Axios reporter Joann Muller spotlights Rivian, an electric-vehicle startup founded by MIT graduate RJ Scaringe. “If Rivian succeeds, the sharing of its technology could be one of the biggest reasons,” writes Muller. “Imagine companies like Amazon, Starbucks or Apple launching their own mobility fleets on top of a generic platform.”
MIT spinout Affectiva Inc. has developed a new system that can study a driver’s face to help assess their mental state, reports Hiawatha Bray for The Boston Globe. Bray explains that the system “analyzes facial expressions to determine if a driver is distracted, angry, scared, sleepy, or drunk.”
Prof. John Leonard speaks with Bloomberg News about his work with the Toyota Research Institute on developing a system that combines machine learning technologies and sensors to make vehicles safer. “Imagine if you had the most vigilant and capably trained driver in the world that could take over in a situation where a teenager took a curve too fast,” says Leonard of the inspiration for the system.
Jeremy Gregory, executive director of the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub, writes for USA Today about how the quality and condition of a roadway impacts a vehicle’s fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions. “Actions that improve road design and conditions can reduce vehicle fuel consumption and emissions,” argues Gregory.
Research scientist Joshua Siegel speaks with Wall Street Journal reporter A.J. Baime about his 1955 Chevrolet 210. Siegel recounts how restoring the car drove him to pursue a career in engineering, explaining that his research involves “putting sensors and modems all over vehicles so that you can know everything you need to know about your car through a device.”
In an article for Wired about distracted driving, Aarian Marshall highlights how MIT researchers are studying how drivers use new automated driving systems. “This is about human-centered development: leveraging the human element and integrating it with advances in automation,” explains Research Engineer Bryan Reimer.
Research Engineer Bryan Reimer speaks with Bloomberg Radio about autonomous vehicle safety following the announcement that nuTonomy will soon test its vehicles on Boston streets. Citing the successful partnership between city officials and autonomous vehicle startups, Reimer stresses the importance of companies demonstrating “that they can walk before they can run.”
In response to a reader’s question about self-driving cars, Mercury News reporter Gary Richards describes new technology in the works by MIT researchers to allow, “driverless cars to change lanes more like human drivers do.”
USA Today reporter Marco della Cava writes that a study by MIT researchers shows drivers typically use Tesla’s Autopilot software for highway driving. Della Cava writes that Research Engineer Bryan Reimer underscored that the findings show there is a need for, “an increase in driver education on the part of stakeholders such as automakers, dealers and perhaps even licensing authorities.”
MIT researchers have developed an algorithm that can accurately determine how many taxis a city needs, providing a way to reduce the number of cars on the road, according to Xinhua. “Using the new algorithm, they found the fleet size of cab-hailing service in New York could be cut down by about 30 percent in an optimal scenario.”
Research Specialist Hillary Abraham speaks with Wall Street Journal reporter Adrienne Roberts about a new AgeLab study examining why car dealers often have trouble explaining a car’s advanced safety technology. “Ultimately, it seemed to come down to lack of training, high turnover and the expectation of more work post-sale,” Abraham explains.
Using LiDAR sensors, MIT researchers have developed an autonomous vehicle navigation system for rural roads with “no detailed, three-dimensional map for the vehicle to reference,” reports Rob Verger of Popular Science. “The solution for urban mapping really doesn’t scale very well to a huge portion of the country,” explains graduate student Teddy Ort.
MapLite, a system developed by CSAIL researchers, allows autonomous vehicles to drive on roads they’ve never driven before without 3D maps, writes Andrew Hawkins of The Verge. If it becomes commercial, MapLite could ensure “that the safety benefits from autonomous driving [are] extended to residents in rural communities,” suggests Hawkins.
CSAIL researchers have developed a system that uses LIDAR and GPS to allow self-driving cars to navigate rural roads without detailed maps, writes Tracey Lindeman of Motherboard. Autonomous ride-hailing or car-sharing is important in rural communities because “the carless in these areas have few transportation options; many small communities don’t even have public buses,” notes Lindeman.
CSAIL researchers have discovered that some traffic jams are caused by tailgating, writes Thomas Tamblyn for HuffPost. Maintaining an equal distance in front of and behind a vehicle, “could have a dramatic effect in reducing travel time and fuel consumption without having to build more roads or make other changes to infrastructure,” explains Prof. Berthold Horn.