There are plenty of tech companies and motor companies that have made real investments into learning about autonomous driving. Some years ago, there was even talk that Apple was joining the self-driving vehicle trend. That is, until last month, when the project has reportedly put to a halt.
The Apple Car Is No More
According to The New York Times, the Cupertino-based company has laid off dozens of employees that were working on the car project. This is in stark contrast to the activities that Apple has been taking over the last few months. In July, the company brought over Bob Mansfield, who has worked with Apple before, in order to strengthen the Apple Car initiative, codenamed "Titan."
Titan has been relatively kept under the wraps, but the general public has heard about it, at least in in the form of rumors.
Reportedly, the mass firing from Apple is to be taken as "reboot" of the Apple Car project and not entirely as a drop. Indeed, there has also been word that Mansfield has altered the focus of Titan altogether. That is, that an Apple Car will not hit the road anytime soon, but that other autonomous vehicles will drive on the road powered by a system developed by the company.
Tesla's Latest Innovation
Meanwhile, Tesla is continuing to upgrade its own line of self-driving vehicles. Most recently, the improvement that the company announced is the use of Radar Technology. According to its official website, radar technology could eliminate the complication of cameras. Instead, radar technology will be used. Furthermore, the use such is supposed to work well even in times of weather disturbances like rain, fog or snow.
However, there is also the trouble of reflective images. For example, a simple soda can on the street can suddenly be read as large and dangerous. Tesla's next obstacle then is to eliminate these misreadings, and there is already a plan in place.
First, Tesla is developing a more detailed point cloud. Next, is to assemble radar snapshots, or multiple shots of an item. This will allow the car to distinguish whether or not the object is moving and therefore more dangerous. Last, the company aims to fine-tune the navigation data and height accuracy of the GPS.
