Tag: partnership

Uber’s self-driving car efforts get help from the University of Arizona

Uber’s ambitions in the self-driving car space took a step forward today — the company just announced a partnership with the University of Arizona that will see the university become the home of Uber’s mapping test vehicles. According to a press release from Arizona governor Doug Ducey, the partnership will focus on research and development for optics systems focused on mapping and safety for self-driving vehicles. Uber is also donating $25, 000 to the University of Arizona’s College of Optical Sciences, and an internal email obtained by The Verge indicates that the donation will be for scholarships. This partnership comes after Uber officially partnered with Carnegie Mellon University earlier this year; since then, Uber’s self-driving cars have been spotted driving around Pittsburgh . There’s also been accusations of Uber poaching many of the university’s researchers, something the University of Arizona might want to keep an eye out for. Either way, this partnership is just another sign that Uber sees its future as one where drivers aren’t behind the wheels of its cars. [Image credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images] Comments Source: State of Arizona , The Verge Tags: selfdrivingcars, uber, universityofarizona, uofa

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Uber’s self-driving car efforts get help from the University of Arizona

Sony, Lego team up to create programmable, interactive Lego bricks

A newly revealed partnership seeks to bring the interactivity of Sony’s video games to the world of Lego’s physical bricks and characters. At a 25th anniversary open house for Sony’s Computer Science Laboratories in Japan , the companies showed off Toy Alive, a prototype project that uses simple Lego bricks with embedded microchips that can be controlled with a PC or a DualShock gamepad. The Toy Alive team is currently showing off a tiny, remote-controlled platform that can be controlled with a DualShock gamepad to play a chase game monitored by a webcam and computer software. Other bricks use translucent red plastic and built-in, computer-controlled LEDs to make a Lego house look like it’s on fire or to activate an actuator that causes Lego models to explode into pieces. The team is even experimenting with tiny wireless cameras that can give a minifig-eye view of a scene for a bit of augmented reality. Lego has long supported interactivity in its toys through its Mindstorms line of robotics aimed at programmers and students. But with Toy Alive, the team is trying to “keep the pieces small and simple so that children can use them with other toys,” according to associate researcher Alexis Andre, who has been working on the project for about a year. “It’s a mixture of video games and toys, and how do you make toys more interactive? How do you provide a platform for the children to do whatever they want to do?” Read 1 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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Sony, Lego team up to create programmable, interactive Lego bricks