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ZeroAvia and Natilus team up to develop a hydrogen-electric autonomous cargo plane

electric cargo plane

Autonomous freight aircraft developer Natilus has announced it will offer ZeroAvia’s ZA600 hydrogen-electric engine as a propulsion option on its blended wing body (BWB) cargo plane. The two aviation companies have formed a strategic partnership to jointly-develop an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flown entirely by hydrogen-electric propulsion.

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Waymo and Uber sign multi-year partnership to provide driverless rides and deliveries

Waymo Uber

Rideshare juggernaut Uber has signed a multi-year strategic partnership with robotaxi developer Waymo, offering driverless rides and deliveries to customers across the former’s platform. The new partnership could bring massive scale to Waymo’s driverless tech, while offering an enormous pool of potential customers.

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Meet the WasteShark: An electric catamaran that eats plastic and cleans the water

WasteShark-electric-plastic-water

If you see this shark heading toward you with an open mouth, don’t worry – it’s designed to catch plastic and other waste that destroys the water and its inhabitants rather than swimmers. The WasteShark is a mini electric catamaran-shaped robot that eats plastic, debris, and other things that don’t belong there while collecting data on water quality.

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These adorable electric autonomous delivery drones use 97% less energy for faster transit

Electric-autonomous-drone-delivery

Say goodbye to delivery delays due to traffic and weather. California-based startup Zipline is revolutionizing how we receive goods with its ultra-precise electric autonomous delivery drones called Zips.

The company’s latest P2 electric drones are designed for fast, practically silent, precise autonomous home delivery that looks like they are straight out of a Disney movie.

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No pedals, no problem: Zoox begins first robotaxi rides on public roads in California

Zoox California

Autonomous robotaxi developer Zoox has announced two major milestones this month as it inches closer to a full launch to the general public. All without a driver … or pedals … or even a steering wheel. The Amazon subsidiary has shared footage of its Zoox branded robotaxis navigating public roads for the first time in California following an approved testing permit from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

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GM’s Cruise recalls 80 self-driving EVs citing collision risks when turning

Cruise self-driving

General Motors’ self-driving rideshare service Cruise announced that it has recalled 80 of its electric robotaxis in order to update their software following an accident in June that injured two people. The NHTSA stated that the software issue caused the self-driving Cruise vehicles to “incorrectly predict” oncoming vehicle’s paths, adding risk for collisions.

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Former Apple engineer takes plea deal for stealing self-driving trade secrets before working for XPeng

Apple secrets

Former Apple engineer Xiaolang Zhang has pleaded guilty to trade secret theft after being accused of stealing information surrounding Apple’s self-driving technology. Zhang would go on to work for XPeng Motors in China, which has publicly stated it has zero involvement with Apple or Zhang’s case.

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Baidu unveils Apollo RT6 Level 4 autonomous robotaxi with detachable steering wheel

Baidu robotaxi

During its Baidu World 2022 technology conference today, the Chinese technology company unveiled its sixth-generation fully-autonomous vehicle – the Apollo RT6. With a detachable steering wheel, Baidu has created a production-ready EV with Level 4 autonomous driving capability that is expected to join the Apollo Go robotaxi fleet next year.

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Interview: Pronto’s Anthony Levandowski on new autonomous venture, rep and redemption

Pronto Cross Country Trip

Anthony Levandowski is aware of his reputation.

One of the most controversial figures in autonomous driving, his background has been well-covered, from building the Ghostrider motorcycle that competed in the DARPA Grand Challenge in 2004 and 2005, to his work on Google’s self-driving car.

It continues with his founding of Otto, a self-driving trucking startup acquired by Uber, to his role at the center of the Waymo vs. Uber case. Levandowski was accused of stealing Waymo’s self-driving secrets and bringing them along to Uber, which fired him. Waymo eventually accepted a settlement of $245 million. 

There’s more of course, including the founding of a AI-focused religious organization, Way of the Future. It seems with Anthony Levandowski, there’s always more…
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Uber orders whopping 24,000 Volvo XC90 plug-in hybrids for fleet of driverless autos

Volvo Cars and Uber join forces to develop autonomous driving cars

This morning Uber Technologies Inc. announced that they have agreed to purchase 24,000 Volvo XC90 plug-in hybrids from the Swedish company to for a fleet of driverless cars. Let that sink in for a moment, 24 thousand self-driving sports utility vehicles. That is 10,000 more than the number of yellow cabs in New York City.


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Tesla Autopilot crash caught on dashcam shows how not to use the system

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Earlier this week, a Tesla Model S hit a barrier on the highway near Dallas, Texas. The driver, who fortunately wasn’t injured, first blamed Tesla’s Autopilot for the crash.

We now have footage of the accident and it actually shows a situation that the Autopilot probably shouldn’t be expected to be able to handle, at least not yet. Ultimately, it serves as a reminder not to trust the system without paying attention.
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