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Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Waymo to Build L4 Autonomous Cars in Detroit

A move ahead it seems.  Coming soon to a road near you?  We note that Waymo is part of Google via Alphabet.

Waymo will build its self-driving vehicle fleet in Detroit
The company will repurpose an existing facility in Motor City.

By Amrita Khalid, @askhalid in Engadget

Waymo will build its autonomous vehicles in Detroit. CEO John Krafcik wrote Tuesday in a Medium post that the company will repurpose an existing facility in Motor City with the goal of being operational by mid-2019. Back in January, the company announced it had chosen Southwest Michigan as the location of its new facility for the mass production of L4 autonomous vehicles, the first of its kind in the world.

The company will create anywhere between 100 to 400 jobs as a result of the venture, according to The Detroit Free Press. Waymo will also receive incentives from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. ... " 

So what is the definition of a Level 4 Autonomous car?  From the Wikipedia:

" ... Level 4 ("mind off"): As level 3, but no driver attention is ever required for safety, e.g. the driver may safely go to sleep or leave the driver's seat. Self-driving is supported only in limited spatial areas (geofenced) or under special circumstances, like traffic jams. Outside of these areas or circumstances, the vehicle must be able to safely abort the trip, e.g. park the car, if the driver does not retake control. ... " 

Level 5 is what might be considered fully autonomous;   'Steering wheel optional' ... "   

And in the Skies:     Google Wing Drones FAA Approved for US home deliveries

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