U.S. to Outline Strong Support for Self-Driving Cars at CES

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Reuters, via the New York Times

U.S. to Outline Strong Support for Self-Driving Cars at CES
By Reuters
Jan. 8, 2020
Updated 4:25 p.m. ET

LAS VEGAS -- The Trump administration on Wednesday will signal strong support for self-driving vehicles as it releases new guidance from federal agencies at the annual CES tech conference.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao is unveiling the administration's latest principles for autonomous vehicles -- dubbed 4.0, which she says unifies autonomous efforts across 38 U.S. departments and agencies.

"The takeaway from AV 4.0 is that the federal government is all in -- for safer, better and more inclusive transportation, aided by automated driving systems," Chao plans to say, according to a copy of her remarks reviewed by Reuters.

White House technology adviser Michael Kratsios said in a statement the principles will "help foster an environment for innovators to advance safe AV technologies, and put the U.S. in a position of continued leadership in the future of transportation."

The 51-page 4.0 policy document being released Wednesday says the U.S. government will adopt and promote "flexible, technology-neutral policies that will allow the public, not the federal government or foreign governments, to choose the most economically efficient and effective transportation and mobility solutions."
....

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/01/08/business/08reuters-tech-ces-selfdriving.html

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Also:

"The U.S. DOT is streamlining launch and re-entry policies to encourage growth in the commercial space sector"
@SecElaineChao
#CES2020

Link to tweet

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https://www.ces.tech/

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. Trump Administration Releases "Ensuring American Leadership in Automated Vehicle Technologies..."

Home › Briefing Room

Trump Administration Releases “Ensuring American Leadership in Automated Vehicle Technologies: Automated Vehicles 4.0”

WASHINGTON – The White House and the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) today released ‘Ensuring American Leadership in Automated Vehicle Technologies: Automated Vehicles 4.0’ (AV 4.0). The initiative was announced by U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao in a keynote speech at CES in Las Vegas. AV 4.0 unifies efforts in automated vehicles across 38 Federal departments, independent agencies, commissions, and Executive Offices of The President, providing high-level guidance to state and local governments, innovators, and all stakeholders on the U.S. government’s approach towards AVs.

“AV 4.0 will ensure American leadership in AV technology development and integration by providing unified guidance for the first time across the Federal government for innovators and stakeholders,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

AV 4.0 establishes federal principles for the development and integration of automated vehicles, consisting of three core focus areas: prioritize safety and security, promote innovation, and ensure a consistent regulatory approach. It also outlines ongoing Administration efforts supporting AV technology growth and leadership, as well as opportunities for collaboration including federal investments in the AV sector and resources for innovators, researchers, and the public.

“AV 4.0 brings all of the important work happening on automated vehicle technologies across the federal government under one unified approach. The federal principles released today help foster an environment for innovators to advance safe AV technologies, and put the U.S. in a position of continued leadership in the future of transportation,” said U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios.

The USDOT is actively preparing for emerging technologies by engaging with new technologies to address legitimate public concerns about safety, security, and privacy without hampering innovation. With the release of Automated Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision for Safety (ADS 2.0) in September 2017, the USDOT provided voluntary guidance to industry, as well as technical assistance and best practices to states, offering a path forward for the safe testing and integration of Automated Driving Systems. In October 2018, Preparing for the Future of Transportation: Automated Vehicles 3.0 (AV 3.0) introduced guiding principles for AV innovation for all surface transportation modes, and described the USDOT’s strategy to address existing barriers to potential safety benefits and progress.

AV 4.0 builds on these efforts by presenting a unifying posture to inform collaborative efforts in automated vehicles for all stakeholders and outlines past and current Federal Government efforts to ensure the United States leads the world in AV technology development and integration while prioritizing safety, security, and privacy and safeguarding the freedoms enjoyed by Americans.

AV 4.0 will be published in the Federal Register for public review and comment. More information on the USDOT’s work on automated vehicles can be found at https://www.transportation.gov/av/4.

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Updated: Wednesday, January 8, 2020

[BlueIdaho]

2. Let's stick Ivanka in one for a 3 month coast to coast road tour.

And see how that works out...

[not fooled]

3. Of course they are

Capitalist wish-list fulfillment--to replace even more humans with robots.

[patphil]

4. We're a long way away from that being practical.

There are just too many factors involved in the driving experience. I don't think we can program all the situations and necessary responses into a computer at this time.
Artificial intelligence is not able to foresee and properly react to the near infinite possibilities that are part of the driving experience.
And, even long term, seasoned drivers have difficulty making correct choices.
Also, programmed devices are only as good as the program, and don't learn in the same way as a person.
Even the best computers are woefully inadequate to accurately predict developing situations.
Besides that, any computer can be hacked.
Would you like to risk your family to a computer at 70 miles an hour on the interstate?
It's going to be a while before human drivers are able to be safely replaced by computers...perhaps 1-2 decades.

I have a masters degree in Computer Science, and have worked as a System Administrator. There is an old phrase that says it best, "to err is human, but to really screw things up it takes a computer."

Patrick Phillips