. | . |
Uber resumes testing for autonomous cars in 'manual mode' by Staff Writers San Francisco (AFP) July 24, 2018 Uber said Tuesday it was taking the first step toward restarting its autonomous ridesharing program, putting its self-driving cars back on the road in "manual mode," with a driver at the wheel at all times. The ridesharing giant said its specially equipped vehicles would be back in service for the first time since it suspended tests following a fatal accident in Arizona. "We're starting with cars in manual mode, with a mission specialist sitting behind the wheel and manually controlling the vehicle at all times," Uber said in a statement announcing the new testing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "While we are eager to resume testing of our self-driving system, we see manual driving as an important first step in piloting these safeguards." The testing will enable Uber to gather data on different scenarios that will be recreated in computer simulations, and also develop more accurate mapping for the vehicles. Uber suspended its autonomous driving testing in several locations in the United States after the March accident in Arizona that killed a pedestrian. The National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report in May that the car's sensors detected the pedestrian six seconds ahead of the crash but failed to activate emergency braking. The NTSB said Uber's engineers had disabled an automatic emergency braking system "to reduce the potential for erratic vehicle behavior." The pedestrian was dressed in dark clothing and was pushing a bicycle that had no side reflectors when she crossed a unlighted section of roadway. Uber said that in the new tests in Pittsburgh, the self-driving vehicles will have a driver-monitoring system "to help ensure mission specialists are remaining attentive behind the wheel." The system will send an audible alert if it detects driver inattention. Uber said its automated collision avoidance systems will remain enabled during manual driving -- activating emergency braking when it detects a potential accident.
EU says VW repairs most cars with cheating devices Brussels (AFP) July 16, 2018 German auto giant Volkswagen has fixed millions of cars found with emissions cheating software since a 2015 scandal, but must do more to satisfy consumers, the EU said Monday. "Volkswagen has largely fulfilled the action plan they promised, EU consumer affairs commissioner Vera Jourova said. However, she said the firm's attitude to European car owners was one of "think small," borrowing a slogan from the automaker in 1959 to draw consumers to smaller cars. In the United States, Volkswagen a ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |