Driverless

Any vehicle. Any time. Any environment. Universal autonomy is Oxbotica’s goal. On this episode of Driverless, Zach Adams and Tod Northman speak with Oxbotica’s Carolyn Coates, head of in-house legal for the UK-based autonomous driving software company. Founded in 2014 by Oxford professors, Oxbotica builds software for real-world application by drawing on principles of physics, robotics, math, and artificial intelligence. Ms. Coates explains how she helps Oxbotica navigate the regulatory and legal framework of autonomous vehicles and describes some of Oxbotica’s current initiatives.

Proponents of autonomous vehicles tout myriad possible benefits ranging from dramatically increased safety to increased mobility for people who are unable to drive; however, autonomous vehicles will not come without tradeoffs. In the first of a two-part discussion, Cleveland State University Professor Robert A. Simons, Tucker Ellis associate Jeffry Carr, and Tod Northman – a transactional lawyer at Tucker Ellis – discuss ethical challenges that AVs will raise as the technology improves.

Calling itself the “world’s first post-car real estate developer” and armed with venture capital cash from the Silicon Valley, Culdesac has teamed with an experienced Phoenix metropolitan area real estate developer to launch the first car-less residential project in the United States: Culdesac Tempe. Based on urban planning principles derived from European cities such as Brussels, where cars are de-emphasized, Culdesac Tempe is “building spaces for the post-car era.” Culdesac Tempe’s residents “will be able to live life from their doorsteps, rather than seeing it through their windshields.” Driverless host Zach Adams analyzes the planned community with Robert Simons, Professor at the Levin School of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University, and Tod Northman, a business lawyer at Tucker Ellis. Together they explore how the project fits within the trends of autonomous vehicles and micromobility.

Driverless vehicles will reshape urban development. Robert A. Simons, Professor at the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University, delves into the myriad factors – such as drivers foregoing ownership of vehicles to use shared vehicles and reduce travel times – that will change parking and land use in America’s urban core. Professor Simons’s book, which covers both technical and behavioral issues arising from autonomous vehicles, is scheduled to be released in Spring 2020. He shares some of the salient lessons from his research with Tod Northman, a partner in the business group at Tucker Ellis and a co-founder of the autonomous vehicle and artificial intelligence technologies group. 

Autonomous vehicle developers, such as GM and Waymo, have submitted comments to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that encourage the agency to establish new guidelines for autonomous vehicles that lack a steering wheel and gas/brake pedals.  NHTSA asked automotive manufacturers and other autonomous vehicle technology companies to submit comments regarding changing regulations to include specific framework for AVs. In their comments, several commenters encouraged new rules for vehicles without a traditional steering wheel or brake and gas pedals.  Host Zach Adams, litigator Jon Feczko, and transactional lawyer Tod Northman discuss whether the absence of federal government regulation is delaying development.  Jon and Zach suggest that we wait for public support for AV increases; Tod believes that NHTSA’s continuing current work to promulgate regulation is critical.

Host Zach Adams digs into global mobility with Dr. Chris Borroni-Bird, the founder of Afreecar LLC, which aims to provide solar-powered vehicles to African villages.  Dr. Borroni-Bird’s particular interest is the fusion of technology and design, producing for example a “skateboard” vehicle.  This far-ranging discussion covers the future of mobility. Before founding Afreecar, Dr. Borroni-Bird was Chief Engineer of Future Programs at Waymo  and had a half-time appointment at MIT Media Lab, with a focus on the development and commercialization of a solar-powered mobility hub that could be applied to all communities around the world, ranging from sub-Saharan African villages to affluent megacities.  Before that, Dr. Borroni-Bird was Qualcomm’s VP of Strategic Development, where he focused on reshaping transportation around the convergence of wireless power and wireless communications.  He also served as GM’s Director of Advanced Technology Vehicle Concepts and EN-V Program (Electric Networked-Vehicle, left). He was named one of Automotive News’s Electrifying 100 in 2011. Before the EN-V, he led GM’s Autonomy, Hy-wire and Sequel “skateboard” concepts.  Before joining GM, he led Chrysler’s gasoline fuel cell vehicle development and was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame as a Young Leader in 2000.

In this episode of Driverless, Tod Northman and Emmanuel Sanders continue their discussion with Professor Mark Geistfeld, the Sheila Lubetsky Birnbaum Professor of Civil Litigation at the NYU School of Law, about his groundbreaking performance-based approach to liability for and regulation of Autonomous Vehicles. Professor Geistfeld discusses the “regulatory sweet-spot” for Autonomous Vehicles, and the kinds of claims manufacturers and programmers can expect during this wave of Autonomous Vehicle deployment. Professor Geistfeld further addresses the “bystander problem” and suggests that the problem is not unique to Autonomous Vehicles, but one that transcends all areas of tort.

On this episode of Driverless Tod Northman and Emmanuel Sanders interview Professor Mark Geistfeld, the Sheila Lubetsky Birnbaum Professor of Civil Litigation at the NYU School of Law, about his groundbreaking performance-based approach to liability for and regulation of Autonomous Vehicles. Professor Geistfeld discusses the shortcomings of earlier approaches to Autonomous Vehicle liability, and the benefits of adopting a commonsense, performance-based approach. Professor Geistfeld further advocates for adoption of a performance-based regulatory framework, which will provide certainty to manufacturers and users of Autonomous Vehicles without hampering the innovation and improvement of this life-saving technology. 
 

Blair LaCorte is president of AEye, a pioneer in artificial perception systems. Jay Campbell, co-founder of Tucker Ellis’s autonomous vehicle and intellectual property group and an intellectual property trial lawyer, interviews Mr. LaCorte about AEye’s systems based approach to artificial intelligence and perception, inspired by how the human visual cortex conceptually focuses on and evaluates the environment around a vehicle, driving conditions, and road hazards. By actively scanning the surrounding environment with a combination of LiDAR and cameras, AEye offers a unique and efficient paradigm for driverless technology.

Blair LaCorte is president of AEye, a pioneer in artificial perception systems. Jay Campbell, co-founder of Tucker Ellis’s autonomous vehicle and intellectual property group and an intellectual property trial lawyer, interviews Mr. LaCorte about AEye’s systems based approach to artificial intelligence and perception, inspired by how the human visual cortex conceptually focuses on and evaluates the environment around a vehicle, driving conditions, and road hazards. By actively scanning the surrounding environment with a combination of LiDAR and cameras, AEye offers a unique and efficient paradigm for driverless technology.