Important Innovations

  DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF                                                                                                          By Journalists Edward Kane & Maryanne Kane AUDI'S TOUGH & BEAUTIFUL ACTIVESPHERE                                                                 Source:  Audi Activesphere Audi has unveiled its Activesphere car concept & it's a show stopper that could radically change off-roading It's a rugged, off-roading SUV with elegant, good looks, adding up to a new concept that's both tough and beautiful Big with lots of body protection, particularly with the front skid plate & side skirts to guard it from off-roading damage Body is sweepingly aerodynamic with extra height on 34" wheels Designed to be mostly autonomous with the option for a driver to take the wheel Interior can be transformed to accommodate an active driver with the dashboard rising from the floor & the steering wheel emerging from underneath Interior can also b

  Activesphere - Audi's Most Versatile Concept                                              Source:  Audi Activesphere Made For Those on the Move Audi has debuted its 4th and final electric concept sphere car, Activesphere, that is designed for people who love the outdoors and have a very active lifestyle.  Here are some key facts on the EV concept: All-in-one electric luxury sedan, pickup truck and off-roading EV that is Audi's most versatile concept Body of a coupe but with big, 22" wheels for significant ground clearance for off-roading EV can convert into a pickup truck as the back can become an open cargo bed 4-door crossover with a new powertrain that is designed to drive on and off-road Sits on the Premium Platform Electric powertrain or PPE that Audi is developing with fellow VW automaker Porsche, that will be deployed in 2023 Dual electric motors, 100 kWh battery, 436 hp and 531 lb-ft of torque with 372 mile range on a charge Autonomous driving as well as steering

  Fascinating New, Self-Driving, All Electric Car                                                  Source: Volkswagen VW's Gen Travel - A Tech Showcase on Wheels Volkswagen has developed a remarkable, new, Level 5 autonomous, electric travel pod that's futuristic, wild and very cool.  Called the Gen Travel, the self-driving, all electric, pod-like vehicle is an innovative design study which VW has already produced as a prototype.  It can carry 4 passengers and the interior can be customized for the nature of each trip. For example, it can be equipped with a conference table for businesspeople to work on.  Or it can be outfitted as an entertainment center on wheels with augmented reality.  And, for those just off a red-eye flight, it offers dynamic, restful lighting and reconfigurable seats that can help induce a snooze.  The cabin is bubble-like glass designed to promote autonomous relaxation as you're driven along the road.  With its gullwing doors for easy entrance and ex

  AI System That Real-Time Forecasts Motion Around the Car                                                                                                                                                                           Source: MIT M21 Appears to be Most Accurate Autonomous Driving System  The next big thing in the automotive world is likely to be the spreading use of autonomous cars and trucks.  On the streets of Beijing, Chinese tech/AI company Baidu and California based autonomous car company Pony.AI have become the first robotaxi service in China to operate without backup human drivers. In the US, Alphabet's Waymo and GM's Cruise are also operating without human drivers in San Francisco and Arizona. The key to safety is the car's ability to predict the next movements of vehicles and people simultaneously around the vehicle.  Researchers at MIT may have a breakthrough system.  They have developed a new machine-learning system called M21 that helps driverless car

  AI System That Real-Time Forecasts Motion Around the Car                                                                                                                                                                           Source: MIT M21 Appears to be Most Accurate Autonomous Driving System  The next big thing in the automotive world is likely to be the spreading use of autonomous cars and trucks.  On the streets of Beijing, Chinese tech/AI company Baidu and California based autonomous car company Pony.AI have become the first robotaxi service in China to operate without backup human drivers. In the US, Alphabet's Waymo and GM's Cruise are also operating without human drivers in San Francisco and Arizona. The key to safety is the car's ability to predict the next movements of vehicles and people simultaneously around the vehicle.  Researchers at MIT may have a breakthrough system.  They have developed a new machine-learning system called M21 that helps driverless car

  Lifestyle on Autonomous Wheels                                                       Source:  LG Fascinating Future of Travel South Korea based electronics giant LG unveiled one of the most fascinating and avant-garde travel vehicle concepts at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022 in Las Vegas.  Called the Vision OMNIPOD, the concept offers an intriguing perspective on the future of travel.  It's an autonomous travel vehicle designed for entertainment and lifestyle and showcases the most advanced technologies.  The modular vehicle  contains modular household appliances that can be put into use as you drive along autonomously. Uniquely, it contains a digital avatar called Reah that serves as your artificial intelligence (AI) guide and  personal assistant as you travel. Reah can also respond to various cabin themes from gaming to working.  LG calls Vision OMNIPOD a mobile, futuristic cabin concept that can reconstruct the customer's space for specific needs. Rolling Showcas

  Sony Unveils Electric SUV Concept Source:  Sony Vehicles Loaded with AI and Robotics Global electronics giant Sony is going into electric vehicles in a very big way.  It just announced that it is forming a new, Mobility Unit that will specialize in developing electric cars.  And, it just unveiled a prototype electric SUV, the Vision-S 02 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022 in Las Vegas.   This is Sony's second EV.  It joins Sony's electric Vision-S 01 sedan concept car that debuted in 2021.  These vehicles are state-of-the-art and loaded with highly advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. Very Advanced Sensor Technology for Safety Sony says it will utilize the best in AI and robotics in its electric vehicles.  Sony says safety is the top priority.  The Vision-S 02 has 40 sensors inside and on the outside of the car including "high sensitivity, high resolution, wide dynamic range CMOS image sensors and Lidar sensors that accurately sense 3-D space.&quo

  LIDAR Standard Equipment in Electric XC90 SUV in 2022                              Source:  Volvo & Luminar Technologies                    Volvo's Long Standing Commitment to Life Saving Technologies Sweden based Volvo, now owned by China's Geeley, has a long history of being the first with life saving automotive technologies.  It was the first automaker to make side impact airbags standard equipment.  It was also the first to make 3 point seatbelts standard.  Now, it is the first to make LIDAR sensors standard, no extra cost equipment, starting with its next generation electric XC90 SUV in 2022.  This is a major commitment by Volvo to automated and autonomous driving.  LIDAR uses laser light pulses to provide precise images of the environment surrounding the car to avoid obstacles, pedestrians, other vehicles and potential collisions. The LIDAR is embedded into the roofline of the vehicle as seen in the above image. Strategic Safe Driving Decision The decision to includ

  Project Dojo                                             Source:  Tesla World's 5th Most Powerful Supercomputer  Many automotive experts consider Tesla to be the global leader in autonomous driving. Tesla is now using the world's 5th most powerful supercomputer to help train its vehicles to drive autonomously.  The AI supercomputer system is called Dojo.  Right now, humans and computers at Tesla are training its self driving neural network and Dojo is crunching the driving data that Tesla is getting from its network of customers on the road.  Dojo is automating the process.  Tesla plans to replace the radar, LIDAR sensors and camera combination it has used to navigate its self-driving vehicles with a vision-only system using cameras and Dojo hosting a neural network.  CEO Elon Musk says vision is more precise and far faster than radar and LIDAR. Tech Specs Dojo is impressive.  It has 5,760 GPUs delivering 1.8 EFLOPS, 10 Petabytes of "hot tier" NVME storage and 640 t

  Project Dojo                                             Source:  Tesla World's 5th Most Powerful Supercomputer  Many automotive experts consider Tesla to be the global leader in autonomous driving. Tesla is now using the world's 5th most powerful supercomputer to help train its vehicles to drive autonomously.  The AI supercomputer system is called Dojo.  Right now, humans and computers at Tesla are training its self driving neural network and Dojo is crunching the driving data that Tesla is getting from its network of customers on the road.  Dojo is automating the process.  Tesla plans to replace the radar, LIDAR sensors and camera combination it has used to navigate its self-driving vehicles with a vision-only system using cameras and Dojo hosting a neural network.  CEO Elon Musk says vision is more precise and far faster than radar and LIDAR. Tech Specs Dojo is impressive.  It has 5,760 GPUs delivering 1.8 EFLOPS, 10 Petabytes of "hot tier" NVME storage and 640 t

Hyundai Completes Acquisition of Leading Robot Developer Boston Dynamics                                Source:  Hyundai & Boston Dynamics Synergies of Robotics and Automakers Hyundai Motor Group has completed its acquisition of Boston Dynamics, a world leader in developing agile, mobile robots such as Spot the robodog.  Boston Dynamics was valued at $1.1 billion with Hyundai having an 80% stake and SoftBank owning 20%.  The question is why would a global automaker buy a robotics company?  The answer:  Hyundai is going into robotics in multidimensional ways, including autonomous cars, urban air mobility vehicles and robots. Robotic Value Chain Hyundai says that it and Boston Dynamics will create a robotic value chain for everything from robot component manufacturing to smart logistics solutions.  Hyundai already has significant internal robotic expertise including factory automation, wearable exoskeletons to protect and strengthen workers and a service robot that performs hotel dut

Hyundai Completes Acquisition of Leading Robot Developer Boston Dynamics                                Source:  Hyundai & Boston Dynamics Synergies of Robotics and Automakers Hyundai Motor Group has completed its acquisition of Boston Dynamics, a world leader in developing agile, mobile robots such as Spot the robodog.  Boston Dynamics was valued at $1.1 billion with Hyundai having an 80% stake and SoftBank owning 20%.  The question is why would a global automaker buy a robotics company?  The answer:  Hyundai is going into robotics in multidimensional ways, including autonomous cars, urban air mobility vehicles and robots. Robotic Value Chain Hyundai says that it and Boston Dynamics will create a robotic value chain for everything from robot component manufacturing to smart logistics solutions.  Hyundai already has significant internal robotic expertise including factory automation, wearable exoskeletons to protect and strengthen workers and a service robot that performs hotel dut

  Purchase is About Technology for Autonomous Cars                                             Source:  Boston Dynamics $1.1 Billion Deal South Korean automaker Hyundai has purchased from Japan's Softbank the majority stake in robotics company Boston Dynamics for $1.1 billion.  Boston Dynamics is a cutting edge robotics firm and world famous for its robot dog Spot.  Hyundai is making the purchase to advance its autonomous technology for self-driving cars. Multi-tasking Spot Spot is a highly advanced, semi-autonomous, 4 legged robot that works around the world in many capacities.  It is on duty in many hospitals to help minimize medical staff exposure to COVID.  Spot works on construction sites, factory floors, on oil rigs and can even serve as a personal companion that opens the door or a bottle of coke.  Now, its robotic technology will empower autonomous vehicles.  Experts say Spot's robotic technology may also enable the smart factories of the future and innovative, new tech

China's Geely Auto Group Building Network of SATs for Self-Driving Cars Source:  Satellite in space image Your Car in Contact with Space Chinese automaker Geely has a space-based plan for "steering"autonomous cars.  It is in the process of building its own network of satellites to provide advanced geolocation and connected vehicle functions for self-driving cars. This is a first in China and Geely's satellites will be solely used to support its autonomous driving vehicles.  It's a very innovative concept to use satellites to track, communicate with and help guide self-driving cars. Global Operations Geely is a huge automotive player.  It owns Sweden-based Volvo cars, US flying car startup Terrafugia, Malaysia's Proton and has a $9 billion stake in Daimler, the owner of Mercedes Benz. Geely hopes to share and benefit from Daimler automotive technology.  Geely is currently integrating Volvo with Geely operations, which will create a huge,

Added Layer of Safety Stanford University scientists have just developed an artificial intelligence camera that could be used to help robot cars avoid obstacles and better navigate the roads. Image Recognition System The image recognition technology underlying this breakthrough relies on artificial intelligence.  The computers teach themselves to recognize objects like a pedestrian crossing the street, a dog running across a road and stopped cars. Stanford System "Lightning Fast" The problem has been the computers currently running AI algorithms are too big and slow for applications like the rapid decision making needed for autonomous cars or hand-held medical devices.  The Stanford team combined 2 types of computers to create a faster and less energy intensive image process.  They say it works lightning fast and circumvents millions of calculations. Next Steps The system has been successfully tested by simulation and in the real world.  It accurately identifies

Autonomous in the Driver's Seat Waymo is the Google self-driving car project that's now a division of Google's parent Alphabet. It's seems to be leaving other autonomous car makers far behind.  You might say, it's in the driver's seat - along with its combo of laser-radars, sensors and software. A ride-hailing program is expected to be launched later this year. Road Warrior The Waymo vehicles have done 8 million miles in autonomous driving, including 25,000 miles a day on city streets.  The vehicles have 360 degree sensors, radar and software that's designed to detect people, cyclists, vehicles, road work and obstructions up to 3 football fields away.  The cars are taught on 8 million miles of real-world traffic and they're about to be commercialized. Waymo Updates Waymo just cut a pilot project with Walmart.  In the Phoenix area, you can place a Walmart order at a discount and pick it up and take it home in your Waymo driverless car.  They hav