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Uber settles with family of pedestrian hit by its self-driving SUV

Engadget

Tempe Police are still investigating the fatal crash where an Uber autonomous SUV struck and killed a pedestrian and there are many questions about the safety of its procedures and technology. However, one aspect of the case has been resolved, as Reuters reports that the family of Elaine Herzberg has reached a settlement with the company, avoiding a civil trial in this, the first known incident where someone has died after being struck by a self-driving car. Cristina Perez Hesano, an attorney with Bellah Perez, said "the matter has been resolved," while Uber declined to comment. The terms of the agreement are confidential. Questions over liability in the case of a crash with a self-driving car have been asked ever since the technology became a realistic option. In this situation, it's Uber's technology, vehicle and test driver behind the wheel, but how this would go for a vehicle owned by a private citizen -- or what may happen if the police find Uber's car is at fault -- is still unknown.


Apple added two dozen self-driving SUVs to its California test fleet

Engadget

Last April, Apple was granted a permit to test its autonomous vehicle technology by the state of California and since then, the company has expanded its test fleet from three vehicles to 27, Bloomberg reports. The California Department of Motor Vehicles said that Apple had registered 24 Lexus RX450h SUVs between last July and this month. While initially aiming to develop its own autonomous vehicle, Apple later decided to switch gears and design a self-driving system that could be incorporated into other vehicles. And we've seen glimpses of that technology in recent months. A patent application, a presentation from Apple AI Research Director Ruslan Salakhutdinov and a research paper have all pulled back parts of the curtain Apple's technology development usually hides behind.