Dubai adds robot cars to police force
Mini autonomous police cars paired with companion drones and facial recognition technology will begin patrolling the streets of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, by the end of the year to help the city identify and track down criminal suspects.
The announcement by city officials comes as Dubai races to reshape the future of its law enforcement.
But don't expect a high-speed chase from the little cars. In demonstrations, the robot never appears to move beyond a strolling pace. But the four-wheeled security vehicle comes with a built-in aerial drone that can keep an eye on areas and people that the robot can't reach.
Named the O-R3, the patrol car can navigate on its own using machine-learning algorithms. Police can control the robot remotely from behind a computer dashboard. The vehicle also comes equipped with thermal imaging and license plate readers. The manufacturer, Singapore-based OTSAW Digital, claims the car and drone duo as the first of its kind.
By 2030, Dubai plans for robots to make up 25 percent of its police force.
-- The Washington Post
App eases way for grandma's Uber ride
SAN FRANCISCO -- Uber's ride-hailing app is making it easier for its users to set up trips for senior citizens and others who may not know their way around a smartphone but still need help getting around town.
The new feature, which came out last week as an app update, is primarily designed for Uber users who want a simple way to arrange rides for parents, grandparents and other loved ones unable to drive themselves. Previously, Uber users ordering on behalf of another passenger had to call the driver to explain the situation.
When users ask to be picked up at somewhere besides their current location, the app will give them the option to designate the ride for someone else. The passenger won't need the Uber app; they'll get a text identifying the driver, car make and other information. Uber will charge the person who ordered the ride.
The new feature is being offered in the U.S. and more than 30 other countries.
Uber's biggest rival, Lyft, doesn't currently offer consumers the ability to arrange a ride for another passenger from inside its app.
-- The Associated Press
Apple uses Hertz in self-driving car test
Apple is leasing a small fleet of cars from Hertz Global Holdings to test self-driving technology, an agreement that echoes a larger deal between competitors Alphabet Inc. and Avis Budget Group Inc.
The iPhone maker is leasing Lexus RX450h sport utility vehicles from Hertz's Donlen fleet-management unit, according to documents released recently by the California Department of Motor Vehicles. When Apple received its license to test three autonomous vehicles from the department in April, the documents listed Donlen as the lessor and Apple as the lessee.
An Apple spokesman declined to comment, while a representative for Hertz didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. A half-dozen vehicles have been testing Apple's autonomous technology on public roads in and around the San Francisco Bay Area for at least a year, a person familiar with Apple's project told Bloomberg earlier this year.
After spiraling costs and head count, veteran Apple executive Bob Mansfield was appointed to head the team, which is known as Project Titan internally. He reined in the project's ambitions, cutting some staff positions and concentrating on developing an autonomous driving system, rather than building a whole car.
-- Bloomberg News
BMW starts shift away from stick in U.S.
BMW AG is scrapping stick shifts on some models in the U.S., such as the 2-Series Coupe, as the German carmaker streamlines options for customers to stabilize profitability amid higher spending and lower returns from electric cars.
With a wide array of choices, such as more than 100 steering wheels and engine configurations, BMW is looking to cull little-used options after spending on research and development doubled from 2008 to about $5.7 billion last year, Chief Financial Officer Nicolas Peter said recently. The move is part of efforts to offset ramp-up costs for technology such as battery-powered vehicles.
"Our biggest lever is to reduce complexity and lower the amount of choices there are," Peter told journalists at the company's headquarters in Munich. "Profitability on electric cars is definitely challenging."
With the auto industry bracing for a shift to an era of electric robo-taxis, traditional carmakers are facing tough choices on how to allocate resources as any payoff from new technologies could still be years away. To keep a lid on electric-model costs with demand still unpredictable, BMW will add battery packs to existing vehicles -- including an electric variant of the Mini in 2019 -- rather than invest in more autos like the battery-powered i3.
-- Bloomberg News
Box, Microsoft team up on Azure cloud
Box Inc. and Microsoft Corp. will sell a version of Box's file-sharing and storage service using Microsoft's Azure cloud platform, expanding their partnership in an effort to reach more large corporate customers.
Box will also consider using some of Microsoft's cloud-based artificial intelligence services for tasks such as indexing video and translating text in files.
Seattle-based Microsoft is trying to narrow Amazon Web Services' considerable lead over Azure, and Box wants to expand sales after reaching a cash-flow profitability milestone earlier this year. The two companies have many customers in common, but at the same time, Microsoft's OneDrive product competes with Box, and Box also uses Amazon.com Inc.'s Amazon to back up the data it stores.
"While we do overlap and compete in some areas, we complement each other 10 times more," said Box co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Aaron Levie, noting that most of Redwood City, Calif.-based Box's large customers also use Microsoft's Office cloud products.
-- Bloomberg News
Pork giant China targets animal waste
China plans to treat more waste from livestock breeding to improve its rural environment and reduce agriculture pollution in the world's top pork producer.
Pollution from the country's livestock breeding is becoming an "outstanding issue" after years of steady development of the sector to ensure meat, eggs and dairy supply, according to a summary of remarks by Vice Premier Wang Yang at a conference last week. China will increase treatment of animal wastes, encourage more use of bio-gas in the countryside and expand large-scale farms that are able to treat the waste, he said.
The country has dealt with problems including cases where crops have been grown in areas contaminated with cadmium. China has more than half of the world's pigs, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
-- Bloomberg News
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