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Fox News AI Newsletter: Waymo's robotaxi recall

FOX News

Waymo recalls robotaxis and the United States Senate debates artificial intelligence in classrooms in this Fox News AI Newsletter roundup.


A Fatal Tesla Crash in Texas Sets Up a Legal Showdown

WIRED

Did Full Self-Driving (Supervised), Tesla's driver assistance feature, play a role in a woman's death? On a Texas evening last week, a 76-year-old grandmother named Martha Avila was standing in the front room of her suburban home when a Tesla Model 3 hurtled into her brick home at a reported speed of over 70 miles per hour, killing her. The car's driver, 44-year-old Michael Butler, later told police that he had Tesla's driver assistance features --which the automaker argues make driving safer and less stressful--engaged during the crash. Butler exhibited "no signs of intoxication," the Harris County Sheriff's Office, which responded to the crash, noted in a report. Now Avila's family is suing not only Butler but also Tesla, alleging that the electric-auto maker's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) driver assistance feature, also called FSD, played a role in her death.


Stop Mowing Your Grass Forever With One of These Highly Rated Robot Mowers On Sale

WIRED

You don't need to cut your own grass anymore. Most of the best robot mowers I've tested are on sale for Prime Day. Take it easy this summer by snagging a Prime Day robot mower deal. Push one button, and you can tick one tedious chore off your list. I've tested several robot lawn mowers now, and almost all of my top picks are on sale, plus mowers from my colleague's favorite brand. You can get up to $800 off, so this is a great time to buy if you were daydreaming about enlisting a little robotic help for your yardwork.


Amazon Zoox's latest robotaxi looks (marginally) less like a toy car

Engadget

Amazon Zoox's latest robotaxi looks (marginally) less like a toy car Amazon Zoox's latest robotaxi looks (marginally) less like a toy car The company said it will soon begin large-scale production of its autonomous vehicle. Zoox, the self-driving startup that Amazon purchased in 2020, has showed off the new version of its autonomous vehicle that it says was designed for large-scale production. While it still looks like the old version the company introduced in 2020, the new vehicle comes with changes that improve its comfort for riders and make it easier to interact with. The company relocated the vehicle's bidirectional reflectors for better visibility and made them rotate colors to better distinguish its front from its rear, seeing as the robotaxi has a boxy form factor. It also gave the speaker and microphone on the door two-way audio capabilities to enable communication between riders and road users, as well as between first responders and Zoox support.


Japanese railway firms adopt AI safety systems at crossings

The Japan Times

An artificial intelligence-equipped camera system shows a person trapped inside a railway crossing gate during a test by Kintetsu Railway. A growing number of Japanese railway operators are introducing artificial intelligence (AI)-based systems to help prevent accidents involving trains at level crossings. The technology can automatically detect and report abnormalities, such as stalled vehicles or people trapped on the tracks, enabling train drivers and other railway staff to respond more quickly. Industry officials view AI as an effective tool for improving crossing safety, while the government has started offering financial support to encourage wider adoption. Kintetsu Railway, based in the city of Osaka, has tested an AI-equipped camera system at a crossing on the Kyoto Line in the town of Seika, Kyoto Prefecture.


First global rules adopted for self-driving cars, U.N. says

The Japan Times

First global rules adopted for self-driving cars, U.N. says Safety concerns and costs have long slowed progress on autonomous vehicles. The first global regulations for fully autonomous vehicles were adopted Wednesday, a U.N. agency said, establishing uniform international safety requirements that could pave the way for larger-scale rollouts of self-driving cars. Safety concerns and the cost of developing next-level systems have long slowed progress on autonomous vehicles. As self-driving cars have begun to hit the road in a growing number of cities, the fragmented national approaches to regulation have spurred manufacturer fears that vehicles developed for one market could be blocked from others. In a bid to address that issue, a meeting of the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations at the United Nations in Geneva decided to introduce a global regulatory framework for vehicles equipped with fully autonomous driving systems (ADS).


After successfully selling over 15 cars, Faraday Future would now like you to buy its robots

Engadget

Faraday Future would like you to purchase an $89,900 robot . As part of its latest revamp, the embattled electric car company is now pitching a lineup of robots, including humanoids, quadrupeds and a robotic arm. If that name doesn't ring any bells, that could be because the company has been going through a bit of a pivot over the past year in an attempt to salvage its bottom line, if not its reputation. That's become something of a theme for Faraday. The business generated a fair bit of hype years before it showed off its first production-ready electric car at CES 2017.


Texas family sues Tesla over fatal crash into home

BBC News

Image caption, Elon Musk has repeatedly boasted of Tesla's self-driving capabilities. Jennifer Barbour filed her lawsuit in a local court on Tuesday, just days after her 76-year-old mother Martha Avila died from injuries she sustained after a Tesla Model 3 sped into their shared home . The Tesla driver told police that he was using the car's autonomous or full self-driving technology at the time of the crash. In the lawsuit Barbour accuses Elon Musk's electric vehicle company of defective design and negligence by promoting technology that is unsafe, while Musk on social media denied the technology was to blame. Tesla was approached for comment.


US opens second federal investigation of deadly Tesla crash into Texas home

The Guardian

Authorities investigating an accident that sent two people to the hospital after a Tesla crashed through the front of a Katy, Texas, home. Authorities investigating an accident that sent two people to the hospital after a Tesla crashed through the front of a Katy, Texas, home. The US government has opened a second federal investigation into a recent crash of a Tesla that reportedly had driver-assistance technology engaged, struck a Texas home and killed a resident. Meanwhile, the family of Martha Avila, the 76-year-old resident who was killed, has sued over the wreck . The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Wednesday that it was launching an investigation into the 19 June crash that killed Avila in the Houston suburb of Katy.


Family sues Tesla for wrongful death in Autopilot crash in Texas, US

Al Jazeera

The family of a Texas woman who was killed has filed a lawsuit against Tesla after a driver using a Model 3's automated driving assistance system crashed into a suburban Houston home last week. The complaint, filed on Tuesday, argues that Tesla should be held liable for the wrongful death of 76-year-old Martha Avila. The family alleges that the automaker, led by Elon Musk, failed to adequately warn drivers about alleged defects in its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems. Video obtained by KHOU - Houston's CBS affiliate -- shows the car travelling at top speed over the front lawn of Avila's home in the Houston suburb before slamming into the front room. The driver told the Harris County Sheriff's Office that he was using the technology at the time of the accident.