Autoblog

Intel developing headlights that make rain invisible [w/video]

Jeffrey N. Ross — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:44:00 EST

When computer hardware companies start getting involved with the development of automotive technologies, you can be sure some futuristic stuff is about to go down. How does invisible rain sound to you? Intel, along with Carnegie Mellon University, has come up with an idea for a new headlight system that can make rain seem to disappear from the driver's direct line of sight.

According to CNET, the headlight uses a camera housed within the headlight assembly to detect rain (and presumably snow or hail) as it falls, and then it uses a processor to anticipate the path of the rain. Finally, the actual light is created by a projector, which uses the information supplied by the processor to block out the pixels where the rain is expected to be. This technology, as you can see in the image above, should help improve visibility since there will be less light reflected back at the driver by raindrops.

For now, the only way you can see this rain-cancelling technology is in a demonstration in the video report posted below, but Intel thinks that it could make its way into production within the next 10 years.

Continue reading Intel developing headlights that make rain invisible [w/video]

Intel developing headlights that make rain invisible [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How insects might help make traffic lights smarter and more efficient

George Kennedy — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 08:28:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Technology

Anyone who has ever driven some of our nation's more congested areas may argue that sitting in traffic for hours at a time is not natural human behavior, and they may be right. In fact, negotiating traffic may be more of the provence of insects, as a Gizmag report suggests.

Apparently, ants, bees and termites are all able to manage their traffic flow. The example given is ants, where the smaller of two converging groups will always defer to the larger group. According to Ozan Tonguz, a telecommunications researcher at Carnegie Mellon University, this instinctual behavior has potential applications in our traffic infrastructure.

The Virtual Traffic Lights system has been in development since 2009, and it would be able to determine which of two cars (or groups of cars) approaching a traffic light was larger and allow that group to proceed first. Once the larger group had passed, the smaller group would be allowed to go. According to Tonguz's simulations, this program could reduce commute times by 40 to 60 percent, not to mention the reduction in carbon emissions from a shorter commute time. This initiative has received $2 million, and a spin-off company has been created to help make it a reality.

Dresden University of Technology and ETH Zurich have come together on a similar system that would allow existing traffic lights to communicate with vehicles to improve traffic flow.

Sitting at a red light while the lane with the green can be frustrating and waste fuel. Let us hope these smart red light systems can be implemented everywhere soon.

How insects might help make traffic lights smarter and more efficient originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Nov 2012 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T Labs, Carnegie Mellon investigating steering wheels with haptic feedback for navigation

Zach Bowman — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Technology

Any device or system that draws a driver's attention away from the road is inherently distracting, but some navigation systems are better than others. Now, AT&T Labs is said to be hard at work developing a steering wheel with haptic feedback that may allow more drivers to keep their eyes off of the center console screen. According to MIT's Technology Review, the system uses 20 small actuators to to create a pattern of vibrations in the wheel. When the wheel buzzes clockwise, the driver is meant to turn to the right, while counterclockwise vibrations suggest turning left. The company's research indicates that when the system is used with standard audio and visual cues, inattentiveness in younger drivers drops by around 3.1 percent.

Researchers defined "inattentiveness" as time spent looking away from the road in driving simulations. The haptics had no impact on older drivers, but a separate study by Carnegie Mellon indicated drivers over the age of 65 could see their inattentiveness drop by around four percent.

Even with the promising results, it will likely be years before a similar system could be adopted by automakers, if it ever reaches the market at all.

AT&T Labs, Carnegie Mellon investigating steering wheels with haptic feedback for navigation originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM rebuts Carnegie Mellon Chevrolet Volt slight

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:57:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Green, Chevrolet, GM

Click above for high-res image gallery of the 2011 Chevy Volt

Time to get out the popcorn and sit back for a good argument. Remember Carnegie Mellon's recent study on the merits of plug-in hybrids like the Chevy Volt? According to the University, a PHEV with a 3kWh battery pack would provide the best compromise between price, performance and environmental benefits by allowing for an electric-only range of around 7 miles. The Volt will use a 16kWh lithium ion battery pack and be able to travel 40 miles on electricity before its gas engine kicks in to keep the party moving. If General Motors' calculations are correct, nearly 80% of all American drivers could drive the Volt to work and back without ever using a drop of gasoline, recharging every night using off-peak electricity from the grid.

In response to CMU's report, Jon Lauckner, GM's Vice President Global Program Management, has published a post on GM's Fastlane Blog offering a few good reasons why CMU's data may be skewed. For starters, GM says the cost of its battery pack is quite a bit less than CMU is estimating. Plus, the Volt will be eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit due to its high energy storage capacity that the study fails to recognize.

According to Lauckner, GM is not about to make the mistake of delaying the introduction of plug-in hybrid vehicles after missing the boat on conventional hybrids a few years back, and we agree that they should definitely move ahead with the car's introduction. The idea of offering smaller capacity packs for drivers who don't often drive 40 miles in a day, though, could have merit. We'll see how it all plays out in late 2010 when the Volt is scheduled to go on sale.

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Volt

[Source: GM Fastlane]

GM rebuts Carnegie Mellon Chevrolet Volt slight originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Carnegie Mellon study says Chevy Volt may not be such a hot value

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:59:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Green

Click above for high-res image gallery of the 2011 Chevy Volt

A new study by Carnegie Mellon University has found that the cost to create an automotive battery pack capable of providing a range of 40 miles per charge is prohibitively expensive. Coincidentally (or not), that's exactly the range that General Motors is aiming for with its upcoming Chevy Volt extended-range electric vehicle.

GM's not offering any specifics about how much the Volt's lithium-ion battery pack will cost, but current estimates place the figure over $15,000. If the car's going to have mass market appeal, that battery pack may represent nearly half the car's total cost to the consumer, which would be an unsustainable situation without the assistance of federal tax credits and incentives.

Even if the government subsidizes the cost of the Volt's initial purchase, questions remain about the replacement cost of the battery pack despite GM's assertion that it will last the life of the car. GM has until late 2010 to get it all worked out, and we remain excited about the prospect of gas-free motoring that plug-ins like the Volt will provide. Still, studies like the one from CMU cannot be dismissed and cast doubt over any automaker's ability to bring electric or extended-range electric vehicles to market in a cost effective manner.

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Volt

[Sources: Bloomberg, Carnegie-Mellon University]

Carnegie Mellon study says Chevy Volt may not be such a hot value originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM and Carnegie Mellon get together on driverless vehicles

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 08:28:00 EST

Filed under: Technology, GM

If you're really looking forward to the day when your car says, "You just relax, Dave, and let me do the driving," it just got a little bit closer. GM and Carnegie Mellon University have announced a 5-year, $5 million Collaborative Research Laboratory (CRL) to do work on autonomous vehicles.

Carnegie Mellon's Tartan Racing entrant in last year's DARPA Urban Challenge, Boss (pictured), was the first across the line. The winning partnership and the $2 million winners check made it a natural fit for the two to combine on further research now that the major technical issues have been mostly addressed. The two parties also have another CRL, separate from the autonomous research, that has been going on for eight years.

The autonomous research will be focused on developing the underlying technologies for autonomous vehicles. According to Professor Rajkumar, "Autonomous vehicles will change the face of transportation by reducing deaths and injuries from automobile accidents and increasing the convenience and comfort of vehicles." Until they become self aware and decide to take over the Skynet system, at least...

[Source: GM]

GM and Carnegie Mellon get together on driverless vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Jun 2008 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM-powered Carnegie Mellon team take first prize at DARPA

Damon Lavrinc — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 02:39:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Technology

After the DARPA dust settled, only 40 minutes separated the first, second and third place contenders for this year's $2 million bounty. The Carnegie Mellon team, behind the virtual wheel of a tech'd-out Tahoe dubbed the "Boss," won the DARPA Urban Challenge, the first event held in a mock city environment.

The Mellon crew beat out Stanford, Virginia Tech and MIT, and according to Wired's report, none of the top competitors were cited for traffic violations - something that most manned vehicles can't claim. Average speeds ranged from 13 to 14 mph over the course of the 55-mile trek. There was no mention of top speed and we're still uncertain about what specific obstacles were set out to befuddled the ghosts inside the machine.

There's no word yet on whether the DARPA event will continue, as many maintain that since the technical end of things have been sorted, it's time for private firms to take the lead. We'll have more on DARPA when Mr. McElroy reports on the event later in the week.

[Sources: GM (Press Release after the jump), Wired]

Continue reading GM-powered Carnegie Mellon team take first prize at DARPA

GM-powered Carnegie Mellon team take first prize at DARPA originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Nov 2007 02:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Carnegie Mellon and GM entering driverless Tahoe in next DARPA

John Neff — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 16:24:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Technology, GM

Remember William "Red" Whittaker? He is the ex-marine turned college prof that competed in both the 2004 and 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge with a pair of autonomous H1 HUMMERs named H1ghlander and Sandstorm. Unfortunately for Red, neither HUMMER was able to beat Stanley, the autonomous Volkswagen Touareg from Standard, in last year's challenge that actually saw competitors finish the course for the first time.

Things might be different at next year's DARPA Urban Challenge in which vehicles will have to autonomously pilot themselves through a 60-mile urban course. Red and his team at Carnegie Mellon University will partner with General Motors this year to form Tartan Racing and field a driverless Tahoe as their entrant. Not only does Carnegie Mellon get the free SUV to use, the team will be composed of researchers from both the university and GM. The automaker sees the sponsorship as the fastest way to advance the research and development of future driving aid technologies, while we get the feeling that Red and the college boys just want to beat the pants off of Stanford next year.

[Source: GM]

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Carnegie Mellon and GM entering driverless Tahoe in next DARPA originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Aug 2006 16:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Great Robot Race adds dimension to DARPA Challenge

John Neff — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 19:35:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, Technology, Videos

We all know the basic facts about the DARPA Grand Challenge that pitted over 20 autonomous vehicles against each other and the elements out in the Mojave Desert last October. After watching the NOVA special The Great Robot Race on PBS last night the entire enterprise has taken on a whole new dynamic thanks to the excellent backstory provided by the program that reaches all the way back to the first DARPA Grand Challenge in 2004.

While The Great Robot Race features background on many contenders, including a "nobody" darkhorse team from New Orleans that finished fourth overall just weeks after Katrina blew through its hometown, the main push of the program centers around the two teams from Stanford and Carnegie Mellon. Sebastian Thrun heads the Stanford team, which is actually comprised of Carnegie Mellon defectors including Thrun himself, and they enter Stanley, a Touareg donated by Volkswagen, in the contest. Red Whittaker, an ex-marine turned college prof who presides over an army of graduate students and a pair of autonomous H1 Hummers named "H1ghlander" and "Sandstorm", leads the Carnegie Mellon team.

Read on for more of the gritty details that led up to a showdown of these two teams in the desert.

Continue reading The Great Robot Race adds dimension to DARPA Challenge

The Great Robot Race adds dimension to DARPA Challenge originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Mar 2006 19:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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