Autonocast

Things have been moving fast since we learned that an Uber autonomous drive test vehicle was involved in a fatal crash in Tempe, Arizona earlier this week. In our last discussion episode we urged restraint when discussing the incident itself, but with the release of video of the crash a terrifying scenario is coming into focus. Not only does it appear that Uber's autonomous drive system failed in fundamental ways, but so to did the safety driver who was supposed to be the last line of defense against "edge cases." In order to keep up with this rapidly-developing story, Alex, Kirsten and Ed got together to discuss what the video appears to show, what it means, and where Uber and the entire autonomous drive space needs to go from here.

One important topic that The Autonocast has so far yet to discuss: how are autonomous vehicles shaping the world of car design? To help us delve into this fascinating issue, Alex, Kirsten and Ed are joined by former BMW design chief and current head of Chris Bangle Associates, the one and only Chris Bangle. Find out how architecture is impacting autonomous car design, what features autonomous vehicles will need to realize their potential, and how design has taken on anti-humanistic elements that need to be addressed in this new era.

Autonomous cars are back in the news in a big way, as the inevitable has finally happened: a pedestrian was killed by an autonomous test vehicle. Kirsten, Alex and Ed discuss the incident itself, its impact on the autonomous drive sector, the political and regulatory environment around it, the discourse about it and the incentives shaping autonomous vehicle safety and testing.

Mapping is one of the fundamental challenges that goes into autonomy, and some of the innovations going into the collection and use of mapping data are some of the most interesting in the space. This week, Ro Gupta of Carmera joins the Autonocast to discuss how his firm is partnering with cities and delivery services to create high-quality, dynamic maps for autonomous vehicles and applications beyond.

At a time when the media is running stories about people attacking autonomous cars in San Francisco, one organization has become seen as the heart of darkness of the human revolt against robocars. But is The Human Driving Association really the shock troops of an anti-automation insurgency, or is the truth a bit more nuanced than that? The founder of the HDA, Autonocast co-host Alex Roy, joins us for an extended discussion of this most controversial organization.

If autonomous vehicles are the future, shouldn't there be more people who can work on them? From the educational system to retraining, much needs to be done to bring the necessary talent into the mobility technology space. From his experience at Carnegie Mellon and his time starting up Speak With Me, Ajay Juneja has a few thoughts on filling the talent pipeline for a new generation of smart cars.

With news that Ford is going to Miami to test its autonomous vehicle technology and business plan, we look back at past episodes that will help shed light on this move and look forward to try to predict the next city where AVs will deploy. We also discuss the new California DMV rules, Toyota's new billion-dollar AV company, the Jaguar iPace and the importance (or not) of big batteries and fast charging.

With a third generation of federal "policy guidance" in the works and national summit on AV regulation taking place today, we turn to one of the most insightful voices on the legal and regulatory issues surrounding autonomous drive technology. Bryant Walker Smith is a professor at the University of South Carolina law school, an affiliate scholar at the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School, an adjunct clinical professor at the University of Michigan Law School and a member of the US Department of Transportation's Advisory Committee on Automation in Transportation. If anyone can provide a clear overview of the tangle of issues surrounding this emerging technology in just 30 minutes, it's this guy.

In what may be the most trend-chasing-est episode yet, Alex, Kirsten and Ed discuss Porsche's new blockchain play (yes, really...), Stanford's research into a steering wheel "avatar," the rise of category-blurring shuttles and (of course) sexual harassment. It's the kind of episode where even the hosts aren't sure when to be snarky and when to be serious.

In the words of Dr Sven Beiker, the important question is not when autonomous vehicles will be deployed but where they will be deployed. As autonomous drive technology matures and companies get closer to deploying, the question of where autonomous vehicles can have the most positive impact is becoming more important than ever. To explore this question, we're kicking off a "City Series" here at The Autonocast that will look at the challenges and opportunities facing autonomous mobility in different cities and regions. To kick off this series,we're joined by Avery Ash of INRIX. Avery explains how INRIX developed a ranking of cities most likely to benefit from shared autonomous electric vehicles, where the data to make these decisions come from and how companies and municipalities alike can work together to ensure that the future of mobility has as positive an impact as possible.

On the latest episode of The Autonocast: why Level Four autonomy can mean almost anything, how Nissan plans to make a buck selling electric cars, where you can stick your platitudes about the CASE (connected, autonomous, shared electric) orthodoxy and the worst driverless car video... in the world.

Mapping has always been an important aspect of autonomous drive technology, but the full range of opportunities for maps in the future of mobility isn't always fully appreciated. This week Dr Sanjay Sood, head of Highly Automated Driving at the mapping juggernaut HERE, joins The Autonocast to explain why maps are so crucial, how they are being used to solve all kinds of mobility challenges and where the future of mapping is headed.

As the last few weeks have confirmed once again, the media can't stop talking about Tesla... and apparently neither can we. Luckily we also managed to squeeze in some discussion of the Uber-Waymo trial, the upcoming AV regulatory summit and the Apple Homepod. In short, this may well be the least autonomous drive-focused episode of The Autonocast ever.

Dr Melissa Cefkin is one of many scientists working on the challenge of developing and deploying autonomous cars at Nissan's Silicon Valley research lab. But she's a bit different than most scientists working in this space: she's a social scientist, specifically an anthropologist. On this episode of The Autonocast, she joins the crew to explain why social science is so important to the development of autonomous cars, and how her team contributes to Nissan's work in this sector.

Dr Stephen Zoepf of Stanford's Center for Automotive Research recently wrote a thoughtful commentary at Reuters about the complex nature of autonomous vehicle safety. Dr Zoepf joins the latest episode of The Autonocast to explain his thoughts on this fascinating topic with Alex, Kirsten and Ed. The conversation continues with a discussion of the California DMV's annual disengagement report, and the recently-promulgated Shared Mobility Principles For Livable Cities.