google’s HQ) to San Francisco without touching the steering wheel or any pedals. The secret, Hotz adds, is that Comma One gets data from its video feed. “Even Tesla isn’t doing that, ” he says. And importantly, it’s using commodity components that should help it get to market quickly. The entrepreneur notes that many would-be rivals don’t even have hardware to show, let alone a concrete plan to ship products. It’s easy to remain at least a bit skeptical. Comma.ai is moving very quickly, and Hotz is quick to admit that the Comma One would only arrive this year in “very limited quantity” at best. You’ll probably have to wait until 2017 to retrofit your car, and it’s hard to say how well Comma One will work when it’s ready. If it comes anywhere close to the hype, though, it’ll be a big deal — it’s a readily available, vaguely affordable add-on that will give you a taste of the self-driving future without forcing you to buy a new car . Source: TechCrunch

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Geohot will sell a semi-autonomous driving kit this year