Elon Musk Tesla Already Ahead of Mercedes Self-Driving Cars - http://clapway.com/2016/01/11/elon-musk-tesla-already-ahead-of-mercedes-benz-and-google-self-driving-cars-123/

Elon Musk is at it again, claiming that the series of Tesla self-driving cars can now even drive better than a human, and better than the Google or Mercedes automated cars. According to Tesla, the carmaker is bringing in new features to the cars. Among these are new limits on highway speeds and a way for people to summon their cars.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk Is All Talk and All Play

The California-based company only brought in autonomous driving technology onto their cars last year. Even then, not one of their models is fully and completely self-driving cars.

Even so, Elon Musk does great lip work of upstaging his product. He claimed the cars are better at driving than humans right now. He also added that the company is expecting exciting and quick enhancements to their cars over the next year and a half. By then, he claims, Tesla self-driving cars will drive more safely than any human.

The truth is most of their fully autonomous programs are still in beta. They are constantly being updated with data they get from the mileage carried by current semi-autonomous and autonomous car owners. So far, there have been no accidents reported. However, Musk did disclose that there were some near-incidents when drivers thought they were on auto-pilot mode when they weren’t.

Tesla Will Introduce ‘Summon’ Feature

According to Elon Musk, this new feature will allow drivers to call out to their cars from a parking space or a garage. The driver has to be standing near the car for it to work right now, but this is getting steadily upgraded with time. In two years, Elon Musk hopes to be able to summon cars from across the US.

Meanwhile, The Mercedes F015 Drives Itself to CES 2016

The new Mercedes F015 doesn’t need to say much, unlike Elon Musk. The car had a fantastic entrance to the Consumer Electronics Show on January 6, where it drove itself to the very entrance in a super cool, 100% autonomous fashion. The car is sleek, with a look that is signature Mercedes. The S-Class vehicle already has a summoning feature, though drivers must be close to the car to manage it. Needless to say, Mercedes-Benz is more into show, rather than tell.

Google Goes Without Saying

The Google self-driving car has millions of miles on its belt. There are big things coming from them, as their partnership with Ford moves forward. We could be seeing a commercial Google car from this partnership. This will definitely put Google on the carmaker map.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYTV4d-Gn0s

 

Elon Musk Tesla Already Ahead of Mercedes Self-Driving Cars

Tesla May Soon Become Self-Driving just like Google Car - http://clapway.com/2016/01/10/tesla-may-soon-become-self-driving-just-like-google-car/

Tesla Motors released an update for its Model S. It improves the already existing autopilot feature and allows the car to park by itself. This software update will allow owners to instruct their car to drive in and out parking spaces. They can do so by using the provided fob. The new features indicate that Tesla’s product is getting closer to Google’s Self-Driving car.

OPENS GARAGE DOORS AUTOMATICALLY

The car will use its standard hardware. This includes cameras and the bumpers’ sensors, which came with every model built since October 2014. The vehicle will also be able to auto open garage doors if needed!

If the Model S includes a garage door opener connected through a “HomeLink” connection. If it is linked to the garage door the car is capable of opening it on its own. The car can also park in reverse! The company suggested however that users should use the auto-parking feature only in private areas and not on public roads yet. This featur is still in Beta and testing.

BMW ALSO TESTING SIMILAR FEATURES

Car manufacturer giant BMW introduced a similar feature in its newest 7-series. However it requires the owner to guide the car into the parking spot manually. The machine will not take care of it on its own.

TESLA’S CAR IS GETTING CLOSER TO GOOGLE

This interesting update from Tesla brings the company’s project one step closer to Google. The company has been working for months on the “Self-Driving Car Project” and its aim is to introduce a car which drives autonomously. In May 2014, Google introduced its concept of driverless car which did not include steering wheel and pedals. It unveiled a functioning stereotype of it last December. Google’s product was recently tested in California and the company plans on making it available to the public from 2020.

Google’s product is 100 percent autonomous. This means that the functions recently introduced by Tesla were already included in the company’s Self-Driving Project. Car manufacturers are slowly adding features to their existing products (through a software update in this case). This is increasing the chances of competition with Google in the near future.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHLqjdAfDUQ

Tesla May Soon Become Self-Driving just like Google Car

Toyota, Ford, Google and Uber Battle For Self-Driving Crown - http://clapway.com/2016/01/08/toyota-ford-google-and-uber-battle-for-self-driving-crown-123/

The race for the best self-driving car is on, and it’s going to be a wild ride from here until 2020. Toyota is in full gear to design the best autonomous driving technology possible alongside artificial intelligence. Ford is teaming up with Google to upgrade the Google self-driving car. Renault-Nissan just announced their intention to release 10 self-driving cars by 2020. Needless to say, it’s going to be an exciting 4 years.

Toyota, Self-Driving Cars and Artificial Intelligence

At the Consumer Electronics Show, Toyota announced that it had hired staff from prominent robotics teams (including Google’s) to develop artificial intelligence and advanced robotics. The company has its eyes set on developing robots that can assist people at home. Although this is somewhat withdrawn from their better-known line of business, it’s not like there aren’t benefits for their cars as well. Inevitably, Toyota will find themselves wanting to design their own autonomous cars alongside the development of advanced AI and home robots.

Ford and Google Bring the Google Self-Driving Car to the Consumer Market

The Google Self-Driving Car has been boasting about crossing milestones of total distance driven, and they just took the next step. The company recently announced a partnership with Ford to possibly develop a self-driving car for the consumer market. Ford, who had a very poor year in terms of sales in 2015, seems like it will take full advantage of the joint venture. There aren’t many details available on the projects they will pursue, but it will likely be as exciting as anything Google partakes in can be.

Even Uber And Lyft Will Be Employing Self-Driving Cars

Many car makers have announced plans for self-driving vehicles in the next 5-10 years. These include Apple, Google, Toyota, Volkswagen, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler and even Amazon. And naturally, companies that benefit from these announcements are making some declarations of their own. Uber has expressed that it will employ autonomous cars as soon as they are available on the market. This is a natural step, although it has received a lot of criticism.

The truth is that self-driving cars are the future. There’s no way they can be stopped from getting made or widespread. Self-driving cars cut costs for companies and buyers, and although it may cut a few jobs, it is undoubtedly the safest option to avoid accidents.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsaES–OTzM

Toyota, Ford, Google and Uber Battle For Self-Driving Crown

Kia Tackles Self-Driving to Go Against Google and Mercedes-Benz - http://clapway.com/2016/01/06/kia-tackles-self-driving-to-go-against-google-and-mercedes-benz-123/

Kia is looking to introduce self-driving cars to their lineup of cars by 2030. The South Korean car maker joins the ranks Google and Mercedez-Benz to build smart cars. This was revealed as part of the car maker’s participation at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show.

Kia Long Term Goal: Self-Driving Cars for the Masses by 2030

The company will be actively taking action to build the kind of self-driving car that can be distributed to the masses. For now, Kia will be making an effort to introduce self-driving technology to its model range. The car maker plans to upgrade their DriveWise technology to feature completely automated parking as well as highway driving assist in the next four years.

South Korean Car Maker Announces 2 Billion Investment on Self-Driving Technology

Kia is not looking to appeal to one group of people. They want to tackle their entire clientele as a whole. The company’s goal is to bring drivers a better quality of life by giving them a smart way to stay safe on the roads. This is unlike Mercedes-Benz and Google. Mercedes-Benz is looking to appeal to the kind of buyers that also want luxury, and Google is planning to change the way public transportation works.

The car maker will be testing their 100% self-driving car in Nevada soon. The prototype is based on the Kia Sol electric vehicle and will be joined by the Kia Novo. This concept model will feature self-driving and even in-vehicle payments. Kia is planning to implement a new kind of smart-button security that only needs a fingerprint for the car to start. The scanned footprint will also pull up the driver’s customized infotainment system and all their other preferences.

This is Only a Long Term Plan

These fancy features won’t be available for another decade or two, but it’s clear already that self-driving will be the next big thing in the car making industry. Tesla, Audi and Mercedez-Benz are no longer the only ones in the game. As companies like Kia get into the self-driving industry, the technology will be available to a wider range of people. The combination of luxury and technology is accessible to many, but the price tag also matters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6fX2fCK264

2016 will be a year filled with these kinds of announcements. A fully self-driving car is no longer a far off dream. For the sake of safety, innovation and accessibility, the technology will become a part of daily life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WDfQbrIf_E

Kia Tackles Self-Driving to Go Against Google and Mercedes-Benz

This System Gives Eyes to the Google - Ford Self-Driving Car - http://clapway.com/2015/12/23/this-system-gives-eyes-to-the-google-and-ford-self-driving-car-123/

Self-driving systems are all the hype for Google and Silicon Valley right now, and two research studies have revealed how to make a car aware of where it is and what is around it. The studies, out of the University of Cambridge, could bring us closer to building an algorithm that would allow the car to become aware of what it should do based on its location and surroundings.

Using a GPS Would Be Unreliable for a Self-Driving Car

These studies tried to eliminate the use for a GPS. Often times, it’s slow, inaccurate and it can come to a point where it is just out of range. The study devises a system that uses computer vision to supply autonomous cars with their location and show them their surroundings. It uses a single color image so the computer is able to determine where it is exactly. This would be more accurate than any existing GPS. The system would use geometry to determine on which side of a road or a building the car is in.

SegNet Introduces a Car to its Surroundings

The second study discusses a new system called SegNet, and it answers the question to what is around the car. The algorithm analyzes the images of a scene if has never seen before. It color codes objects to identify them as roads, street signs, buildings, pedestrians, cyclists and all other road components. What’s more, it doesn’t use pricey equipment like LIDAR or radar to get its fix, and it can use any image from a smartphone or camera in real-time.

Google’s Self-Driving Car Could Use SegNet

SegNet was taught to recognize these objects by the team at the University of Cambridge by labeling every pixel in 5,000 pictures. Each image took around 30 minutes for SegNet to process. Afterward, the system was taught to identify objects in a controlled environment before going out to the real world. This is akin to learning by repetition, which is something we commonly experience as humans. Except SegNet went through this process a few thousand times.

SegNet is Available Online

The second system is already live on the net for those who are curious about it. They can upload their own pictures and watch computer vision in action. There’s no telling if car makers will actually want to implement this kind of system onto their vehicles, but this could be seriously handy. While not as expensive or sophisticated as other systems currently in development, it is functional. One day, we could see a system like this on the Google self-driving car, which is arduously being taught about its surroundings.

Facebook is Another Company that Could Get Its Hands on this System

A likely investor in a project like this is Facebook. It has made a hefty investment in enabling its platform to be used by the blind, and something like SegNet, while unrelated to automobiles or self-driving cars, could be a great tool. Computer vision is still taking baby steps into the world of modern technology, but it will likely be well received.

Silicon Valley Could Use Computer Vision

There are many companies in Silicon Valley, big and small, that are probably developing their own computer vision systems. Nevertheless, an established system like this has a lot of promise. Whether or not it can work as a base for other more advanced forms of computer vision, it can be a great stepping stone.

It could also be a great tool for up and coming developers that want to see algorithms work in real time. There’s a long way to go before this kind of system reaches the heights of a Google self-driving car or even a Ford or Volvo one, but it’s on a great track. The team behind these systems will likely release more studies with more detailed and advanced algorithms. Until then, it’s still a pretty good day for self-driving systems.

Read: Tesla Motors is the very Next in Line after SpaceX

This System Gives Eyes to the Google - Ford Self-Driving Car

Tech giant #Google may have plans to ramp up production of #self-driving cars, hinting that they could be preparing towards #massproduction. - http://clapway.com/2015/09/13/google-mass-produce-self-driving-cars-101/

Google recently announced that it was going to be bringing its small fleet of self-driving cars out of California for the first time and bring them all the way to Austin, Texas this week. That’s great! What’s even better? Google revealed a bit more about their plans to ramp up production on its self-driving cars, possibly hinting that the tech giant could be gearing up towards mass production.

GOOGLE’S PREVIOUS STANCE ON SELF-DRIVING CARS

Last year Google said that it was going to produce 100 self-driving vehicles by the end of 2015. However, Sarah Hunter, head of policy for GoogleX, recently spoke at the California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday and seemed to have different plans.

SEE ALSO: GOOGLE HAS SELF-DRIVING CARS THAT TAKE OVER AUSTIN’S ROADS

“We’re … making a few hundred of them. We’re making them to enable our team to learn how to actually build a self-driving vehicle from the ground up.”

The Guardian reported last month that Google set up Google Auto, which is where the company has been manufacturing true self-driving cars. Not cars with self-driving technology attached to them, but these are vehicles with no steering wheels, pedals, or any other way for a driver to manipulate the vehicle. Previously, Google had no intentions of making these vehicles available to the public, but Hunter has admitted that the company is now considering selling these self-driving cars to the public.

GOOGLE AUTO’S SELF-DRIVING CARS

Google’s almost self-sufficient self-driving cars are all electric.

“A model where we manufacture cars for sale will require the same sort of electric vehicle charging that exists today,” said Hunter during the conference. “Our prototype vehicles are fully electric. That’s not to say the eventual vehicle we mass manufacture won’t be a hybrid.”

Unfortunately, even with the help of Google’s manufacturing partner, engineering firm Roush, mass production would require a larger facility than the one they’re currently operating in, and probably still has a few years to go.

During the conference, Hunter detailed a little bit about how the self-driving car works. According to Hunter, the vehicle will be largely voice operated, but the driver will have a few ways to control the vehicle. There are buttons in place that will cause the vehicle to slow down, to go, and to “stop pretty quickly.” Hunter said that all they want to the driver to do is get in the vehicle and tell it where to go.

OVERCOMING A FEW OBSTACLES

Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, Google is still trying to figure out how the vehicle will genuinely operate itself. That is part of the reason why Google is bringing its self-driving cars to Austin. Hunter says that once they figure out how to get the vehicle to behave how they want it, then they’ll take a look at how exactly they want to bring the self-driving car to the market and when.

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SPEAKING OF AUTOMATION, CHECK OUT MUSIO

https://youtu.be/MTuL0nLmBw8

Google May Be Ready to Mass Produce Self-Driving Cars