Driverless

Proponents of autonomous vehicles tout myriad possible benefits, ranging from dramatically increased safety to increased mobility for people who are currently unable to drive. However, autonomous vehicles will not come without tradeoffs. Cleveland State University Professor Robert A. Simons, Tucker Ellis associate Jeffry Carr, and Tod Northman, a transactional lawyer at Tucker Ellis, discuss ethical challenges that AVs will raise as the technology improves, in the first of a two-part discussion.

Calling itself the “world’s first post-car real estate developer,” and armed with venture capital cash from the Silicon Valley, Culdesac has teamed with an experienced Phoenix metropolitan area real estate developer to launch the first car-less residential project in the United States. Based on urban planning principles derived from European cities such as Brussels, where cars are de-emphasized, Culdesac is “building spaces for the post-car era.” Culdesac Tempe’s residents “will be able to live life from their doorsteps, rather than seeing it through their windshields.” Host Zach Adams analyzes the planned community with Robert Simons, Professor in the Levin School of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University, and Tod Northman, a business lawyer at Tucker Ellis; they explore how the project fits within the trends of autonomous vehicles and micro mobility.

Driverless vehicles will reshape urban development. Robert A. Simons, Professor at the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University, delves into the myriad factors, such as drivers foregoing ownership of vehicles to use shared vehicles and reduced travel times, that will change parking and land use in America's urban core. Professor Simons' book, which covers both technical and behavioral issues arising from autonomous vehicles, is scheduled to be released in spring 2020. He shares some of the salient lessons from his research.

Autonomous vehicle developers, such as GM and Waymo, have submitted comments to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that encourage the agency to establish new guidelines for autonomous vehicles that lack a steering wheel and gas/brake pedals. NHTSA asked automotive manufacturers and other autonomous vehicle technology companies to submit comments regarding changing regulations to include specific framework for AVs. Several commenters encouraged new rules for vehicles without a traditional steering wheel or brake and gas pedals in their comments. Host Zach Adams, litigator Jon Feczko and transactional lawyer Tod Northman discuss whether the absence of federal government regulation is delaying development. Jon and Zach suggest that we wait for public support for AV increases; Tod believes that NHTSA’s continuing current work to promulgate regulation is critical.

25 – Sustainable and Affordable Mobility and Power for All Host Zach Adams digs into global mobility with Dr. Chris Borroni-Bird, the founder of Afreecar LLC, which aims to provide solar-powered vehicles to African villages. Dr. Borroni-Bird’s particular interest is the fusion of technology and design, producing for example a “skateboard” vehicle. This far-ranging discussion covers the future of mobility. Before founding Afreecar, Dr. Borroni-Bird has worked at Waymo as Chief Engineer, Future Programs, and had a half-time appointment at MIT Media Lab, with a focus on the development and commercialization of a solar-powered mobility hub that could be applied to all communities around the world, ranging from sub-Saharan African villages to affluent megacities. Before that, Dr. Borroni-Bird was Qualcomm's VP of Strategic Development, where he focused on reshaping transportation around the convergence of wireless power and wireless communications. He also served as GM’s Director of Advanced Technology Vehicle Concepts and EN-V Program (Electric Networked-Vehicle, left). He was named one of Automotive News’ Electrifying 100 in 2011. Before the EN-V, he led GM’s Autonomy, Hy-wire and Sequel “skateboard” concepts. Before joining GM, he led Chrysler’s gasoline fuel cell vehicle development and was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame as a Young Leader in 2000. Further Reading https://afreecar.org/about/ http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/sae/18AUTP01/index.php#/28 https://www.forbes.com/sites/samabuelsamid/2016/05/23/the-father-of-the-skateboard-chassis-dr-chris-borroni-bird/#2bc6d9c07b30 https://www.drivesweden.net/sites/default/files/content/resource/files/afreecar_-_chris_borroni-bird__0.pdf Show Notes 1:00 - Chris’s unexpected path to Autonomous Vehicles. 3:30 - GM Autonomy, Design in Technology-Fusion, and Chris’s vision for the intersection of technology and design. 6:21 - The potential functional and safety benefits of electric skateboard-type vehicles. 9:15 - Crashworthiness of electric vehicles. 10:47 - Chris’s time at QUALCOMM and the promise of V2X communications. 15:51 - The costs and benefits to manufacturers for deploying and subsidizing V2X technology. 18:21 - Chris’s time at Waymo. 20:01 - The birth of Afreecar. 24:11 - The “solar kit,” its flexibility and its potential applications. 29:31 - Realizing Afreecar’s altruistic mission.

On this episode of Driverless, Tod Northman and Emmanuel Sanders continue their discussion with Professor Mark Geistfeld, the Sheila Lubetsky Birnbaum Professor of Civil Litigation at the NYU School of Law, about his groundbreaking performance-based approach to liability for and regulation of Autonomous Vehicles. Professor Geistfeld discusses the “regulatory sweet-spot” for Autonomous Vehicle, and the kinds of claims manufacturers and programmers can expect during this wave of Autonomous Vehicle deployment. Professor Geistfeld further addresses the “bystander problem” and suggests that the problem is not unique to Autonomous Vehicles, but one that transcends all areas of tort.

On this episode of Driverless Tod Northman and Emmanuel Sanders interview Professor Mark Geistfeld, the Sheila Lubetsky Birnbaum Professor of Civil Litigation at the NYU School of Law, about his groundbreaking performance-based approach to liability for and regulation of Autonomous Vehicles. Professor Geistfeld discusses the shortcomings of earlier approaches to Autonomous Vehicle liability, and the benefits of adopting a commonsense, performance-based approach. Professor Geistfeld further advocates for adoption of a performance-based regulatory framework, which will provide certainty to manufacturers and users of Autonomous Vehicles without hampering the innovation and improvement of this life-saving technology.

Blair LaCorte is president of AEye, a pioneer in artificial perception systems. In part 2 of the interview, Jay Campbell, co-founder of Tucker Ellis’s autonomous vehicle and intellectual property group and an intellectual property trial lawyer, interviews Mr. LaCorte about AEye’s systems based approach to artificial intelligence and perception, inspired by how the human visual cortex conceptually focuses on and evaluates the environment around a vehicle, driving conditions, and road hazards. By actively scanning the surrounding environment with a combination of LiDAR and cameras, AEye offers a unique and efficient paradigm for driverless technology.

Blair LaCorte is president of AEye, a pioneer in artificial perception systems. Jay Campbell, co-founder of Tucker Ellis’s autonomous vehicle and intellectual property group and an intellectual property trial lawyer, interviews Mr. LaCorte about AEye’s systems-based approach to artificial intelligence and perception, inspired by how the human visual cortex conceptually focuses on and evaluates the environment around a vehicle, driving conditions, and road hazards. By actively scanning the surrounding environment with a combination of LiDAR and cameras, AEye offers a unique and efficient paradigm for driverless technology.

We flip the microphone on our podcast host Zachary Adams. Miami litigator Francisco “Frank” Ramos, Jr., speaks with Zach on “A Conversation With,” Defense Research Institute’s podcast where Frank interviews lawyers about their practice. Frank is a DRI member and a partner at Miami law firm Clarke Silverglate PA; he has written seven books about law and its practice and quickly digs into some of the most important questions about autonomous vehicles. The format gives Zach the opportunity to step back from the detail we frequently cover to address big-picture questions about autonomous vehicles and the state of laws and regulations. You also get to know Zach better.

Dr. Bart Kosko, is a Professor of Electrical Engineering in the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering and a Professor of Engineering and Law in USC's Gould School of Law. Dr. Kosko wrote the book on fuzzy logic and is an expert on neural networks. Jay Campbell, co-founder of Tucker Ellis’s autonomous vehicle and intellectual property group and an intellectual property trial lawyer, interviews Dr. Kosko. Jay and Dr. Kosko have been friends for many years going back to a case they worked on together nearly twenty years ago. Since then, Jay has tried several cases involving neural networks and fuzzy logic. Dr. Kosko is a fellow of the IEEE, a fellow of the International Neural Network Society (INNS), and a fellow of the International Fuzzy Systems Association (IFSA).

Dr. Bart Kosko, is a Professor of Electrical Engineering in the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering and a Professor of Engineering and Law in USC's Gould School of Law. Dr. Kosko wrote the book on fuzzy logic and is an expert on neural networks. Jay Campbell, co-founder of Tucker Ellis’s autonomous vehicle and intellectual property group and an intellectual property trial lawyer, interviews Dr. Kosko. Jay and Dr. Kosko have been friends for many years going back to a case they worked on together nearly twenty years ago. Since then, Jay has tried several cases involving neural networks and fuzzy logic. Dr. Kosko is a fellow of the IEEE, a fellow of the International Neural Network Society (INNS), and a fellow of the International Fuzzy Systems Association (IFSA). Part 2 of 3.

Chris S. Egner is a product liability attorney, and a member of the Global Expert Team, at Continental Tire the Americas, LLC. Despite having “tires” in its name, Continental provides a diverse range of parts and components to the automotive industry. Its approach to autonomous technology is similarly ambitious: rolling out a robotic delivery dog (ANYmal) and CUbE, the Continental Urban Mobility Experience, a driverless vehicle, for example. Chris’s responsibilities at Continental include risk assessment and case evaluation for complex product liability, asbestos, toxic tort, and automotive systems matters. She manages external counsel throughout the U.S. during all phases of litigation. Host Zach Adams, a litigator at Tucker Ellis, discusses Continental’s efforts to develop automated driving technology safely while navigating a challenging liability and regulatory environment. Chris’s role at Continental gives her a broad understanding of autonomous technology and legal liability.

Jay Campbell, intellectual property litigator and co-founder of Tucker Ellis’ Autonomous Vehicles and Artificial Intelligence Technologies group, interviews Dr. Bart Kosko. Dr. Kosko is a Professor of Electrical Engineering in the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering and a Professor of Engineering and Law in USC's Gould School of Law. Dr. Kosko is a fellow of the IEEE, a fellow of the International Neural Network Society (INNS), and a fellow of the International Fuzzy Systems Association (IFSA). As will be discussed in future portions of this interview series, Dr. Kosko quite literally wrote the book on fuzzy logic. Resources Kosko, Bart, Fuzzy Thinking: The New Science of Fuzzy Logic (1st edition, 1993; ) https://www.amazon.com/Fuzzy-Thinking-New-Science-Logic/dp/1562828398/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?crid=1IO1P7XGUJ5PD&keywords=bart+kosko+fuzzy+thinking&qid=1554986274&s=gateway&sprefix=bart+kosko%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-1-fkmrnull Dr. Kosko’s Professional Biography: http://sipi.usc.edu/~kosko/

Kristin Slanina, Chief Transformation Officer (and long-time automotive engineer), and Mohammad Hamid, Special Advisor in the Emerging Technologies Group, both of Thirdware Solutions, delve into the future of smart mobility with host Zach Adams, a litigator at Tucker Ellis. Kristin and Mo recently presented on the “The Business of Mobility” at the Automotive Futures Conference. They are key members of the smart mobility team at Thirdware, which is a long-time automotive IT company. Thirdware helps traditional automotive industry participants acclimate to the changing industry landscape, as traditional automotive companies seek ways to expand their revenue sources. https://www.tuckerellis.com/services/autonomous-vehicles-artificial-intelligence-technologies