CES 16 - Ford’s Plucky LiDAR, BMW’s Mirror, GENIVI’s New Member
Burney Simpson
Today’s top driverless news from the Consumer Electronics Show 2016 (CES 16) in Las Vegas:
- Ford says it is using Velodyne’s new 360-degree LiDAR sensor in its autonomous test vehicles. Ford will be testing as many as 30 of its autonomous Ford Fusion in Ariz., Calif., and Mich., by the end of this year, according to the Associated Press.
The Velodyne sensor, called the Ultra Puck, is about the size of a coffee can but extends by 200 yards the range of 
other light and radar sensors, The Verge reports. Many consumers assume LiDAR devices are those clunky air-vent looking contraptions strapped to the top of Google’s Koala car.
- More Ford – We are a mobility company, CEO Mark Fields tells Jalopnik and several hundred other reporters who were given free screwdrivers (not the hardware for turning screws, the liquid tool for screwing with your brain) at the press conference. Ford will increase its work in the transportation services sector, the term for firms like Uber, Lyft, and the vehicle-version of AirBnB, Fields said.
Jalopnik says Fields didn’t discuss Ford’s recently-announced plan to work with Google/Alphabet, though maybe the screwdrivers had taken affect by then.
- BMW has replaced the rearview mirror with four cameras in the BMW i8 electric car it is displaying at the show, according to Car and Driver. Well, not exactly, but that’s the idea.
The i8 takes the images from the cameras installed around the vehicle and creates a single image that is displayed on a device located in the traditional rearview mirror spot. The camera system sends warning signals to the driver when it sees possible problems.
The concept could eventually replace or reduce the size of the current side mirrors that impact aerodynamic flow. However, federal regs say a camera can’t replace a mirror, according to C&D, and besides, how do you keep the external cameras clean from road dust and crud?
- AppCarousel became the 19th Tier 1 supplier in the GENIVI Alliance, joining such players as Continental, Delphi, Denso, Harman, Bosc, Valeo and Visteon. Auto OEMs in the alliance include BMW, Daimler, Honda, Nissan, and Volvo.
Genivi is a nonprofit group that promotes the adoption of in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) software. Genivi says it “delivers an open standard for aligning consumer electronics and automotive software development cycles.”
San Francisco-based AppCarousel operates end-to-end app management platforms for connected devices in market sectors that include connected cars and fleets, smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and other devices connected through the Internet of Things.
