‘Driving’ into 2018?
As we go into 2018, it’s clear that the way we get about is going to change in a big way. At the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, headline news was that two huge firms – Uber and Volkswagen – have teamed up with technology giant, Nvidia.
Nvidia if you’ve not heard of it before, it’s a company which grew off the back of making computer graphic chips. Now however, it is making a name for itself around autonomous cars. And its two new friends reflect how wide ranging this technology will become in our lives.
For those of us in the UK, there is currently a question mark hanging over the future of Uber as last September, TfL didn’t give the firm the right to hold a London private hire operator licence. This was on the grounds of ‘public safety and security implications’, with concerns being over Uber’s approach to doing background checks on its drivers.
Despite this, Uber is continuing to operate whilst waiting for a hearing on whether it can continue in the capital – that hearing is likely to take place this summer. In the meanwhile, it’s been revealed that Nvidia’s partnership with Uber is based around further developing driverless car capabilities. So, if Uber doesn’t get its licence in London, perhaps it won’t matter after all!
The technology that Nvidi will work with Uber on is about how autonomous cars perceive the environment around them, helping them to make the accurate split second decisions that are crucial to driving. Already, in the States more than 50,000 journeys have been made in driverless Uber cars.
Similarly, Volkswagen is working with Nvidi on building capabilities such as facial recognition, gesture control (might need to be careful there if you suffer from road rage), and natural language processing. Not much more is known at this point but it’s all quite exciting stuff.
So if you want to stay ahead of the game, keep an eye on these three companies, particularly Nvidia as it apparently already has 320 companies on its book, from car manufacturers to software developers, who it is working with around autonomous vehicles.
Nvidia if you’ve not heard of it before, it’s a company which grew off the back of making computer graphic chips. Now however, it is making a name for itself around autonomous cars. And its two new friends reflect how wide ranging this technology will become in our lives.
For those of us in the UK, there is currently a question mark hanging over the future of Uber as last September, TfL didn’t give the firm the right to hold a London private hire operator licence. This was on the grounds of ‘public safety and security implications’, with concerns being over Uber’s approach to doing background checks on its drivers.
Despite this, Uber is continuing to operate whilst waiting for a hearing on whether it can continue in the capital – that hearing is likely to take place this summer. In the meanwhile, it’s been revealed that Nvidia’s partnership with Uber is based around further developing driverless car capabilities. So, if Uber doesn’t get its licence in London, perhaps it won’t matter after all!
The technology that Nvidi will work with Uber on is about how autonomous cars perceive the environment around them, helping them to make the accurate split second decisions that are crucial to driving. Already, in the States more than 50,000 journeys have been made in driverless Uber cars.
Similarly, Volkswagen is working with Nvidi on building capabilities such as facial recognition, gesture control (might need to be careful there if you suffer from road rage), and natural language processing. Not much more is known at this point but it’s all quite exciting stuff.
So if you want to stay ahead of the game, keep an eye on these three companies, particularly Nvidia as it apparently already has 320 companies on its book, from car manufacturers to software developers, who it is working with around autonomous vehicles.
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