Ohio wants to be a haven for self-driving cars, and it's already acting on those plans... if slowly. Smart Columbus and DriveOhio have announced that the state's first autonomous shuttle service, Smart Circuit, will launch in Columbus on December 10...
The self-driving landscape seems perfect for a company like Muji, known for its minimalistic appeal and function-first agenda. Muji’s products look minimalist and beautiful without looking bland, and perform wonderfully for years… and the Gacha, a shuttle bus co-designed with Finnish autonomous driving company Sensible 4, follows that direction too, not just being innately Muji-esque, but also echoing the aesthetic direction that most self-driving cars are taking, of putting information at the forefront and dialing down the outer aesthetic of the car to make it appear more akin to a self-driving cabin/lounge.
The self-driving shuttle bus comes with a two-color exterior and a soft cuboidal form, sporting displays on the top of the windscreen as well as around the waist of the bus, displaying instructions to pedestrians on the outside. With no driver on the inside, the entire bus’s floor plan is made for 10 seated commuters and 6 standing passengers, as the bus travels from point A to B. The Gacha comes with a maximum speed of 40km/h, and even a range of a 100 kilometers on a single charge. It’s powered by a 4 wheel drive electric powertrain and a battery that can be wirelessly fast-charged.
Building the self-driving tech for the Gacha is Finland-based Sensible 4. The company is currently developing autonomous driving technology for extreme climates, including navigation and obstacle detection that can function seamlessly in heavy rain, fog, and snow–all of which are common to Finland’s climate and weather. The company is even headed to the Arctic Laplands to put the Gacha through rigorous testing. “We are developing these vehicles so that they can become part of daily transportation service chain,” says Harri Santamala, CEO of Sensible 4. “Autonomous vehicles can’t become mainstream until their technology has been insured to work in all climates.”
The Gacha is all set to be unveiled to the public in March 2019 at an event in Helsinki if the tests
SpaceX's priority is to get humans into space. Eventually, some of those people will end up on Mars. For now, the rocket-launching company needs to work on getting astronauts to the ISS (International Space Station). To that end, it recently showed o...
Yesterday afternoon, I rode an autonomous shuttle down a short section of Broadway in the heart of Times Square, and it was easily the most boring part of my day. I'm not saying that because my life is particularly exciting, either. The trip was bori...
Apple's Project Titan efforts to develop self-driving car technology apparently have found a partner in Volkswagen, according to a report by the New York Times. While the paper said the tech company has pursued deals with BMW and Mercedes, it will ap...
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Las Vegas' initial self-driving shuttle trial clearly went well, as the city is coming back for another round. AAA and Vegas are launching a year-long trial on November 8th that will see one of Navya's shuttles drive a half-mile circuit in the downt...
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Apple famously planned to build an entire self-driving car, but abandoned that idea to focus on autonomous vehicle technology à la Uber and Waymo. Thanks to a New York Times report, we now know some of what happened and what Apple is doing now...
Ohio wants to be a haven for self-driving cars, and it's already acting on those plans... if slowly. Smart Columbus and DriveOhio have announced that the state's first autonomous shuttle service, Smart Circuit, will launch in Columbus on December 10...
SpaceX's priority is to get humans into space. Eventually, some of those people will end up on Mars. For now, the rocket-launching company needs to work on getting astronauts to the ISS (International Space Station). To that end, it recently showed o...
Yesterday afternoon, I rode an autonomous shuttle down a short section of Broadway in the heart of Times Square, and it was easily the most boring part of my day. I'm not saying that because my life is particularly exciting, either. The trip was bori...
Apple's Project Titan efforts to develop self-driving car technology apparently have found a partner in Volkswagen, according to a report by the New York Times. While the paper said the tech company has pursued deals with BMW and Mercedes, it will ap...
While we ponder the state of hyperloop tunnel transportation, Elon Musk just updated the plan for The Boring Company. The tech exec tweeted out a new concept video that focuses on a shuttle instead of cars. The shuttle (seen briefly in the first Bori...
Believe it or not, Fisker isn't just focused on upscale electric cars. The automaker has teamed up with China's Hakim Unique Group on the Orbit, a self-driving electric shuttle tailor-made for smart cities. There aren't many details, but it's clear...
Las Vegas' initial self-driving shuttle trial clearly went well, as the city is coming back for another round. AAA and Vegas are launching a year-long trial on November 8th that will see one of Navya's shuttles drive a half-mile circuit in the downt...
Apple famously planned to build an entire self-driving car, but abandoned that idea to focus on autonomous vehicle technology à la Uber and Waymo. Thanks to a New York Times report, we now know some of what happened and what Apple is doing now...