Meet the Gartner Hype Cycle for 2015: It’s all about self-driving cars and smart dust in emerging tech trends August 18, 2015 You've probably heard of the self-driving car, but smart dust probably isn't on your radar just yet. That's because the autonomous vehicle trend has hit what's known as the peak of inflated expectation. Smart dust on the other hand, is at the earliest stage of innovation, as defined by Gartner in its annual research on [...]
Audi, BMW and Daimler accelerate driverless car plans with €2.8bn Nokia Here Maps deal August 3, 2015 A group formed of some of the world’s biggest car manufacturers has bought Here, the maps arm of former mobile giant Nokia, in a €2.8bn (£1.97bn) deal designed to help them step driverless car development up a gear. German car firms Audi, BMW and Mercedes maker Daimler reportedly fought off competition from startup darling Uber, [...]
AP Archive: Look, no hands – the driverless car, as imagined in 1971 July 22, 2015 The race to build the driverless car may be the height of modern technology, but researchers were already dreaming of a self-driving vehicle 40 years ago – and making it happen. New footage reveals early attempts by scientists to create a driverless car – and the result isn't half bad. "Look no hands. And no [...]
Is Apple planning an iCar? Tim Cook hires Chrysler executive Doug Betts as it eyes Tesla, Google and Uber over electric cars July 21, 2015 Not content with taking over our ears (Apple Music) and wrists (Apple Watch) this year, Apple may now have its sights set on taking over our roads. Tim Cook has hired the an executive from Chrysler, fueling speculation that there may be an iCar coming down the road. Doug Betts, a former senior vice president [...]
Driverless car technology to get £20m UK government funding and testing guidelines introduced July 19, 2015 The fledgling technology of driverless cars will benefit from a £20m windfall designed to help the UK speed ahead in the race to create autonomous vehicles. The government has earmarked new funding for the research and development of technology for driverless cars – an industry which could be worth up to £900bn within the next decade. "To [...]
Google self-driving cars have had their first accident which caused an injury July 18, 2015 Google's self-driving cars have had their first accident which resulted in three passengers sustaining minor injuries according to the company. The tech giant said that the accident happened on 1 July when its driverless Lexus sports utility vehicle was rear-ended while stationary in a queue of traffic on a road in California. "Thankfully, everyone in both [...]
Driverless cars will soon be able to buy and collect your morning coffee July 6, 2015 The future of driverless cars lies not just in hardware allowing passengers to take their hands off the wheel, but also in internet connectivity and the many benefits it can bring. Read more: In Pictures: The evolution of Google’s driverless car One such advantage will be the ability to buy and collect morning coffee [...]
Google is racing (at 25mph) ahead in the self-driving car wars May 18, 2015 Fed up waiting for Tesla's self-driving car to emerge? Us too. Luckily Google has the answer. The Silicon Valley giant is releasing its prototype fleet of self-driving cars this summer ahead of a “small pilot” in the coming years. According to Chris Urmson, director of Google's self-driving car project, “a few” of the vehicles [...]
Driverless cars could create 320,000 UK jobs and save 25,000 lives March 26, 2015 Connected and driverless cars could create a jobs boom in the UK and save thousands of lives, according to new research commissioned by SMMT Connected. Developing the next generation of autonomous vehicles could land the UK with as many as 320,000 jobs and deliver £51bn of economic benefits. The research, carried out by KPMG, argues [...]
Richard Branson might jump on the electric car bandwagon March 20, 2015 Richard Branson has hinted that his Virgin brand might jump on the electric car bandwagon (the wagon bandwagon?) at some point in the not-too-distant future. The entrepreneur already has his own Formula E team – an electric version of Formula One which features battery-powered cars racing at speeds of up to 140 mph. But when [...]