• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • Why Isn’t That EV Charger Working?
  • Ford Will Trust The Truck — The New One Built at BlueOval City
  • Cupra Could Be Headed to the U.S.
  • March New Vehicle Sales to Rise 6.2% Over Last Year
  • Hyundai, Kia Recall Warns Owners of 570K Vehicles to Park Outside
  • Ford Facing $3 Billion in Losses on EV Business for 2023
  • Higher Interest Rates, Bank Failures Pose Challenge to Car Business
  • General Motors to Face Class Action Lawsuit
  • Cruise Applies to Test Robotaxis Statewide in California
  • Chevrolet Pulling Plug on Camaro – But an All-Electric Successor Already in the Works
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2023 Genesis GV80 Prestige 3.5 Turbo
    • First Drive: 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T
    • First Drive: 2023 Dodge Hornet GT
    • First Drive: 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70
    • First Drive: 2023 Nissan Ariya e-4orce AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Jeep Compass Limited
    • A Week With: 2023 Cadillac Escalade V-Series
    • A Week With: 2023 Volvo XC40 AWD Ultimate
    • First Drive: 2024 Subaru Crosstrek
    • First Drive: 2023 Lexus RZ 450e
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automobiles > Apple Offers First Peek Inside its Self-Driving Car Program

        Apple Offers First Peek Inside its Self-Driving Car Program

        VoxelNet system could enhance a driverless vehicle’s view of the world.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        Nov. 27, 2017
        CEO Tim Cook has finally begun to offer some hints as to Apple's self-driving car program.

        Scientists at Apple Inc. have offered the first clear hint of the direction they may be taking with the long-rumored Apple Car.

        A research paper published by online journal arXiv is particularly unusual because it seems to sidestep Apple’s traditionally fanatic desire to keep future products top secret until they’re ready to roll out onto the market.

        News You Can Trust!

        Indeed, Apple has yet to fully confirm it is even interested in getting into the automotive business, though speculation centers around the company developing autonomous technology it will license out, rather than actually building its own vehicles.

        The new research paper, authored by Yin Zhou and Oncel Tuzel, focuses on new software that it claims can make it significantly easier for an autonomous, or a fully driverless, vehicle to spot three-dimensional objects, such as a pedestrian or cyclist.

        (Why is Apple checking out Fisker’s EMotion? Click Here to find out.)

        A Fisker EMotion was spotted at Apple HQ in Silicon Valley. Could the tech firm be interested in using the EV as a platform for its autonomous system?

        The researchers say they have achieved “highly encouraging results” by using just LIDAR, a high-definition laser system, rather than having to rely on a mix of LIDAR, radar and machine vision.

        So far, the “VoxelNet” system has only been tested through computer simulations, but if it proves viable in the real world it could substantially simplify the technology needed for a fully autonomous vehicle. Right now, most manufacturers expect they will need a so-called “sensor fusion” to fully identify what’s happening on the road around a self-driving vehicle.

        Exactly how this fits into Apple’s automotive plans is far from clear, largely because Apple has yet to confirm it actually has any automotive plans.

        (Why is Waymo teaming up with Avis and Apple with Hertz? Click Here to find out.)

        Rumors of an Apple Car have been circulating for several years, the Wall Street Journal even reporting the program had been dubbed Project Titan, with the Silicon Valley tech giant hiring a number of talented engineers and managers from conventional automakers, as well as tech-oriented rivals like Tesla.

        But more recent reports have also indicated Apple has sharply paired back the program, some well-placed observers believing the tech firm has decided not to produce cars of its own. Instead, some speculate, it may follow a similar route to that of Google spin-off Waymo, which has indicated its preference of licensing its autonomous technology to traditional automakers.

        Apple CEO Tim Cook seemed to back that scenario when he suggested that autonomous vehicles are “the mother of all AI projects.”

        Apple has also asked the federal government to take steps to make it easier to test autonomous technology. There it’s far from alone. With the strong backing of the auto industry and tech firms like Waymo, Congress is working up a bill that would make it simpler to test self-driving vehicles on public roads.

        A number of states have so far enacted their own guidelines and Apple applied for a permit from the State of California in December 2016.

        (To see more about Tim Cook admitting to a program, Click Here.)

        Why Apple has decided to go public about VoxelNet is unclear, though it may be hoping to get feedback through the academic community that could help it speed up development. Waymo is already running more than 100 autonomous prototypes on public roads, including modified Chrysler Pacific Hybrid minivans being used for a pilot ride-sharing program in Phoenix. It plans to add hundreds more of the minivans as it starts testing fully driverless technology in the months ahead.

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published
        Blink Charging station user

        Why Isn’t That EV Charger Working?

        Today
        BlueOval City truck plant aerial March 2023 REL

        Ford Will Trust The Truck — The New One Built at BlueOval City

        Today

        Cupra Could Be Headed to the U.S.

        Today

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: