GM announces that they expect to have vehicles that will drive themselves at least partially by the middle of the decade, and near fully automatic cars by 2020. GM is developing more and more automated safety technology every year, and together these new technologies can work to make a vehicle that could be almost fully automated.
GM has announced that they may be able to release vehicles that drive themselves in-part by the middle of the decade, and they hope to release almost fully automatic vehicles by 2020. GM is developing more and more automated safety technology every year, and together these new technologies can work to make a vehicle that could be almost fully automated. GM hopes that with all this new safety technology and the potential for fully automated systems, we can eventually eliminate vehicle crashes by allowing computers to correct a hazardous situation before the human mind is even aware that a hazardous situation has occurred.
GM is already installing some of the safety technology in its vehicles, but is hoping to combine all of them in one vehicle to create a vehicle that at least partially if not fully drive itself. GM has already installed lane departure warning systems, side blind zone alerts, and back-up cameras in some of their vehicles.
There is also new technology being released in the coming year that contributes to the technology being used to create automatic vehicles. The new crash avoidance system that we have already blogged about which is available in the 2012 Terrain is among one of the technologies. The camera can search for images of other vehicles in order to determine when a vehicle is too close. There are also vehicle to vehicle infrastructure communication systems being developed. These provide information from other vehicles, traffic signs, and roadways to warn drivers of a myriad of safety hazards ahead such as slowed or stalled vehicles, curves in the road, upcoming stop signs and more.
There is also the amazing new EN-V urban mobility concept which will be a great resource in the creation of self-driving vehicles. This technology uses GPS systems and vehicle to vehicle communication as well as distance sensors to allow for autonomous driving. This technology will allow a vehicle to detect pedestrians, avoid collisions, and even park itself. This will open up a whole new world of possibilities, including vehicles that can drop their driver off, go park, and then return to pick the driver up from their location after being called via commands from a smartphone.
GM hopes that this new technology will make the roads safer for everyone. “In the coming years, we believe the industry will experience a dramatic leap in active safety systems, and, hopefully, a dramatic decline in injuries and fatalities on our roadways,” said General Motors Vice President of Global Research and Development, Alan Taub. “GM has made a commitment to be at the forefront of this development.”
Cutting Off Access for Oral Bacteria May Be Key to Preventing Tooth Decay
The journal of Microbiology recently published a study containing results which suggest that we may now have the keys to preventing gum disease and tooth loss. The study says that if we can strip some oral bacteria from being able to access the other pathogenic oral bacteria then we may be able to use them to help prevent decay and loss.
New Oversight Means New Rules for Credit Collectors
Recently a major consumer finance watchdog released reports that the government has plans to regulate previously unregulated financial firms. Now these debt collectors and credit reporting agencies are preparing themselves for the worst.
Green Beer? Try Green Teeth
This Saint Patrick’s Day thousands of people across the U.S. will be going out to celebrate with lots of delicious green foods like green cakes, green cupcakes, green chocolate, green eggs and ham, and even the popular Saint Patty’s Day hit green beer. But all this green food has one thing in common: green food coloring. In small doses green food coloring can be a fun way to brighten up your food or play along for Saint Patrick’s Day, but after eating green food coloring all day a person’s teeth will quickly start to show that green dye.
