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Mysterious Apple Car Spotted Roaming Bay Area Streets
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This may be different than streetview. With streetview the cameras are located in a spherical enclosure. Using this setup, which was designed before Google started using Lidar, panoramas (photo bubbles) are created at intervals. The user then navigates from one panorama to the next panorama. Useful but not the best experience.
Compare that to Apple's setup. The cameras are at the corners of the roof rack. This, combined with the Lidar should allow Apple to create a giant 3d model where the user can seamlessly navigate from one position to the next (along the roadway of course). Think of it as street level flyover. This could get interesting.
Also notice the contraption on the rear wheel. I suspect that this is a device that tracks the distance between the axel and the body of the van. By using such a tool, you can accurately track the position of the rack from the ground in order to get more accurate data for a 3d model.
Edit: On closer inspection of photos on page 5 of the comments, it looks like the wheel 'contraption' is for accurate measurement of the wheel rotation and not distance between the body and the wheel. That makes sense as the Lidar and gyroscopes should give you accurate positional information.
Compare that to Apple's setup. The cameras are at the corners of the roof rack. This, combined with the Lidar should allow Apple to create a giant 3d model where the user can seamlessly navigate from one position to the next (along the roadway of course). Think of it as street level flyover. This could get interesting.
Also notice the contraption on the rear wheel. I suspect that this is a device that tracks the distance between the axel and the body of the van. By using such a tool, you can accurately track the position of the rack from the ground in order to get more accurate data for a 3d model.
Edit: On closer inspection of photos on page 5 of the comments, it looks like the wheel 'contraption' is for accurate measurement of the wheel rotation and not distance between the body and the wheel. That makes sense as the Lidar and gyroscopes should give you accurate positional information.
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Let it go, let it go...
-Elsa
The fact that you deconstructed his comment AND offered unfunny alternatives makes me question your sense of humor
tehe.
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I hope it's not street view.
Apple just doesn't know how to do mapping. It's very expensive and consumes a lot of resources and clearly Apple's penny pinching is not compatible with this.
Apple just doesn't know how to do mapping. It's very expensive and consumes a lot of resources and clearly Apple's penny pinching is not compatible with this.
Hey Macrumors, if you are going to even mention Rob Enderle's name in an article could you at least add that the guy's MO is to say the nuttiest things about Apple. this is what he does for a living. Self-driving car from Apple my foot.
I love Apple but this just isn't true. Not only are Google's data points for locations more accurate but the application is way more feature rich. Lane notifications for intersections, in trip rerouting, and transit information are all huge additions. Apple has a long way to go before it's up to par with Google's offering.
If anything it's at least interesting.
I rather this all be about "street view" for Apple maps.
http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/03/technology/apple-electric-car/index.html
I rather this all be about "street view" for Apple maps.
http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/03/technology/apple-electric-car/index.html
And if that isn't enough, run them in the night as well.
This kind of operation is limited to the day time, really.
But it's not really a question of "catching up". It is a continuous effort. Your maps go out of date all the time.
Ok. Let's say your going to develop self driving car technology. Now lets sat your going to develop self driving car technology but have an unlimited amount of money. Do you lease a car or buy a car?
In August 2013 we saw a previous generation of this type of van driving around just south of the Apple campus on De Anza in Cupertino. It was a Mercedes Sprinter with similar equipment: spinning Lidar sensors at the corners, wheel speed sensor, and camera lenses around the periphery pointing straight out. Here's a picture of it:
![AA1eu0K.jpg]()
Uh, okay. Swing your partner?
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A real value-added comment. Thanks for this addition!
This is a test-bed for something, and because it's Apple we have to assume it isn't simply a me-too product.
The mystery to me is why Apple would lease a van rather than buy it, thus forming a breadcrumb trail back to Apple. Cash flow problems?
And yet... our town finished a new flyover on a state highway last July. Google Maps showed the new road the DAY IT OPENED. Apple Maps still doesn't show it.
I have seen this car driving around Honolulu 3 times in the past week. I cannot confirm that it does or doesn't have autonomous capabilities, but I pulled up next to it out of curiosity and looked at the driver to try and see what company was operating it, and his hands were on the wheel. Also as far as I know I do not believe that Hawaii has passed any laws authorizing testing of autonomous cars in this state.
We know it's not using Apple maps; they didn't have to pull it from a river
Why are they interviewing Rob Enderle? He has been connected to Microsoft in the past and should have the nickname Rob "AlwaysWrong" Enderle. He predicted that HDDVD would win. He predicted that the Zune would be a success. He predicted that PlaysforSure would overwhelm iTunes. He predicted that the Surface RT would be a success.