Apple Hires Nvidia AI Director With Experience in Self-Driving Car Systems

[bloggityblog44]

I fear that Apple are turning into Google.

What with the moonshots like Apple Watch and Apple Music, a self-driving car is yet another. I won't be surprised if they bring out Apple Glass at this rate.

MEMO TO TIM COOK: please concentrate on your strengths and make computers only.

i think maybe you don't understand the concept of a "moon shot".

 

[John Mcgregor]

Maybe it will fly as a fix for Apple Maps. You know when you drive directly into sea.

 

[Tech198]

So,, cars are trying to be smarter !! Good grief..

I still say, what happens when a hacker gets in on this ?

Jeep Cherokee was already remote controlled by vulnerabilities in software and recalled to some
extent i think.

 

[kingpushup]

Google's ad business focuses on predicting where users want to drive, but a google car would steer them to sponsored businesses?

Musk's Hyper Loop, SpaceX and Tesla focus on reaching the destination before you know it. Ludicrous given modern traffic.

Apple focuses on hardware / software mesh, which is hardly glamorous. But in a world of gimmicks with glitches (android), iOS seems popular for its simplicity. "Just works" (or else not included this year again) might be quite practical.

Practical is the new "performance" car?

 

[scaramoosh]

I'm all for self driving cars, they're horrible things to drive on the road here in Europe with our small roads. I have my Motorcycle for fun, my car I'd rather just have it drive itself rather than get frustrated in traffic. Plus if enough people have these cars, traffic will decrease because we could have an infrastructure that automatically regulates how many cars go what route. Plus on things like Motorways, traffic is caused by people braking for no reason, then it has a knock on effect behind them... and crashes which we'll have no more of.

 

[macsmurf]

So what's your idea to creating a learning computer?

A neural network is a fine method for image recognition. My pet peeve is that some people who should know better, introduces it by saying it is a model of how the brain works. In reality it has no more to do with how the brain works than a calculator. This leads to misunderstandings and misbeliefs.

Here is a fun and fairly recent example of how neural networks are entirely unlike brains. Below are two images. The left is classified as a car by a deep neural network. the right is classified as 'not a car'. Can you tell the difference?

source: http://arxiv.org/pdf/1312.6199.pdf

 

[bladerunner2000]

Another graveyard employee joins apple...

 

[diipii]

Apple has hired Nvidia's Jonathan Cohen, director of deep learning software for the company, according to Cohen's LinkedIn page, which was first spotted by Re/code. Deep learning essentially trains computers to recognize patterns in data and then organizes them in a similar way to humans. Nvidia uses deep learning in its Nvidia Drive PX platform, which is used to power self-driving cars.

Cohen's LinkedIn page doesn't list an official title with Apple, instead only listing "Software" as his position. He's held multiple positions within Nvidia since joining the company in 2008, starting out as a Senior Research Scientist and building his way to Director of Deep Learning Software this year. Cohen also has experience working with Nvidia's CUDA platform, which is used to power GPUs in broad-ranging use cases like air traffic control and blood flow prediction software.

As noted by Re/code, Apple currently uses deep learning for Siri and Apple Maps. It's unknown what Cohen's expertise could be applied to at Apple, but at this year's CES Cohen was explaining how Nvidia's deep learning technology was being used in its self-driving car platform Drive PX.

Apple has met with California DMV officials regarding self-driving car laws within the state and multiple reports from The Wall Street Journal indicate that the Cupertino company is exploring the functionality with the possibility of including it in a later iteration of the much-rumored Apple Car.

In recent years, Apple has poached employees from Tesla, Ford, GM, A123 Systems and Samsung for its secretive automotive project. More recently, it's hired away talent from electric motorcycle startup Mission Motors, who had to close its doors after the talent drain. In September, it was reported that Apple was labeling the car project a "committed project", speeding up development and aiming for a 2019 launch date.

Article Link: Apple Hires Nvidia AI Director With Experience in Self-Driving Car Systems

 

[diipii]

This will consume all their (our) money and more and teach then to exist in the real world and stick to making computers.

 

[Oblivious.Robot]

I'm guessing the future belongs to the hackers.

Some part of me still thinks that we are trying to rush this, and it's going to end up bad.

 

[MH01]

The car might have a better GPU than most of the computer range!

 

[Glideslope]

Who else can't wait for auto-valet with Apple Watch?

"Apple-Valet."

 

[YouCanCallMeBigDaddy]

You must have been one of those on the Back to the Future II production design team.

Looks like a Magic Mouse.

 

[Mr. Donahue]

I just don't see why or as far as we've advanced as a society and in technology. Im sorta surprised were still driving cars.

It's the oil business that's keeping us tied to cars.

Cars keep getting faster but here in America the speed limit stays the same.

People are becoming so use to driving that they're becoming preoccupied wit other things like cell phones, applying makeup, eating, reading books(yes I've seen people reading books while driving) straight up! Honestly!

I'm surprised were not flying in the air or have built super fast monorails by now. It's getting ridiculous how slow were commuting in my opinion. The traffic is horrible.

If they charged more money and had people take test periodically I enforced heavy heavy penalties for drivers involved in accidents. I bet people wouldn't be so screwed up here in America. Or at least in California where I'm from.

 

[tampageek]

Car - glued and soldered together. Runs great but can't be repaired so you have to buy a new one every two years.

 

[2010mini]

please don't make a self-driving car, Apple

please

Please do so I can relax on my lengthy rush hour ride home.

 

[DudeDad]

Idle Apple Car speculation

• looks like Magic Mouse… on wheels
• Gorilla Glass windshield (though Apple would prefer if you didn’t know that)
• car chassis is unibody made out of machined anodised aluminium
• the car scratches easily, leading to a booming growth of a whole industry of third-party covers
• available in Space Grey, Silver, Gold and Rose Gold (*actually pink)
• uses Apple-designed CPU and motors (*built by Samsung)
• runs carOS (iOS-derived)
• no steering wheel or pedals, everything is controlled using Siri and touchscreen gestures (with 3D touch)
• Taptic Engine built into the seat gently taps your butt if you doze off while driving
• for a more traditional experience, pair your iPhone with Apple Car and tilt to steer (like in racing iOS apps)
• just like Magic Mouse, charging port is on the bottom of the car
• you can avoid having to lift your car manually in order to reach charging port by using Apple Jack (*optional accessory, not included)
• uses non-removable and non-user-serviceable Li-Ion battery
• battery that no longer holds charge can be replaced at the nearest Genius Garage (for a fee, of course)
• charging cable uses yet another Apple proprietary connector
• adapters for common US and EU sockets available, featuring scratch-prone white plastic handles with no grip whatsoever
• you have to provide your Apple ID and activate the car over the internet before you can drive anywhere
• self-driving mode only supports POIs that exist in Apple Maps
• new iCloud app: Find My Car
• before every OTA update you have to read through and accept 100+ page long Terms & Conditions
• base model still comes with 16 GB storage

Putting the Bodyguardz or Zagg screen cover will take a second set of hands...

 

[rbrian]

A neural network is a fine method for image recognition. My pet peeve is that some people who should know better, introduces it by saying it is a model of how the brain works. In reality it has no more to do with how the brain works than a calculator. This leads to misunderstandings and misbeliefs.

Here is a fun and fairly recent example of how neural networks are entirely unlike brains. Below are two images. The left is classified as a car by a deep neural network. the right is classified as 'not a car'. Can you tell the difference?

View attachment 595351
source: http://arxiv.org/pdf/1312.6199.pdf

Is one of them a truck?

 

[medazinol]

Does anyone still doubt they're working on an EV? Even Tim pretty admitted it in a recent interview. Still buying a Tesla though.

 

[Aegelward]

I just can't see Apple building a car themselves, perhaps they'll spin off a subsidiary... or buy an obscure supercar manufacture and use their expertise and name to push the car brand.

 

[MacBH928]

I was more excited to think they were going to improve the GPU's on the Apple computers

 

[AtheistP3ace]

Man wonder if anything will truly come of this. Or like the apple television everyone talked about and heard rumors of will just never see the light of day. Excited to see!

 

[Plutonius]

Do whatever you want Apple, Only after fixing the Apple Maps.

Apple maps are good unless you live outside the United States .

 

[Jason83]

A neural network is a fine method for image recognition. My pet peeve is that some people who should know better, introduces it by saying it is a model of how the brain works. In reality it has no more to do with how the brain works than a calculator. This leads to misunderstandings and misbeliefs.

Here is a fun and fairly recent example of how neural networks are entirely unlike brains. Below are two images. The left is classified as a car by a deep neural network. the right is classified as 'not a car'. Can you tell the difference?

View attachment 595351
source: http://arxiv.org/pdf/1312.6199.pdf

So the deep neural network is fickle and arbitrary? Sounds like a human brain to me!

 

[RedCroissant]

What if this a plan for a self-driving vehicle that is not supposed to be owned by individual consumers? I think this would be a great idea for larger campuses/compounds for rapid transit between the various portions of the campuses to obviate the need for huge parking lots and such. WVU has this and have used their monorail (true not self-driving) for years without a single injury and more than 95% reliability. There might be plans for the consumer market, but I think this has more to do with municipal governments, transit authorities, and possible larger corporations trying to find alternatives to the status quo of large parking lots for too many vehicles.

It might also be great to develop roads and/or transit lanes dedicated to these types of PRTs.