MIT helps self-driving cars ‘see’ through snow and fog

Self-driving technology has come a long way, but it can still be tripped up by bad weather. A team from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) may have a solution. They've developed a way to help autonomous vehicles "see" by m...

Google researchers trained AI with your Mannequin Challenge videos

Way back in 2016, thousands of people participated in the Mannequin Challenge. As you might remember, it was an internet phenomenon in which people held random poses while someone with a camera walked around them. Those videos were shared on YouTube...

GM is doubling the staff for its self-driving car business

General Motors is ramping up its autonomous vehicle business. According to Reuters, the company is planning to hire 1,000 people over the next nine months to work on Cruise, a GM subsidiary that develops self-driving car technology. The hiring spree...

US DOT forms council to support emerging transportation tech

Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao has announced a council aimed at supporting transportation projects including hyperloops and self-driving cars. The Non-Traditional and Emerging Transportation Technology Council (NETT) hopes to make sure the D...

Waymo will sell its lidar sensors to companies outside of self-driving cars

Alphabet subsidiary Waymo announced today that it is going to let companies use its powerful sensor technology for purposes other than self-driving vehicles. It will start by selling one of its lidars: a 3D perimeter sensor that can measure distance...

10 Incredible Futuristic Cars Designs

Like other things, cars have evolved with time, thanks to manufacturers who always keep an eye on cutting edge technologies for transport vehicles. A typical four-wheeled car’s main purpose is to transport, but we have moved farther from that.

As we move towards the future, car makers are also preparing more advanced cars to enable comfort for people and, well, for car geeks, it’s more than that, of course. We’re already talking about electric vehicles and self-driving vehicles here. We’ll give you a preview of some of them here:

Toyota FCV Plus self-driving car

Image via: Autoblog

Toyota proves that they’re a company that’s way more than the typical sedans. In 2015, the car maker has unveiled a futuristic and spaceship-looking car called FCV Plus. This concept car is from Toyota is more than just style; it runs on hydrogen fuel, which means, it’s eco-friendly too. FCV Plus is one of those potential cars for the future, but as the car maker continues to work on perfecting the vehicle, we can just wait for now.

Mercedes Benz’ F 015 Luxury in Motion self-driving car

Image via: Entrepreneur.com

Mercedez Benz is also not allowing itself to get left behind and is also working on its own self-driving car. As a matter of fact, on top of wowing the audience at the Consumer Electronics Show, the some lucky pedestrians in San Francisco were also lucky to spot the amusing capsule-looking vehicle on the streets as Benz began to test drive it beginning some two years ago. Aiming for class and luxury, Benz envisions a lounge looking four seater design for its interior.

GAC WitStar Concept autonomous vehicle in China

Image via: cleantechnica

China, which seems to have answers in every commodity, has this WitStar concept that looks somehow similar with the Benz self-driving concept. The difference is, this vehicle has a gull wing door and an option to drive of to autopilot. I bet this would be much cheaper than the Benz as well.

Tata ConnectNext electric car

Image via: Ibtimes

 

Even Indian car maker Tata is in the loop with futuristic cars. As early as 2014, it has already made a prototype of its expected modern vehicle. This five-seater electric car boasts design and functionality: it has floating seats and highly-technological features, such as the steering wheel active indicators, augmented navigation and infotainment.

Tesla’s Model 3 electric self-driving car

Image via: Business Insider

An autonomous vehicles list will not be complete without Tesla, of course. it’s not only an autonomous vehicle, it’s also eco-friendly as it would run on electricity and can travel at least 215 miles on a single charge.  It’s rumored to begin production this year, so start pre-ordering for this modern vehicle because it already has more than 400,000 pre-orders to date!

LeEco’s LeSEE self-driving car in China

Image via: lesee

Meanwhile, China’s LeEco has also made its own self-driving car concept in an attempt to compete with Tesla. But what sets it differently from Tesla, is its goal to change the taxi industry in China, compared to Tesla, which is generally marketing for the general public.

Electric RoboBuses in Finland

Image via: inhabitat

Self-driving technology is not only focused in sedans. Just like this cute-looking self-driving bus which is set to roam around the streets of Finland this year!

Harry, the driverless pod in Greenwich, England

Image via: The Guardian

U.K. does not want to get left behind and created their own driverless pod, 100 of which is set to roam in the city, is set to launch in July.

Lutz Pathfinder self-driving car in the UK

Image via: Redbull

Meanwhile, this vehicle doesn’t look like an actual car, but it is. The makers of Lutz Pathfinder is already testing the vehicle out in the streets to understand how it will react to the city environment such as pedestrians. Indeed, the company seems to be preparing for a safer and smarter community. Cheers!

General Motor’s Electronic Networked-Vehicle

Image via: NY Daily News

Similar to Lutz Pathfinder is this cutesy concept self-driving vehicle from General Motors. Apart from typical technologies like GPS, it also has the capability to “communicate” to other similar vehicles as means to maneuver the traffic.

The Engadget Podcast Ep 18: We Both Go Down Together

Managing Editor Dana Wollman and Senior Editor Devindra Hardawar join host Terrence O'Brien to talk about the biggest tech stories of the week. First Dana and Devindra debate the value of Amazon's delivery drones and Google's... I mean Alphabet's new...

Can’t accept autonomous liability? Get out of the game, says Volvo

Volvo has an easy answer for all the hand-wringing about whose responsible when self-driving cars crash.Volvo chief executive officer and president Håkan Samuelsson says one of the most vexing challenges facing the auto industry can be solved...