Transport Topics, March 8, 2018
“Starsky chose Florida for testing due largely to the state’s permissive autonomous vehicles laws; it does not require a human operator be present in the vehicle for testing purposes, nor require any special permits. For last month’s runs, Starsky worked with county officials to close off the road used for testing.”
Florida Politics, March 8
Florida Polytechnic University received its first National Science Grant for research on cyber-physical systems. This grant has the potential to help autonomous vehicles better plan commutes based on environmental conditions.
The Economist, March 1, 2018
Every day around 10m people take an Uber. The company has made ride-hailing commonplace in more than 600 cities in 82 countries. But the Volvo XC90 picking its way through traffic on a wintry morning in Pittsburgh is no ordinary Uber.
The Verge, February 27, 2018
Ford is bringing its fleet of self-driving cars to the neon-splashed streets of Miami to test out its future commercial plans for robot cars, which include ride-hailing and deliveries, the automaker announced today.
WFTS ABC Action News Tampa, February 27, 2018
The future was scheduled for January of 2018. But the future was delayed. Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) promised that downtown Tampa would have a self-driving, autonomous shuttle operating full-time by the weekend of the NHL All-Star Game in January. It didn’t happen. But there will be an autonomous shuttle for one day.
WOFL FOX 35, February 21, 2018
Self-driving cars have to ‘see’ everything around them, to safely navigate our streets. Autonomous vehicles are given this “sight” using Light Detection and Ranging devices also known as ‘L.I.D.A.R.’ It works like RADAR, but rather than sending out radio waves, LIDAR uses laser light. The systems sent out laser beams and measure how long it takes them to bounce back.
CBS News, January 15, 2016
As supporters and critics debate self-driving vehicles, 125,000 senior citizens who live in a central Florida retirement community will take them for a ride in the world’s largest self-driving experiment. They’ll travel 750 miles of roads in The Villages retirement community near Orlando.
Voyage, an autonomous vehicle (AV) startup specializing in a robo-taxi service, will pick them up at their homes and drive them free of charge to and from grocery stores, theaters, pools, golf and tennis with only a “technician” on board to monitor the system — and take the wheel if necessary. Later on, the technician will be dropped and a transportation fee added.
The Capitolist, February 20, 2018
Innovative ridesharing companies are quickly becoming a premier option for consumers across the country – and Florida is right on board. Last year, the state Legislature joined the majority of other states in supporting ridesharing by allowing this pioneering transportation option to expand its services under a uniform statewide set of standards. It turns out that was only the beginning of the good news for those of us who want to see our state continue to support innovation.
Bloomberg, February 8, 2018
The Central Station monorail platform hangs above the streets of Jacksonville, Florida. The fareboxes, which haven’t accepted payment in almost six years, wear vinyl wrap with “SKYWAY IS FREE” stenciled in white block letters. Even at that price, the end of a recent morning rush finds only a handful of riders bothering to wait for the silver-and-blue trains that glide in every six minutes.
