Self Driving Vehicles in Boston Area

[whighlander]

It's now time to have a thread related to Self Driving Vehicles and other automations of passenger and commercial vehicles

As of today the Seaport Innovation District -- specifically the Ray Flynn Marine Industrial Park has seen the future of self driving

Today's Herald Story
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/lo...g_vehicle_of_the_future_put_through_its_paces

Self-driving vehicle of the future put through its paces
Look ma, no hands!

Jordan Graham Thursday, January 05, 2017

Credit: Nancy Lane

LONG ROAD AHEAD: A nuTonomy vehicle drives around the Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park yesterday. Experts say even though the prospect is exciting, much work needs to be done before drivers have confidence in the autonomous technology....

The future is here, and it’s cruising around an industrial park in South Boston.

With little fanfare but plenty of gawking, Cambridge-based nuTonomy’s white Renault Zoe rolled out of a loading dock in the Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park just after 1 p.m. yesterday and made history as it drove around for more than an hour.

The state-of-the-art vehicle, which looks like any other car — save for the spinning LIDAR sensor on the roof, two more sensors on the sides and the “self-driving car” label — criss-crossed the 3 miles of road, prompting passers-by to stop and stare...

Under an agreement with the city and state, nuTonomy will have to drive 200 miles in the Marine Park — the first 100 during the day and in dry weather — before it can expand to another part of Southie. While the tests are conducted, the autonomous vehicle must have a trained driver in the driver’s seat ready to take the wheel and another employee monitoring the car’s systems from the backseat....

City officials are creating signs that will explain the tests to drivers and pedestrians, though they have not yet been finalized.
https://social.newsinc.com/media/js...dgetId=2&trackingGroup=69017&videoId=31815641

http://launch.newsinc.com/share.html?trackingGroup=69017&siteSection=ndn&videoId=31815641

The key piece of hardware -- LIDAR [expensive and very susceptible to damage]

Google Map
https://goo.gl/maps/VMt7mpZqgi12

Other work actively underway in our area:

• in Cambridge -- MIT and Toyota are currently mapping the area with a human driven car
• in Somerville discussions are on-going with with Audi and the city
• some unnamed companies are discussing with the Commonwealth about using the Army National Guard retained part of the Old Fort Devens

I'm betting that at least preliminary discussions have been had about use of other retired or semi-active military bases in places such as South Weymouth and the Cape

 

[tysmith95]

It's now time to have a thread related to Self Driving Vehicles and other automations of passenger and commercial vehicles

Already exists

http://www.archboston.org/community/showthread.php?t=5140