Highway Code updated to cover driverless vehicles
The Department for Transport has announced details of updates to the Highway Code which will allow people to watch videos on the in-built screen, but not use their mobile phones. Use of self-driving technology is likely to be approved at slow speeds with the proviso the driver is ready to take back control. The Government […]
PhD student’s communications breakthrough “could speed up driverless introduction”
A Scottish postgraduate engineer has apparently made a discovery that could make it easier for driverless vehicles to communicate in cities. The Scotsman newspaper reports PhD student Euan Ward has developed an algorithm that could transform the capability of driverless cars, through the addition of radar technology that is protected from radio frequency interference. It […]
Tesla “most trusted” by Americans to deliver driverless vehicles
A new survey suggests Tesla is rated the most trusted by consumers to deliver a driverless vehicle in the future. Automotive consultancy Auto Pacific’s research has found that, of those questioned, 32% of consumers rated Tesla most trusted, something it attributes to the “buzz” surrounding the carmaker’s driver assistance tech in which current Tesla owners […]
National Highways setting out new system for connected and autonomous plant at Futureworx event
National Highways will be unveiling a new industry-wide scoring system for Connected and Autonomous Plant (CAP) to construction bosses at the Futureworx event next week. Visitors to the industry event will be given the first look at the new CAP levels which will score machinery according to its level of automation. This standardised measure, the […]
British people “don’t trust driverless cars to keep them safe”
A new survey suggests the majority of British drivers wouldn’t trust an autonomous vehicle to keep them safe. Research by insurance comparison site Go Compare found that 77% of motorists surveyed wouldn’t trust a self-driving car to keep themselves or their families safe on the road, while two-thirds said they don’t believe autonomous vehicles will […]
Driverless shuttles introduced at Birmingham Airport
A self-driving shuttle is being introduced on roads around Birmingham Airport, transporting passengers and testing how Connected Autonomous Vehicles might be integrated into the area’s transport network in the future. Last year, Solihull Council became the first local authority in the country to purchase its own fully electric autonomous shuttle using a grant from the […]
GM buys back $2 billion stake in driverless subsidiary Cruise
General Motors has bought out SoftBank’s $2.1 billion (£1.6 million) stake in its self driving car startup Cruise. Bloomberg says this means GM now holds 80% ownership, and intends to invest another $1.35 billion in Cruise, which makes up for the amount that SoftBank had planned to invest once Cruise deploys vehicles in a ride-sharing […]
Driverless vehicles going on sale in America – for farming
The tractor maker John Deere has announced its autonomous 8R Tractor for large-scale production will go on sale later this year. The 8R tractor uses what the company calls “StarFire” GPS guidance system, and new advanced technologies to “help farmers grow more for a growing planet”. The tractor has six pairs of stereo cameras, which […]
Driverless car sensors can be tricked
Researchers in America have demonstrated an “attack strategy” that can fool industry-standard autonomous vehicle sensors into believing nearby objects are closer or more distant than they appear – without being detected. Cosmos Magazine reports that the research at Duke University suggests that in order to fully protect driverless cars from attacks, it may be necessary […]
Driverless cars in America to no longer need steering wheels
Driverless vehicles in America won’t need to have have pedals or steering wheel to meet safety standards in the future. The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued new regulation which it says is a “first-of-its-kind final rule” that ensures safety of occupants in automated vehicles. This rule updates the occupant […]