LOS ALTOS, Calif. — A mock grocery store inside a Toyota Research Institute laboratory here presents challenges for a humanoid robot plying the aisles. The robot must know where items on its shopping list are located and how to navigate within reach. It must understand how much each product weighs and how it’s packaged. Should
The ordinary orange construction cone has become a symbol of resistance in an insurgency against self-driving vehicles. Members of a group called Safe Street Rebel started placing construction cones atop the hoods of robotaxis last month in San Francisco. The action renders the cars unable to continue driving until a human removes the cones or
Self-driving trucks might roll in California after all. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office has signaled his opposition to legislation that would permanently ban driverless big rigs from operating on the state’s public roads. The bill, AB 316, had been gaining momentum in the state Assembly and is backed by labor unions — notably the Teamsters. But
Hydrogen can play a starring role in a clean energy future — but only if it finds a critical mass of initial support. The federal government is about to drop $8 billion to ensure that happens. A U.S. Department of Energy initiative designed to spur hydrogen adoption is less than two months away from reaching
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Aurora Innovation continues to chip away at the financial and technical mileposts needed to launch and grow its self-driving trucking business. The company moved Tuesday to bolster its financial position, saying it intends to sell as much as $800 million in Class A common stock via two separate transactions. Aurora plans
SAN FRANCISCO — Self-driving vehicles will likely soon have a new regulatory path for reaching the road. A top federal safety official outlined a new national program Wednesday for greenlighting the deployment of autonomous vehicles that do not have traditional controls like steering wheels or brake pedals. Companies could potentially deploy large numbers of self-driving
SAN FRANCISCO — Delays, defeat and dystopia. Tuesday marked a sobering and perhaps seminal milepost in ongoing efforts to deploy and expand the presence of autonomous vehicles in California. In the morning, the California Public Utilities Commission again delayed a vote on applications from Cruise and Waymo to expand and begin, respectively, commercial robotaxi service
Despite economic and technical headwinds, robotaxis are making progress — one neighborhood at a time. Waymo and Cruise, the two companies offering commercial driverless service in the U.S., have expanded their service territories in their respective launch cities in recent months and promise broader service ahead. Their endeavors in San Francisco should be closely watched.
Power-thirsty electric big rigs will soon need places to charge up. Charging company TeraWatt Infrastructure intends to become a prime destination as truck operators begin to electrify their fleets. The San Francisco startup tailors its charging stations for fleets, often heavy-duty trucks. TeraWatt Infrastructure has raised $1.1 billion and aims to have its first charging
Artificial intelligence might soon eliminate one of the biggest bottlenecks in the car-design process. Toyota Research Institute executives said Tuesday they’ve developed a generative AI technique that ensures early design sketches incorporate engineering parameters. Using the new technique could curtail the number of iterations needed and shorten design cycles, said Avinash Balachandran, director of TRI’s
