Lifeboat Foundation

Using an automatically-operated clutch.

New patent filings from Ford outline a design for a new type of manual box that only uses hand inputs and doesn’t require a clutch pedal to shift, a report from *The Drive* reveals.

With its new design, Ford aims to remove some of the negative associations drivers have with manual transmission vehicles, which has led some big automakers, such as Mercedes-Benz, to announce they will stop producing stick shift cars. ## An easier way to shift gears.

Continue reading “It’s Official, No More Stick Shifts for Mercedes-Benz” »

We’ve all likely had our share of car crashes over the years. Let’s trace the various published research underlying a somewhat simple but altogether crucial question, namely if you know that a crash is about to occur should you go limp or attempt to tighten and brace yourself. Turns out that the answer is complicated and often dependent upon the circumstances at hand. First, there is a popular assumption that you ought to let your body go loose or limp when an impending car crash is about to occur. Some claim that this ragdoll posturing will be advantageous. The purported logic is that we all know that a straight and narrow stick will presumably break and snap entirely when placed under intense pressure. As such, if you tense up, you are risking all manner of personal bodily damage. According to the sage wisdom of Confucius: “The reed which bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak which breaks in a storm.”

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Quick, you are inside a self-driving car and it is about to get embroiled in a car crash, what should you do? And what should the AI driving system do? Tough questions, for sure.

Continue reading “The Ethical Debate About Whether AI Ought To Warn You When The Self-Driving Car That You Are Riding In Is About To Crash” »

Bustling cities need the requisite transportation networks that can keep them running smoothly. AI and computer vision-powered smart transportation enables smart cities to achieve that objective with ease.

A 19-year-old has turned down the offer of a free Tesla Model 3 in return for deleting his Twitter account which tracks the location of Elon Musk’s private jet.

College freshman Jack Sweeney manages a Twitter account called @ElonJet which tracks the aircraft using bots to detect air traffic data.

Continue reading “19-year-old rejects free Tesla offer for deleting Elon Musk account” »

The carmaker’s confidence this early in the year surprised analysts skeptical it can boost global annual production volumes by 25% at least.

Fewer CO₂ emissions, more cargo space.

California-based startup Natilus revealed a new unmanned aircraft that it believes will make air cargo more sustainable as well as cost-effective, a report from *NewAtlas* reveals.

The company designed a blended wing body aircraft, similar to NASA’s X-48 “green airliner” concept, which it says allows it to offer “an estimated 60% more cargo volume than traditional aircraft of the same weight while reducing costs and carbon dioxide per pound by 50%.” startup Natilus’ new aircraft promise fewer CO₂ emissions and more cargo space.