Important Innovations

Controlling Your Dashboard - New Big Tech War Source:  GM Embedding Google Tech in 3.6 Million Cars Yearly GM has selected Google Technology to be embedded in their vehicles starting in 2021.  The win for Google is huge.  Their tech could be installed in 3.6 million GM vehicles yearly.  The Google technology will power navigation and provide voice-activated controls.  It will also deliver expanded infotainment functions.  Google beat Amazon for this deal which is part of a big, emerging race among technology companies to control vehicle dashboards. Google Apps Onboard GM Vehicles Google Assistant, Google Maps and other applications will be available through the Google Play App Store for all GM brands.  The first brands with built-in Google technology will roll in 2021 with more to come.  The one market this won't be available in is China, as of right now. Amazon Versus Google This Google win was a big defeat for Amazon which is trying to sell its rival

Heads-Up Car Navigation Display Your Eyes on the Road - New Tech VIZR and the smartphone are combined as an advanced new display for car navigation.  The goal is to keep drivers focused on the road while seeing navigation tools they need like GPS and city streets right up on the dashboard of the vehicle.  For a great news blog on this, go to Important Innovations Collection: Navigation Display on Car Dashboard : VIZR & Smartphone Advanced Display Source: VIZR Heads-Up Display Gadget VIZR is an advanced navigation display that grips to ...

Tracks Up to 12 Miles Source:  KAUST Potential for Personal Security, Health, Drones, Self-Driving Cars A tiny, low cost radar developed by an international team of scientists offers better navigation.  Developers in Saudi Arabia and Finland say it could serve as an avoidance system for unmanned drones and self-driving cars.  It could also be used as part of navigation systems for the visually impaired. They add it has potential for personal security and health care applications. KAUST and VTT The new radar device was created by researchers at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia and VTT Technical Research Center in Finland.  The device weights less than 150g and is powered by a 5V battery.  The team says it provides detailed information on the size, distance and speed of moving objects.  The tracking range is up to 12 miles.  Current radar are large and bulky. They tend to lose key detail information  This innovation doesn't. It

Robots Navigating Like Humans Photo:  Courtesy of  MIT Going from A to B with a Motion Plan MIT researchers have developed a way to enable robots to navigate environments in the same way that humans do.  In simulations the robot moves through a crowded room by exploring the environment, observing what others are doing and exploring what it's learned from other situations. Robot with Hybrid Brain They've done this by combining a  planning algorithm with a neural network that learns to identify paths to best outcomes and uses the knowledge to guide the robots actions.   It's a novel motion planning model.  Until now, robots have struggled with navigational concepts. CSAIL & McGovern Brain Institute Research The MIT researchers are from the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab and the McGovern Institute for brain, mind and machine research.  They just presented their discoveries to the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Syst