Urban Planning for Self-Driving Cars
Detroit — With technologists racing to get autonomous-driven vehicles on the road in 10 years or less, America’s urban planners need to resolve a host of questions about how cities will respond to the future of transportation. A new report from the National League of Cities finds only 6 percent of U.S. cities have devoted planning resources to figuring out changes needed to accommodate self-driving vehicles. And only 3 percent have...
The Smart-Tech Future Beckons
Las Vegas — Look around. How many computing devices do you see? Your phone, probably; maybe a tablet or a laptop. Your car, the TV set, the microwave, bedside alarm clock, possibly the thermostat, and others you’ve never noticed. Much of that computing isn’t doing much while segregated into individual devices. But many of these gadgets have the potential to get smarter by connecting to their fellows, which in turn could open the door...
2016 Will Bring More Innovation to Driverless Cars
News last week that Google and Ford will reportedly collaborate on building a driverless car represents a big move forward in the unfolding evolution of autonomous vehicles. But while 2016 promises to be chock-full of more tech innovation insinuating itself into our daily lives, driverless cars will probably not yet be part of the picture. Apple, Tesla, Google and Nissan are already cranking out prototypes and test-driving autonomous...
Driverless Semis Might Precede Cars
Las Vegas — Traveling about 55 miles per hour on a Nevada highway, the big rig’s driver looked like The Thinker, with his elbow on the arm rest and his hand on his chin. No hands on the steering wheel, no feet on the pedals. Mark Alvick was in “highway pilot” mode, the wheel moving this way and that as if a ghost were at the helm. Daimler Trucks North America LLC says its “Inspiration” truck, the first self-driving semi-truck to be...
