Google self-driving car crashes into a bus (update: statement)

Google’s self-driving cars have been in accidents before, but always on the receiving end… at least, until now. The company has filed a California DMV accident report confirming that one of its autonomous vehicles (a Lexus RX450h) collided with a bus in Mountain View. The crash happened when the robotic SUV had to go into the center lane to make a right turn around some sand bags — both the vehicle and its test driver incorrectly assumed that a bus approaching from behind would slow or stop to let the car through. The Lexus smacked into the side of the bus at low speed, damaging its front fender, wheel and sensor in the process.

This was a minor incident, and we’re happy to report that there were no injuries. However, this might be the first instance where one of Google’s self-driving cars caused an accident. If so, the Mountain View crew can no longer say it’s an innocent dove on the roads — while this wasn’t a glitch, its software made a decision that led to a crash. We’ve reached out to Google to see if it can elaborate on what happened.

No matter what the response, it was always going to be difficult to avoid this kind of incident. Until self-driving cars can anticipate every possible road hazard, there’s always a chance that they’ll either be confused or make choices with unexpected (and sometimes unfortunate) consequences. However, the hope at this early stage isn’t to achieve a flawless track record. Instead, it’s to show that self-driving cars can be safer overall than their human-piloted counterparts.

Update: Google has provided us with its take on the incident from its February monthly report. It sees the accident as the result of that “normal part of driving” where there’s mutual blame: both sides made too many assumptions. So yes, Google acknowledges that it’s partly at fault for what happened. In the wake of the crash, it has already tweaked its software to accept that buses are “less likely to yield” and prevent issues like this in the future. Read the full copy below.

Our self-driving cars spend a lot of time on El Camino Real, a wide boulevard of three lanes in each direction that runs through Google’s hometown of Mountain View and up the peninsula along San Francisco Bay. With hundreds of sets of traffic lights and hundreds more intersections, this busy and historic artery has helped us learn a lot over the years. And on Valentine’s Day we ran into a tricky set of circumstances on El Camino that’s helped us improve an important skill for navigating similar roads.

El Camino has quite a few right-hand lanes wide enough to allow two lines of traffic. Most of the time it makes sense to drive in the middle of a lane. But when you’re teeing up a right-hand turn in a lane wide enough to handle two streams of traffic, annoyed traffic stacks up behind you. So several weeks ago we began giving the self-driving car the capabilities it needs to do what human drivers do: hug the rightmost side of the lane. This is the social norm because a turning vehicle often has to pause and wait for pedestrians; hugging the curb allows other drivers to continue on their way by passing on the left. It’s vital for us to develop advanced skills that respect not just the letter of the traffic code but the spirit of the road.

On February 14, our vehicle was driving autonomously and had pulled toward the right-hand curb to prepare for a right turn. It then detected sandbags near a storm drain blocking its path, so it needed to come to a stop. After waiting for some other vehicles to pass, our vehicle, still in autonomous mode, began angling back toward the center of the lane at around 2 mph — and made contact with the side of a passing bus traveling at 15 mph. Our car had detected the approaching bus, but predicted that it would yield to us because we were ahead of it. (You can read the details below in the report we submitted to the CA DMV.)

Our test driver, who had been watching the bus in the mirror, also expected the bus to slow or stop. And we can imagine the bus driver assumed we were going to stay put. Unfortunately, all these assumptions led us to the same spot in the lane at the same time. This type of misunderstanding happens between human drivers on the road every day.

This is a classic example of the negotiation that’s a normal part of driving — we’re all trying to predict each other’s movements. In this case, we clearly bear some responsibility, because if our car hadn’t moved there wouldn’t have been a collision. That said, our test driver believed the bus was going to slow or stop to allow us to merge into the traffic, and that there would be sufficient space to do that.

We’ve now reviewed this incident (and thousands of variations on it) in our simulator in detail and made refinements to our software. From now on, our cars will more deeply understand that buses (and other large vehicles) are less likely to yield to us than other types of vehicles, and we hope to handle situations like this more gracefully in the future.

Via: Reuters

Source: California DMV (PDF)

‘Rocket League’ will get a physical release later this year

The ridiculous but delightful Rocket League — a game that basically lets you play soccer with rocket-powered cars rather than human beings — was one of the surprise indie hits for the PS4 and Steam in 2015. Earlier this month, it hit the the Xbox One, and now we’re learning that you’ll soon be able to buy a physical copy of the game. Rocket League: Collecor’s Edition will be released in retail stores around the world in Q3 of this year and will include the three DLC update that have been released thus far as well as some additional retail-only content.

What that extra content will be hasn’t been announced yet, but the game’s active fanbase will certainly want to keep their eyes peeled for it. While there’s definitely some double-dipping going on here, hopefully that retail content will also be available to download for people who bought the digital version of Rocket League. And as the game was originally released on the PS4 free for PlayStation Plus subscribers, there’s a good chance that lots of players haven’t shelled out any cash for it yet — those that have become devoted fans might not mind dropping some cash on the new ultimate edition. We’ll have to wait to find out how much it’ll cost and when exactly it’ll be released, though.

Razer reveals the first games for its VR developer kit

Razer and the OSVR alliance have been working on their developer-ready VR headset for a while, but they haven’t said much about what you’ll play on this early hardware. That’s a bit odd for technology that revolves around gaming, don’t you think? Never to fear, though, as the first games have arrived for OSVR’s Hacker Development Kit. They’re mostly what you’d expect for a SteamVR-compatible device: a pair of Valve classics (Half-Life 2 and Team Fortress 2), a popular spaceflight game (Elite: Dangerous) and a racing title (Live for Speed). About the only outlier is Spermination, a shooter that’s about as odd as its name suggests.

The initial catalog isn’t going to reassure you that your $300 headset purchase was a wise idea. That’s not really the point, though. This is more about getting a feel for what OSVR can do than anything else. The party really starts if and when OSVR hits the mainstream, and SteamVR games are relatively widespread.

Source: Razer

Cram for Super Tuesday with Engadget’s election guide

On March 1st Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia will cast their votes in the primaries and caucuses. Plus Alaska and Wyoming are having Republican caucuses and American Samoa is getting in on the action with its own Democratic caucus — there’s a reason they call it “Super Tuesday.” And from here on out things start moving pretty fast. In the next seven days nearly two dozen states and territories will have their say in who should be the nominee for the two major parties. Yes Primary season is really hitting it’s stride.

But don’t think you’re done with the debate drama. Thursday, March 3rd, the Republican candidates still hanging on after Super Tuesday will face off in Detroit. You can watch that showdown at 9PM ET either on Fox News or at foxnews.com. Then on the 6th, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton will face off in Flint, Michigan, site of the disastrous water contamination scandal that has put the local government under sharp criticism. The two remaining Democrats will take the stage at 8PM ET on CNN and at CNN.com.

And, of course, before those showdowns kick off, make sure to get caught up on the candidates positions on the most pressing tech and science issues of 2016 in our election guide. And make sure to join in the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Ello, Google+, BBS or semaphore using the hashtag #engadgetelectionguide.

‘Minecraft’ update puts items in both hands

It’s often the little things that make a big difference. Mojang has released a combat-focused Minecraft update that lets you carry items in both hands, dramatically streamlining how you play. You can carry both a sword and a shield (also new) when you’re expecting a rough fight, or place torches while you’re digging tunnels with your pickaxe — no more switching back and forth for some mundane tasks. This may take some time to get used to if you’re a veteran, but it promises to make your virtual life considerably easier.

Source: Mojang

Steve Jobs Refused to Bring iPod & iTunes to PC Without Walt Mossberg’s Blessing

Tony Fadell, known as the godfather of the iPod for his role in its design, recently sat down Appvance CEO Kevin Surace at the SV Forum Visionary Salon Dinner to reminisce about Steve Jobs and his time at Apple. VentureBeat attended the event and has shared a transcript of the discussion.

Fadell has discussed his role at Apple and his relationship with Jobs many times over the years, but new details, additional color, and lesser-known tidbits tend to surface with each new interview, making them worth a read. This most recent interview covers an interesting look at the decision to bring iTunes to the PC.

Image via VentureBeat
Jobs was initially against introducing PC support for the iPod because he viewed the device as a way to attract people to the Mac. Fadell had a team of people working on porting iTunes to PC to give people who didn’t own a Mac a taste of Apple products. Fadell describes his effort to get iTunes on the PC as a “knock down, drag out battle.”

After being pressured by much of the iPod team to get iTunes to the biggest market, Jobs relented, but he insisted that journalist Walt Mossberg, who wrote for The Wall Street Journal at the time, sign off on the design.

He [Steve] finally said, “Okay. But under one condition. We’re going to build these and run it by Mossberg. And if Mossberg says it’s good enough to ship, then we’ll ship it.” He wanted to divorce himself from having to make the decision. But Walt said, “Not bad. I’d ship it.” That’s how we actually shipped on the PC.

Following iTunes’ PC launch, Fadell says Mac sales accelerated. The iPod and iTunes were good on the PC, “but great on a Mac,” enticing people to switch to Apple’s platform.

Another anecdote in the interview covers Apple’s early exploration of a phone. Fadell and his team began conceptualizing an “iPod phone” that was an iPod with a phone module inside it. It was designed like an iPod with a click wheel for dialing, an idea that didn’t work.

It looked like an iPod, but it had a phone, and you would select numbers through the same interface and so on. But if you wanted to dial a number it was like using a rotary dial. It sucked. We knew three months in that it wasn’t going to work. Steve said, “Keep trying!” We tried everything. We tried for seven or eight months to get that thing to work. Couldn’t do it. We added more buttons and it just became this gangly thing.

A rendering of a prototype iPod/iPhone hybrid with a click wheel, based on information from a source familiar with Apple’s designs at the time.
At the same time as the iPod phone was in development, Apple was also exploring the idea of a touchscreen Mac, leading to the idea of a virtual interface on a phone.

Steve’s like, “Come over here!” I didn’t know about this at the time, but he showed me a ping-pong table that was the first multi-touch screen. It was a ping-pong-sized table. It had a projector of a Mac on top of it, and you could interact with it. He said, “We’re going to put that in an iPod!” “Steve, it’s the size of a ping-pong table!”

Apple then began work on a multi-touch display and software that brought together elements from the Mac and the iPod, eventually leading to the development of the device that became the original iPhone.

The full transcript of Fadell’s interview, which includes additional details on his early career, Nest, and Apple, can be read over at VentureBeat.

Tags: Tony Fadell, Steve Jobs
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Work on iOS 10 and OS X 10.12 Ramping Up Ahead of WWDC

As we get closer to the date of Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference, work on next-generation operating systems iOS 10 and OS X 10.12 is unsurprisingly ramping up based on data gathered from our site logs.

MacRumors first started seeing visits from a small number of devices running iOS 10 and OS X 10.12 in late 2015. Visits picked up starting in January, and have grown steadily throughout the month of February.

Visitors to MacRumors.com from devices running iOS 10
We’re now seeing hundreds of visits per day from devices that have iOS 10 or OS X 10.12 installed, and we will undoubtedly see those numbers continue to climb as the months tick by.

Visitors to MacRumors.com from devices running OS X 10.12
It’s still early in the development process so we haven’t heard much about the new features we can expect to see in iOS 10 and OS X 10.12, but there have been a few tidbits. One of the main focal points in OS X 10.12 is said to be Siri for Mac, finally bringing Apple’s voice assistant to OS X.

Both iOS 10 and OS X 10.12 may also include improvements to the Photos app, introducing some capabilities that were removed in the transition from iPhoto to Photos. Additional details about the two new operating systems will leak out as we approach the middle of the year.

While iOS 10 and OS X 10.12 are unlikely to be released to the public until the fall, Apple traditionally debuts new operating system updates at WWDC, giving developers time to get acquainted with new features and build new capabilities into their apps.

This year’s Worldwide Developers Conference is expected to take place from June 13 to June 17, based on the booking schedule for Moscone West in San Francisco, where Apple has held the event for many years in a row.

MacRumors is also seeing a small number of visits from devices running iOS 9.3.1, suggesting there will be additional updates to iOS 9 ahead of the debut of iOS 10.

Related Roundup: WWDC 2016
Tags: OS X 10.12, iOS 10
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High-End iPhone 7 Plus With Dual Cameras Could be Called ‘iPhone Pro’

The rumored high-end iPhone 7 Plus with dual cameras could be named the “iPhone Pro,” according to questionable information shared by Chinese website MyDrivers [Google Translate]. Apple is reportedly considering the name to distinguish the device from the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, said to include standard single-lens cameras.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously suggested Apple is working on two versions of the iPhone 7 Plus, one with a single-lens camera and one with a dual-lens camera, to be sold alongside an iPhone 7 with a single-lens camera. That rumor itself sounds questionable as it would splinter Apple’s iPhone lineup, but Kuo firmly believes that is Apple’s plan and has mentioned it in two separate research notes.

A mockup of what the iPhone 7 could look like with no protruding camera lens and redesigned antenna bands
In recent months, MyDrivers has shared several details on the iPhone 7 and the iPhone SE, but as neither device has launched, the site’s accuracy is still in question. Apple has used the same general number-based naming scheme for its lineup of flagship iPhones since the iPhone 3G launched in 2008, so the information provided by MyDrivers should be viewed with some skepticism until confirmed by a source with a solid track record.

It’s possible rumors of an iPhone Pro are surfacing due to the unique name Apple’s 4-inch iPhone is expected to adopt — iPhone SE — and the rumored naming plan for the next-generation 9.7-inch iPad. The device will reportedly be branded as an iPad Pro rather than an iPad Air 3, naturally leading to speculation that Apple could make the same shift in its iPhone lineup.

The iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus are not expected to debut until the fall of 2016, but multiple details about the devices have already leaked. In addition to an iPhone 7 Plus version with dual cameras, both devices are rumored to include a water resistant body, no headphone jack, and a design that does away with the rear antenna bands and protruding camera.

Related Roundup: iPhone 7
Tags: mydrivers.com, iPhone Pro
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