California's new self-driving car regulations prohibit falling asleep at the wheel

California is fine with car makers test-driving autonomous vehicles on its roadways, but the DMV now has some rules on exactly how. Under new regulations, drivers (or riders as the case may be) will need to be official testers on a manufacturer's payroll and go through a special training program to get a yearlong permit. They'll also have to remain attentive behind the wheel -- so no napping on the way to work yet -- and notify the DMV if they're in an accident or have to override the car's manual controls for any reason. When it comes to cars, it's not a free-for-all. Manufacturers will need to apply for a permit for each individual vehicle, and cars are required to have at least five million dollars worth of liability insurance.

Autonomous vehicles aren't exactly new to California. They've been legal in the state since 2012, and Google has already started testing cars in its hometown of Mountain View. The new regulations created by the DMV are designed to put a few boundaries on that testing. While they've already been adopted, applications for the program won't be accepted until July 1st, with the regulations officially going into effect September 14th.

View the Original article

New Segway Patroller gives mall cops a third wheel

When you think of a Segway, usually a self-balancing, slightly dorky two-wheeled contraption comes to mind, right? Well, forget all that. The company has just committed heresy by launching the SE-3 Patroller, a three-wheeled, front-steering model. It's targeted exclusively at law-enforcement officers, meter enforcement types and, ahem, security personnel -- which make up the company's most lucrative market by far. It's highly visible in order to deter crime with headlights, brake lights, sirens, emergency lights and a rather non-functional-looking (but adorable) visor. It also packs rider detection to shut the vehicle off when not occupied and a 4.3-inch data screen. All of that comes in at $12,000 for a vehicle you can't even sit down on -- unlike arch-competitor T3 Motion's model. Still, there's very little chance cops'll tip the thing over, a common Segway blunder that doesn't exactly shock and awe the bad guys.

0 Comments Share

Via: CNET

Source: Segway

Tags: 3-wheels, Patroller, SE-3, segway, ThreeWheels Next: California's new self-driving car regulations prohibit falling asleep at the wheel .fyre .fyre-comment-divider

View the Original article