[Quietcars] Article: Self-driving taxi service proves popular with California seniors , Digital Trends, October 5, 2017

Tue Oct 10 20:23:57 UTC 2017

I love it - maybe us geezers are leading the charge on a new technology!

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Subject: [Quietcars] Article: Self-driving taxi service proves popular with
California seniors , Digital Trends, October 5, 2017

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Self-driving taxi service proves popular with California seniors

Digital Trends

October 5, 2017

By Trevor Mogg

Perhaps having noted the kind of battles some self-driving car outfits have
had in getting their technology onto state roads, driverless vehicle firm
Voyager opted for a more creative solution: Test the cars in a retirement
community.

The new firm, spun out of online learning company Udacity earlier this year,
has deployed its first self-driving taxi service at The Villages, a gated
community with around 4,000 elderly residents in San Jose, California, the
NY Times reports.

It's a smart move that allows Voyage's growing team of engineers - some
ex-Google and Apple - to test their technology in a controlled environment
where life moves at a fairly steady and predictable pace, save for the
occasional golf cart speeding by. And of course, this particular demographic
will benefit hugely from the technology, as losing the ability to drive due
to age drastically reduces an elderly person's independence, affecting their
ability to stay active, go places, and meet friends.

Voyage is testing its kit with two modified Ford Fusions on 15 miles of road
with a 25 mph speed limit, the New York Times said. While testing on the
open road can mean having to jump through lots of regulatory hoops, The
Villages' private location means there have been fewer obstacles for Voyage
to navigate in bringing its technology onto the streets.

An increasing number of companies are opting to try out their driverless
vehicles in controlled environments on specific routes, rather than out on
regular roads that are busier and faster, and present more hazards. French
firm Navya, for example, is about to start testing autonomous shuttles
within the grounds of the University of Michigan, while Apple may start
testing its own self-driving tech with shuttles ferrying its workers between
buildings.

Voyage considers the San Jose retirement community the perfect spot to test
its technology, with its "numerous intersections, crosswalks, lanes,
roundabouts, construction, pedestrians, U-turns, one-way streets, animals,
cars, and much more," writes Oliver Cameron, the company's CEO. "By
deploying in such a complex community and driving many miles within it each
day, we are rapidly learning and iterating on our self-driving car."

And while Voyage's self-driving tech may be honed in smaller locations like
The Villages, the ambitious company promises "it won't be long until we
connect the ultimate community - cities."

For now, though, its modified Fusions will continue to tootle around the San
Jose retirement community, helping the residents get safely from A to B.
Surveys have suggested many people are still wary of self-driving
technology, but the The Villages' seniors are, it seems, delighted with it.
"Autonomous shuttles" was one of the top responses in a recent survey about
desired amenities for the community, while some of the elderly folks have
even been asking how they can invest in the company.

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