Hollywood heavyweights are at war with a bike lane, though the movie industry isn’t anti-cyclist, only at the color the path has been painted. The lane – which runs a 12-block length of Historic Core, California – was painted lurid green less than two years ago, The Hollywood Reporter writes, in the process allegedly ruining
Mercedes aims to have its cars talking with each other and warning drivers of potential hazards ahead by the end of the year, with the company the first to deliver Car-to-X wireless to its range. Described as giving drivers the ability to “see around corners”, Car-to-X allows vehicles to send out localized warnings and notifications
Tesla has announced a partial recall of the Model S electric car, after the discovery of a shortcoming in how the rear seats are fixed to the EV’s body. The issue – which Tesla is at pains to point out has not actually resulted in any reported problems or injuries – could leave the left-hand
On June 4, Chrysler caught public attention by refusing to recall 2.7 million Jeep Grand Cherokees and Jeep Libertys after the NHTSA requested the auto maker issue a recall over potential fires in rear-end collisions. Chrysler refused, stating that the NHTSA’s conclusions were “based on an incomplete analysis” of the information. The manufacturer was given
Ford plans to restore buttons and knobs to its high-tech dashboards, after drivers complained that touchscreen-centric infotainment systems made common tasks like adjusting volume demand too much attention. The car company still maintains that its SYNC and MyFord Touch systems, which see increasingly large LCD displays take center-stage in the dashboard, are popular among drivers,
More and more vehicles are coming equipped with emergency braking systems that can stop a car before it hits something. And as CCP realized, the same technology could be just as useful with a remote control toy. After all, you’re putting an untrained, unlicensed kid in control of a small car that can seriously bang up your home’s walls and furniture.
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Clean water can be hard to come by, especially when you’re in the great outdoors or traveling in areas that don’t have sufficient facilities. While you might come by a water source, the water is probably unsafe for drinking and might contain contaminants or pollutants that might make you sick.
Small, portable water filtration systems are already available, but Vapur goes one step further by including an actual water bottle with their system.
Vapur already manufactures a line of foldable and collapsible water bottles that are widely used by travelers and those who want a convenient way to store and transport water.
Vapur calls their portable water purification system MicroFilter. It’s packaged and sold with the 1-L Eclipse Anti-Bottle, and both weigh just 2.7 oz (77 g) when empty. The 0.2-micron filter can remove 99.9999 percent of waterborne bacteria and 99.9 percent of protozoa, although it can’t remove viruses like most other filters.
Vapur’s new portable filtration system has received recognition from publications like Outside and National Geographic. The MicroFilter system was launched this week and can be purchased for $69.99(USD).
[via Gizmag]
Motorists refusing to give up texting while driving could force more draconian in-car technology that could block all but basic voice functionality, US vehicle safety regulators have warned, after concerns that in-car distractions aren’t being taken seriously. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) laid out its goals for cutting the amount of time drivers
When you walk your pet at night, it’s safe to say that it’s pretty easy to lose track of it, especially when it’s black (like mine). That’s one of the reasons why I really like these superbright LED collars. It ensures that your pet is clearly visible and you won’t lose it.
From the guys behind the HALO belt and HALO messenger bag, the HALO MINI is a quality illuminated pet collar that uses HALO’s patented illumination process. It’s designed to last for a long time and stands out in bright neon colors. The collar is supposed to be made out of higher quality materials than others currently on the market as well.
The project was launched through Kickstarter, and will be raising funds until July 26. It’s already surpassed its fundraising goal, so will definitely be going into production. You’ll have to pledge at least $29(USD) to get yours.
Owners of self-driving cars may have to undergo extra testing in order to “upgrade” their license to handle the next-gen vehicles, the NHTSA has suggested. Tentative enthusiasm for self-driving cars by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration comes with the possibility of more stringent drivers license testing, with the new challenges of safely interacting with autopilot systems deemed sufficiently novel that the existing test would be insufficient.
Advocates of self-driving technology, such as is being tested by Google among others, welcomed the NHTSA’s new public stance on automated vehicles, announced this week. The government agency set out five levels of potential autonomy, ranging from fully manually operated cars as are on the road today, dubbed “Level 0″, through to models that can handle the entire trip with no more human interaction than setting the required destination.
Such “Level 4″ vehicles aren’t yet in testing, the NHTSA points out, with cars like Google’s test fleet falling into “Level 3″ where a driver might be called upon to take over should the autopilot deem itself insufficiently capable to handle the current road conditions.
It’s that potential to be summoned back into the driver’s seat that has the NHTSA concerned, however, with suggestions that while the technological aspect of such cars is being heavily researched, the human factors are still poorly understood. That could include how a human driver monitors the performance of the autopilot, so as to ensure any problems are quickly spotted, and the transition between self-driving and regular modes.
The NHTSA has begun the evaluation process to address these questions and more, which is expected to be completed – in its first phase, at least – within the next two years. “One of the main end products of this initial research program would be recommendations for what requirements are needed for the driver-vehicle interface,” the NHTSA says, “to allow safe operation and transition between automated and non-automated vehicle operation.”
However, the agency is already making one recommendation, which is that drivers in the few states where self-driving cars are already permitted for real-world testing should add in an extra endorsement – if not an entirely separate license – to authorize them to get behind the semi-autonomous wheel. That testing process should include a minimum number of hours in a self-driving car, as well as having received instruction from the vehicle’s manufacturer as to how it works and how to safely operate it.
“The training course should be submitted to the state agency that issues driving licenses for approval prior to the taking of that course by any person seeking a driver’s license endorsement certification. The course should include providing an understanding of the basic operation and limits of self-driving vehicles, and knowledge of how to resume control of such a vehicle in the event that it cannot continue to operate automatically” NHTSA
The suggestions in the Agency’s policy document are all voluntary at this stage, and it’s early days for any actual laws – or even proposed laws – to emerge. Nonetheless, it looks likely that as we wait for “Level 4″ cars to arrive, there’ll be some extra requirement on top of current licensing procedures for drivers to undertake, given the new and unusual ways that self-driving cars will interact with those behind the wheel.
VIA: WSJ
Self-driving cars might demand new license tests for drivers is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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