Samsung is investing $300 million into an Automotive Innovation Fund that will invest in automotive start-ups and technology, while its new automotive strategic business unit will focus on autonomous and advanced driver assistance services (ADAS). This follows the company's acquisition of automotive audio and auto parts supplier Harman International Industries, with its stated goal of accelerating growth in automotive and connected technologies.
Samsung jumps into autonomous driving market | Smart2.0
General Motors-owned Cruise Automation (San Francisco, CA) has unveiled its 3rd-generation self-driving car prototype. Acquired by General Motors last year, the company - which operates as an independent unit - says its latest prototype represents "the world’s first mass-producible car designed to operate without a driver." The prototype is based on a Chevrolet Bolt EV and features "airbags, crumple zones, and comfortable seats."
GM unit unveils first 'real' self-driving car | Smart2.0
There are many striking differences between a fence post and a human being, but one may prove particularly useful to robotic vehicles: temperature. At least that's what the established thermal imaging firm FLIR and the Israeli startup Adasky think. Both companies are building new thermal sensors for use in autonomous cars, and they believe that the extra data could be used to spot hazards in adverse conditions. Humans and animals on or near the road, in particular, create far more heat than their surroundings. Some high-end automakers, including Porsche, BMW, and Audi, have been fitting vehicles with thermal imaging sensors from FLIR for several years. The vehicles use them to alert a driver to the presence of animals or people on the road at night, which may not show up within reach of the car's headlights. Those sensors offer an image 320 pixels wide by 240 high.
Thermal Imaging Aims to Give Autonomous Cars Better Night Vision - MIT Technology Review