The creativity of social enterprises and local authorities is both excitingly modern and reassuringly timeless – this, after all, was how the welfare state was built, from the formalisation of autonomous initiatives in which communities cared for each other.
In the midst of global anthropogenic impacts that affect various environments, over the past few decades we have observed autonomous initiatives in local communities around the world to tackle these environmental challenges.
In the autonomous computing initiative, data centres are increasingly run automatically, with the procedures embedded in the software that controls those centres.
Nissan opened its Silicon Valley research centre in February, and collaborates with teams at its corporate base as well as research universities in Japan to develop the autonomous driving initiative.
Uber has an autonomous vehicles initiative too, although it has encountered a whole host of legal and safety issues, including holding the unfortunate distinction of being the first to kill a pedestrian earlier this year.
Uber has an autonomous vehicles initiative too, although it has encountered a whole host of legal and safety issues, including holding the unfortunate distinction of being the first to kill a pedestrian earlier this year.
This latest shuttle launch is part of a broader effort called the Grand Rapids Autonomous Mobility Initiative, a coalition of companies that includes Consumers Energy, French automotive supplier Faurecia, Gentex, Rockford Construction, Seamless and furniture maker Steelcase.
Moving from brainstorm to the brink of a commercial rollout in just two years is an impressive feat, especially compared to other high-profile robotic vehicle efforts such as Google's autonomous car initiative, something the search giant has been working on for the better part of a decade.
There are plenty of autonomous vehicle initiatives backed by deep corporate pockets.
The software element explains the rationale behind autonomous car initiatives by software corporations, but it also highlights the need for common international frameworks, first to test such vehicles and then to make them available for public use.
