TomTom has released Advanced Driving Attributes (ADA) for OEM partners to enable Advanced Driver Assistance systems (ADAS).
There are many features, all helpful for making cars more economical and able to be autonomous. See here;
http://automotive.tomtom.com/en/real-time-maps/adas-advanced-driver-assistance-systems
What caught my eye is how they now have data for gradient and absolute height. This lets cars know when they can coast and save energy. It is the first step towards true 3D mapping for autonomous vehicles.
Technology manufacturers are always looking to add more to their products, and 3D mapping will arrive one day – it is a certainty.
Two UAVs, one operated by NASA and the other operated by Australian start-up Flirtey, have made deliveries in an FAA-sanctioned trial.
On the day, a remote piloted NASA plane flew the packages of medical supplies from the Tazewell County airport. These medical supplies were then placed onto the small Flirtey drones for the short flight to the Wise County Fairgrounds. Throughout the course of the day, the Flirtey hexacopter made six trips to the Remote Area Medical Clinic delivering its payload without touching down. http://www.startupdaily.net/2015/07/flirtey-beat-amazon-market-launching-first-commercial-drone-deliveries-us/
It looks like the cargo was loaded by hand into the Flirtey UAV, and the video shows it delivering the package by lowering it attached to a rope. The article says the UAV is autonomous, but I figure it is being controlled remotely by a human.
It’s a historical event, for sure, however there’s a long way to go!
Combine them all and you get live, 360 degree video. The beauty of this is the ability to be somewhere else, in real time, using a VR headset. That means a sporting event, a concert, your daughter’s first ballet performance, TED talks – basically anything live that you can’t make in person.
Paul McCartney has made available a VR experience of one of his concerts. So has Coldplay. The next step is real time… LiveSphere is an early adopter. Plans have been made to serve 360 degree live video from the Space Station. And Virtually Live is promising a VR experience of your favourite sporting event, with your friends.
I believe the best way to make the experience truly immersive is to cause the viewer to travel (virtually) to the event.
For example, recalling watching the All Blacks play in Rugby World Cups is more than just a seated viewing of the game itself. I have strong memories of walking to and from the stadium, the other fans on the same journey. I believe that, rather than just watching from the kickoff, fans will like to journey to the event in VR. To get the complete experience.
