technology innovation and ideas

Ford, Baidu set to test self-driving cars on Beijing’s roads Trials are slated to begin by end of this year. by Zoey Chong October 31, 2018 3:03 AM PDT   Beijing will soon see another non-Chinese self-driving car on its roads. Ford is beginning a two-year initiative with Chinese internet giant Baidu to develop and test self-driving vehicles designed to meet Level 4 driving automation standards established by SAE International in China, the US automaker said in a statement today.  This means the vehicles involved in the trials should be capable of operating autonomously "within a specific geographic area and under certain weather conditions" upon completion, according to Ford. The cars are equipped with Baidu's Apollo virtual driver system and were converted by a team of Ford engineers. Ford's 'self-driving...

How 5G aims to end network delays that slow everything down Low communication latency is why 5G will be radically different from today's mobile networks. by Stephen Shankland October 29, 2018 5:01 AM PDT   AT&T CTO Andre Fuetsch speaks of the company's 5G plans in September. Stephen Shankland/CNET Just about everything you hear about 5G points out how its higher data speeds will let you download videos or update your apps much more quickly. Well, whoop-de-do. Faster data is helpful, but a different 5G benefit could actually be a bigger deal: reducing network communication delays called latency. Latency is the time it takes to get a response to information sent -- for example, the lag between the moment you try to shoot a space invader and the moment ...

NASA's Kepler Space Telescope, which launched in 2009 and revolutionized our vision of the galaxy and the universe over the past decade, is now permanently retired and out of service.  The space agency first saw signs Kepler was running out of gas earlier this year and last week the telescope went into a low-fuel sleep mode. NASA said Tuesday that the spacecraft won't be waking up. 2:57 "Science operations are over," NASA astrophysics division director Paul Hertz told reporters on a conference call. He noted that Kepler was able to confirm scientists' suspicions that space is filled with planets similar to Earth. Kepler's catalog of confirmed planets beyond our solar system includes over 2,600 worlds and dozens that could potentially support alien life. While the telescope is done collecting new data, Hertz says astronomers are still working with what's been collected over the years. Best places in space to ...