Autonomous Vehicles News & Discussions

[andmar74]

George Hotz: Self-Driving Cars & the Future of AI (Ep. 398)

[caltrek]

Kodiak Robotics' Founder Says Tight Focus on Autonomous Trucks is Working
by Rebecca Bellan
July 30, 2021

https://techcrunch.com/2021/07/30/kodia ... s-working/

Introduction:

(TechCrunch) Kodiak Robotics is one of the last private autonomous vehicles companies focused on trucking that is still standing. Nearly all the rest have been wooed by the public marketplace and the capital it can provide. But co-founder and CEO Don Burnette says the three-year-old company’s strategy of staying focused and small(er) is paying off.

It will be able to deploy a commercial-scale operation for about $500 million in funding, he says in the interview below. To put those go-to-market costs in perspective, that’s 10% of what Waymo has raised in external fundraising and less than 25% of newly publicly traded company TuSimple’s total fundraise.

Kodiak’s strategy is to take a specialized, hyperfocused approach to autonomous trucking that outsources a lot of tech, like data labeling, lidar, radar and mapping, to existing companies. Burnette, who was one of four founders of the self-driving truck startup Otto that Uber acquired, thinks this is a faster, cheaper and more efficient path to commercialization versus building out your own systems and teams.

The company is moving freight for commercial customers, dipping its toes in the market by working with technology partners within the existing ecosystem. Burnette says Kodiak’s Driver technology has achieved a level of maturity where it can handle anything the highway throws at it. In December, the startup achieved “disengagement-free deliveries” between Dallas and Houston, meaning the autonomous system didn’t have to be switched off for safety reasons.

The following interview, part of an ongoing series with founders who are building transportation companies, has been edited for length and clarity. (See link above quote box for the interview)

[erowind]

I voted only after agi. But my real prediction is in the 2050-2070 range. I think it’s possible without agi, just much more difficult than originally hyped.

[andmar74]

Tesla car with FSD 9.1 running the red light (consistently).



FSDBeta 9.1 - 2021.4.18.13 - First Impressions Memorial Park Drive for Comparison to Previous v9.

[andmar74]

I have a suspicion that Tesla has gone all in on visual too early, but maybe it's the best option currently. They have a long road ahead.

[andmar74]

AGI needed for FSD?



Tesla’s unique approach to solving for real world AI (Ep. 399)

[andmar74]

Dirty Tesla, one of the best Beta testers. Doesn't seem to be an improvement from V9 to V9.1



"Human Pilot Almost Runs Into Me While Testing Tesla FSD Beta Update V9.1! 2021.4.18.13"

[caltrek]

Audi’s New Autonomous Concept Car is Also Sort of a Transformer
by Andrew J. Hawkins
August 12, 2021

https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/12/2262 ... ransformer

Introduction:

(The Verge) Audi released details of a new concept car this week called the Skysphere, a self-driving roadster that can change shape at the touch of a button.

The sleek, villainous-looking convertible pairs an electric powertrain with luxury amenities for a result that even Batman would find a bit over the top. Notably, the vehicle features an adaptable wheelbase that can change size based on the driving mode, as well as a digital cockpit with a retractable steering wheel and pedals that stow away when the car drives itself.

It’s a more fantastical outlook on the future than some of the German automaker’s other recent concepts. But that doesn’t mean it’s any less achievable; at the unveiling event, Audi officials said the Skysphere represents what the company believes it can achieve, likely in the second half of this decade, as it pivots to electric and autonomous vehicles.

The Skysphere is expected to have a range of 500km (310 miles), can accelerate 0 to 60mph in under four seconds, and offers about 553 pound-feet of torque. That all sounds fairly normal for a concept car with a hood that splits into two panels and opens like an elevator.

Certainly the most jaw-dropping feature is the expandable wheelbase, in which the vehicle extends an extra 10 millimeters when switching between Sports mode (4.94 meters long) and Grand Touring mode (5.19 meters). That may not seem like a lot, but it’s enough to justify

[andmar74]

New video from Dirty Tesla. Now he says V9.1 is better than V9. Obviously he is more familiar with it now.
Still the same strange behavior as for V8, the AI wants to crash the car into a wall in a parking lot. Even if the software is not ready for underground parking lots, one would think it could understand it can't drive into a wall.

[andmar74]

FSD V9.2 Just released. Signifikant improvements.



FSDBeta v9.2 First Impressions and Release Notes

[andmar74]

Tesla is not just a car company, if anyone was in doubt.

[Yuli Ban]

This Autonomous Solar-Powered Aircraft Will Fly for 90 Days Straight

Five years ago, a plane called Solar Impulse 2 flew around the world without using any liquid fuel. As you might guess from the name, the plane was solar-powered. It wasn’t the fastest—it took almost a year and a half to circumnavigate the globe, traveling 26,718 miles and stopping in 17 different cities. But it was a meaningful proof of concept, and a technological feat.

Now Solar Impulse 2 has a successor, with equally ambitious plans on the horizon. Skydweller, as the new plane has been appropriately dubbed, relies on the same basic technology as Solar Impulse 2, but will be autonomous and able to fly continuously for up to 90 days. And by autonomous, I mean there won’t even be an option to have a pilot sit in the cockpit and direct the plane, because there is no cockpit.

That frees up extra space that can be used for other purposes, though. Skydweller will be able to carry payloads of up to 800 pounds—and they’ll most likely consist of radar and camera equipment, as the US Navy is funding a demo of the aircraft as a surveillance tool for monitoring the whereabouts of ships.

I remember Solar Impulse 2. That was 5 years ago?!

[weatheriscool]

Baidu Pushing to Expand Robotaxi to 30 Chinese cities by 2023-2024
August 19, 2021 by Brian Wang

https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2021/08/b ... -2024.html
Baidu plans to expand its robotaxi ride-hailing services across 30 cities in China in two to three years to serve a wider range of users. Robin Li, founder of Baidu, said at the 2021 ABC Summit.

Currently, there are about 500 test vehicles in the Baidu Apollo self driving program and they are the first Chinese company to surpass 10 million miles of self-driving data.

Baidu has been deploying autonomous driving solutions since 2013.

[Yuli Ban]

[andmar74]

Musk says further down: FSD Beta 9.3 much improved. It's ridiculous.

[weatheriscool]

US probing Autopilot problems on 765,000 Tesla vehicles
Source: AP

By TOM KRISHER

DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government has opened a formal investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot partially automated driving system after a series of collisions with parked emergency vehicles.

The investigation covers 765,000 vehicles, almost everything that Tesla has sold in the U.S. since the start of the 2014 model year. Of the crashes identified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as part of the probe, 17 people were injured and one was killed.

NHTSA says it has identified 11 crashes since 2018 in which Teslas on Autopilot or Traffic Aware Cruise Control have hit vehicles at scenes where first responders have used flashing lights, flares, an illuminated arrow board or cones warning of hazards. The agency announced the action Monday in a posting on its website.

The probe is another sign that NHTSA under President Joe Biden is taking a tougher stance on on automated vehicle safety than under previous administrations. Previously the agency was reluctant to regulate the new technology for fear of hampering adoption of the potentially life-saving systems.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/technology-b ... 43d3a1c66c

[andmar74]

I'm a bit worried about the public opt in request button coming soon.

[Yuli Ban]

[Yuli Ban]

[andmar74]

FSDBeta v10 Unprotected Left Turns

Possibly better than V9, but there are some dangerous situations. It could be a big mistake to expand the FSD beta program to more drivers.