Important Innovations Collection

  DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF                                                                                                          By Journalists Edward Kane & Maryanne Kane ELON MUSK'S OPTIMUS ROBOT                                                                             Source:  Tesla Tesla CEO Elon Musk has unveiled Tesla's new humanoid robot, which contains the type of technology that he claims will provide "a fundamental transformation of civiliz...

  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 Califo...

Daimler-Geely Ownership Collaboration                             Source: Smart - Concept #1 & Prototype Very Smart, Very Autonomous, Very Zero Emissions The Smart Concept #1 prototype electric SUV is being tested in camouflage on the streets of China.  It is a very important new concept car.  Concept #1 is the first electric vehicle from Smart, since Daimler and China's automaker giant Geely combined their considerable forces to rescue Smart and keep the brand alive .  It is shaping up to be an awesome piece of technology. Advanced Autonomous Driving Technology Smart is not providing any details yet on the electric powertrain.  But this new EV is expected by experts to have a number of highly advanced driver assistance systems.  In terms of design, it has a very short front and back end.  The EV has a very pronounced roofline with very smooth sides, angular side window...

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 ...

China's Burgeoning Ride-Hailing Industry Source:  Didi Chuxing's RoboTaxi Industry Leader in China - Didi Chuxing China's ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing has launched a test program for its RoboTaxi services on the streets of Shanghai. The tests started this weekend after the company installed V2X or Vehicle to Everything hardware throughout the area.  V2X enables the robotaxis to communicate with their surroundings and provides an extra layer of safety.  Didi Chuxing is a ride-hailing giant with financial backing from SoftBank. Free, On Demand Rides As part of the test program, customers can hail a free, on demand ride on Didi's robotaxis within designated areas of Shanghai.  Along for the ride are human safety drivers, should there be an autonomous issue. Didi is using Volvo, Lincoln and BYD models retrofitted with Didi's autonomous driving system for the testing. China's RoboTaxis Elsewhere in China, Baidu is offering robotaxi rides in Changs...

Amazon Buys Autonomous Mobility Startup Zoox Source:  Zoox Amazon Moving People and Packages Amazon has purchased self-driving startup Zoox of Foster City, CA for more than $1.2 billion.  It's the e-commerce giant's biggest investment yet in the self-driving, autonomous category.  And, it's the second biggest acquisition that Amazon has ever made after purchasing Whole Foods.  This catapults Amazon into potentially another new business category.  It may not be just moving packages but also people.  Zoox's expertise is designing a world-class autonomous ride-hailing service, also known as RoboTaxis. Zoox's Approach Zoox's approach to self-driving is different.  It's not retrofitting existing cars with self-driving technology.  It's developing a whole new, purposed, self-driving vehicle with no steering wheels that can move in any direction.  Some analysts say that Zoox's innovative technology is impressive.  Adding Amazon into ...

COVID-19 Accelerating Autonomous Deliveries Source:  Waymo Big Investor Money Pouring In COVID-19 is accelerating a big shift in the global autonomous driving industry.  Business is booming in the autonomous delivery of packages, not the autonomous driving of people.  Companies like self-driving technology company Waymo are enjoying a huge boom in its business of package deliveries and a big influx of capital from investors. Fresh Capital Big players like Waymo, which is owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, are getting a big jump in funding.  Waymo now has $3 billion in fresh capital after expanding its first funding round.  It just raised $750 million in mid May.  According to Reuters' analysis, investors have poured $6 billion into two dozen companies involved in autonomous deliveries in the past seven months.  The technology ranges from drones to big, autonomous trucks. Global Phenomenon:  Future of Travel.   The gro...