Google has Updated its Street View Cameras for the First Time in Eight Years

Better cameras means better photos and source data for Google's machine learning capabilities.

As reported by The Verge: The days of the large, globe-like cameras on top of Google Street View cars may be slowly disappearing. Google has refreshed the design for the cameras used to capture Street View images, which is its first significant upgrade in eight years, reports Wired. The new camera rig will help capture photos that are clearer, higher in resolution, and more vivid in color. Like the old design, the rig will attach to a vehicle’s roof, but the smaller ball on top now features just seven cameras (down from 15) fitted with 20 megapixel sensors. The rig also plays host to two cameras that take still HD photos, and two “cans” on the front and back for laser radar.

The main ball, with seven 20MP cameras.  There are also two Velodyne Lidar Pucks mounted at an angle.

Google’s machine learning and AI capabilities mean that when photos are captured by a Street View car, algorithms can detect and note relevant street names and numbers, automatically adding them to Google’s database. The software can also identify business names and logos. Google is working to better the software, taking its capabilities further so one day it can recognize different types of stores based on what they look like, and reading smaller signage that show details like opening hours.

The HD camera that captures building data on the left and right of the car.

Better technology should lead to better source data for Google’s machine learning capabilities, which will allow it to expand Google’s search and Assistant functions. In an example to Wired, Google’s vice president and head of its mapping arm Jen Fitzpatrick says in the future, Google Maps might be able to answer more detailed questions that reference how the world looks, such as “What’s the name of the pink store next to the church on the corner?” Those questions can only be answered if “we have richer and deeper information,” she says.

Google Street View has been taking photos since 2007, and its fleet of Street View vehicles include cars, snow mobiles, trikes, and a trolley that captures photos indoors in places like museums. The camera rig has even been outfitted onto a backpack to take images of places that aren’t easily reached by vehicle.

We’ve reached out to Google for additional details on the new rig’s rollout.

SpaceX Just Launched Its “Secret Mission” for the U.S. Air Force

At approximately 10:00 a.m. ET today, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from the Kennedy Space Center carrying the X-37B space drone and what might be one of the most mysterious payloads ever. The Falcon 9 took off right on schedule, despite initial concerns over weather conditions.

Several minutes later, the Falcon 9 also successfully landed back on Earth, though this time not on SpaceX’s floating barge but rather on a landing zone prepared at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. This is the 10th successful Falcon 9 landing ever, and the reusable rocket’s 41st flight to date.

As far as this mysterious payload, it’s a host of firsts for SpaceX. While Elon Musk’s rocket venture has flown missions as part of government contracts before — like its resupply missions for NASA — today’s launched was SpaceX’s first mission for the U.S. Air Force. On June of this year, SpaceX secured a contract from the U.S. Air Force to ferry the X-37B drone into orbit, marking the fifth mission for this unmanned Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) and the first one that it’s accomplished using a private space company’s rocket. It’s also the first time the X-37B was launched on a vertical platform.

Not much is known about the missions of the X-37B OTV, however, except of course what the U.S. Air Force chooses to reveal about it. Aside from this, we know that the space drone has been gradually extending its time in orbit for each of its missions. This particular mission, for instance, hosts the Air Force Research Laboratory Advanced Structurally Embedded Thermal Spreader [or ASETS-11], instruments designed for prolonged space orbit.

Lilium Secures $90 Million to Develop its Electric VTOL Plane

Like a few other startups, Lilium wants to make our flying car dreams come true with an electric VTOL craft you can summon with an app. Thanks to $90 million worth of new investment from China's Tencent and others, the startup may now have a leg up on its rivals. It will use the funds to drastically expand hiring in order to take the electric jet into the next stages of development.

Lilium differs from Ehang's passenger drone and other like concepts. Rather than using multi-rotors to both lift and propel it, the craft uses flaps with electric "jets" that rotate from a vertical to horizontal position. By tilting them into a vertical position, it can take off like a helicopter, than rotate them horizontally to transition into conventional flight. That's similar to how Boeing's V-22 Osprey works, for instance, but with many more engines. It also works the same way as NASA's smaller-scale "Greased Lightning" VTOL craft.

Lilium is backed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and has actually flown a full-sized, two-seat prototype, albeit with nobody in it (below). It recently hired engineers and employees from Gett (an Uber and Lyft ride-sharing rival), Airbus and Tesla. The company plans to build a five-seat "air taxi" that could ferry passengers 186 miles at around 186 mph. It has ambitiously planned its first manned tests by 2019, and passenger flights by 2025.

It's going to be tough for the the company to get aircraft approved in the US, however. FAA certification is notoriously difficult, for one thing, especially for an all-new type of aircraft. There's also no current battery technology that can give Lilium the range it wants, and VTOL requires much more energy than regular airplanes. Elon Musk -- who has designed his own electric plane, of course -- said the battery density threshold is about 400 Wh/kg, compared to around 250-300 Wh/kg available in current Tesla models.

However, Lilium seems confident it can overcome those problems via its efficient "electric jet" engines, lack of a tail and other technological innovations. If it can pull it off, it would be a grand feat, and the smog-free craft could definitely revolutionize urban transport. Hopefully, it's painting a realistic picture for investors, because 2025 is just eight years away, barely an eyeblink in the world of aircraft development.

Jaguar's Steering Wheel of the Future Revolves Around AI

As reported by Engadget: The steering wheel as we know it doesn't have a bright future -- in fact, it might disappear altogether as self-driving cars hit the road. Jaguar Land Rover, however, has an idea as to how it might survive. The British automaker has unveiled a concept steering wheel, Sayer, that's designed for an era where cars normally drive themselves and personal ownership is a thing of the past. The wheel would have its own AI system, and would follow you from car to car -- you'd just hook it in to bring your experience with you.

The AI would largely serve as a concierge. It would link you to an on-demand service club, whether or not you own your car, and would help you get a ride when and where you need it. If there's a must-attend meeting, for example, you could tell the wheel while it's still in your living room and it would figure out when a car needs to arrive and tell you when you might want to take control.

Sayer (named after influential designer Malcolm Sayer) will be a core feature on an upcoming concept car, the Future-Type.

Will something like this wheel ever reach production? Probably not. Jaguar Land Rover is making a few assumptions about self-driving cars, such as the likelihood that you'll have a steering wheel and the need to integrate AI into a dedicated device. Your phone and a cloud service might be all you need. Instead, we'd treat this as a thought exercise. It might never come to pass, but it could give engineers something to consider when they design the first wave of autonomous vehicles.

Dashcams on Tesla Vehicles Are “Coming Soon,” Says Elon Musk

Tesla owners have been asking for a dashcam feature to be added to Tesla vehicles for a while now, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has finally responded to their requests, telling them on Twitter the feature will be implemented soon.

As reported by Futurism: Tesla vehicles have a number of cameras installed as part of its Autopilot feature, but a new dashcam feature is in the works that will also utilize the cameras.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the dashcam capabilities were “coming soon,” in response to a statement made on Twitter. Technically speaking, a dashcam has always been present, just not in the way drivers wanted.

This image shows the location of the front-facing
camera built into the rear view mirror system.

As reported by Electrek, all Tesla vehicles are known to store camera footage, but only after an accident, and only for Tesla’s use. This was initially discovered in 2016 by Jason Hughes, who was experimenting with a damaged Tesla Model S when he discovered the cameras recorded and saved video after the SUV collided with a wall.

Older Tesla models only had one camera. With multiple cameras, the dashcam feature should be much more effective.

Musk’s “coming soon” tweet was all the CEO offered in relation to the feature—no date or how far along development is.

Whenever it is released, Teslarati speculates that Tesla owners will be able to view saved footage and images through the MyTesla page. We’ll have to wait and see if there’s a limit placed on how much can be saved.

No indication yet if cockpit audio will be recorded as well.

Tesla rear camera view.

The Next Pizza You Order Might Come in a Driverless Car

As reported by RealSimple: You may not have to worry about tipping the pizza delivery guy next time you order a pie—your meal could be delivered in a self-driving car. Domino’s Pizza and Ford are working together to test out driverless pizza delivery cars. 

The test project is being conducted in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where randomly selected Domino’s customers can opt to get their pizza delivery from a Ford Fusion Hybrid Autonomous Research Vehicle. Since it’s a test, the car will still have a safety engineer at the wheel and researchers inside to observe.

Participating customers can track their pizza’s progress through GPS and the Domino’s Tracker. The only catch is you’ll have to leave your house to get the pizza—it’s not exactly door-to-door service. When the vehicle gets to its destination, customer's will get a text message telling them how to get the pizza from the car by using a unique code. On one of the backseat doors, there’s a keypad to type in the code that will prompt the window to roll down so you can grab your pizza in the “Domino’s Heatwave Compartment.”

“We’re interested to learn what people think about this type of delivery,” Russell Weiner, president of Domino’s USA, said in a release. “The majority of our questions are about the last 50 feet of the delivery experience. For instance, how will customers react to coming outside to get their food?” All of this research will go into someday making driverless pizza delivery a seamless and customer-friendly possibility, Weiner says.

Cummins Unveils Class 7 All-Electric Daycab Tractor

As reported by Truckinginfo: Cummins has beaten Tesla to the punch with its unveiling of a new, all-electric truck, a demonstration vehicle dubbed the Urban Hauler EV.

With all eyes looking toward Tesla and its much-hyped unveiling of its new all-electric, commercial truck next month, Cummins on Aug. 29 stunned the trucking industry with the launch of its own new and fully electric, Class 7 day cab tractor.

The story is still developing, but it appears the new truck is a prototype model for demonstration purposes The truck reportedly is intended for urban delivery, port drayage, terminal hauling, and similar applications.

According to Cummins, the concept Class 7 Urban Hauler EV uses a state-of-the art battery pack, which “redefines” energy efficiency and density capabilities for the electric vehicle market.

Cummins said the lighter, denser battery design allows it to hold a longer charge for improved range and faster charging, reducing downtime.

The concept truck design includes an Engine-Generator option for extended range capabilities, allowing users to benefit from Cummins B4.5 or B6.7 engines, providing a major advantage over today’s hybrid systems. These engine options offer 50% fuel savings compared to today’s diesel hybrids with zero emissions.

During the unveiling event, which included tours of the Cummins technical center, Cummins leaders and scientists showcased the company’s continued innovation and work in analysis-led design capability, virtual reality, alternative fuels and digital capabilities, all of which the company said are positioning it to win in current and future technologies and in new markets.

More to Come in Engine Tech

Cummins also said it plans to introduce a revolutionary heavy-duty diesel engine in 2022. It showcased a variety of cutting-edge transportation technologies at the event, including clean diesel engines and natural gas and other alternative fuel capabilities, as well as digital capabilities, including data and analytical solutions

Cummins had previously signaled that it will be moving into the electric vehicle space in the future. “These new technological innovations build on our 100-year legacy of bringing the best solutions to our customers, driving their success and meeting the evolving demands of their industries and markets,” said Jennifer Rumsey, Cummins' chief technical officer, at the event.

“We will harness our global technical footprint to continue to develop a wide variety of power technologies to bring our customers the choice and solutions that enable their success and contribute to a sustainable future," she added.

“As a global power leader for the commercial and industrial customers we serve, with an unmatched service and support network, we are better positioned than any other company to win in new and emerging technologies and in new markets,” commented Cummins President and COO Rich Freeland.  “We will leverage our deep industry and customer knowledge and our scale advantage to win. Over the past century, our ability to innovate and adapt has fueled our success and we are confident we are on the right path to do it again.”