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Allied Vision unveiled its Alvium cameras earlier this week at Vision 2018 in Stuttgart. These products are expected to combine the advantages of machine vision cameras with embedded sensor modules. The company says the cameras allow users to switch from PC-based image processing applications to embedded systems. Alvium cameras come with functions for image correction and optimisation, a selection of current sensors and intelligent energy management. At the Stuttgart show, the company also hosted a pres

McCain has appointed Fedrico Hormozi, a former senior manager for California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), director of its ITS solutions group. The firm says Hormozi’s team will deploy equipment, and carry out hardware and software systems integration as well as troubleshooting. Also, the team will provide input on new product design, development and functionality. During his 20-year career at Caltrans, Hormozi served in several senior management roles including chief of the ITS engineering a

Indian ride-sharing firm Ola has expanded its service to three cities in New Zealand and is offering passengers 50% discounts off journeys for the first month. The company says its app comes with safety features which will allow riders in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch to share location coordinates with friends, family and emergency services. Passengers can also be picked up from Auckland and Wellington airports. Ola says it intends to improve the app based on customer feedback. It can be downl

The Regional Transportation Commission of South Nevada (RTC South Nevada) is offering employees at sports company Fanatics who work at the Northgate Distribution Center (NDC) cheaper rides via Lyft. RTC South Nevada is hoping that the six-month initiative will encourage workers to use multimodal options for commuting to the logistics and distribution facility in North Las Vegas. Fanatics was one of the first e-commerce tenants at the NDC in 2016. As part of the six-month programme, employees wi

Ertico-ITS Europe is inviting mobility professionals to submit papers for next year’s ITS European Congress in the Netherlands. The European Programme Committee wants papers for various sessions for the event in Brainport, which runs 3-6 June 2019. Experts are also invited to share ideas and discuss mobility challenges that cities face and how they can be addressed through ITS solutions. Draft papers should be a minimum of five pages for technical and commercial topics, and nine pages for scientif

PSC Solar, the research and development subsidiary of PSC Industries, will deploy electric vehicle (EV) chargers across four African nations, according to media reports. Chargers will be installed in Nigeria, Ghana, Niger and Benin in preparation for the arrival of EVs. Patrick Owelle, CEO of the PSC Solar, says governments all over the world are starting to ban diesel and petrol engines due to climate change and pollution and that Africa must also take a position on the issue. He says PSC’s charg

Lucid Vision Labs is showcasing it Triton cameras this week at Vision 2018 in Stuttgart, Germany. The company says the cameras come with an optional IP67 sealed lens tube which allows them to operate in harsh environments without needing bulky enclosures. It comes with active sensor alignment to improve optical performance and a lightweight 29 x 29 mm size. Triton’s M12 Ethernet and M8 I/O connectors provide a robust connection, which is resistant to shock and vibration and is protected from dirt, d

Cognitive Technologies says its 4D Imaging Radar for self-driving cars carries out vertical scanning without using mechanical components and can detect objects with an accuracy over 97%. The 4D radar is expected to detect the coordinates and speed of the road scene objects as well as their shape during all weather conditions. According to Cognitive, the solution supports SAR (synthetic-aperture radar) technology which is used to build a map of the environment around the vehicle. This technology also

Getaround has expanded its peer-to-peer car-sharing service in San Diego in the US. The service allows car owners to earn money by renting vehicles to people in their neighbourhood. The company says it expects many car owners who subscribe to the service to earn more than £1,000 per month. Each car is equipped with Getaround Connect, a proprietary technology which allows renters to locate and unlock the vehicle by using the company’s app. James Correa, the firm’s general manager of Southern Califor

Wrightbus says its double deck bus uses fuel cell technology to deliver zero emissions while in operation. The StreetDeck fuel cell electric vehicle was displayed at the UK’s Euro Bus Expo 2018 in Birmingham. Fuel cell technology mixes hydrogen and compressed air (oxygen) in a chemical process to generate electric power to drive. The company says the vehicle comes with an extended storage option which increases its range from 200 to 265 miles. Also, the bus can be refuelled in seven minutes. Stre

Software companies Transoft Solutions and Plexscape have entered into an agreement to offer more realistic 3D vehicle representation on Google Earth.

Uber wants to resume testing its self-driving cars on public roads nearly eight months after one of its autonomous vehicles (AV) killed a pedestrian in Arizona. The ride-hailing company has released a voluntary safety report to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which includes safety enhancements to help prevent crashes and fatalities. Uber says its AVs would include two mission specialists – employees who have completed advanced training courses in self-driving vehicle operations. The

Half of transport companies say that ITS adoption is being held back by a “limited understanding of the range of emerging technologies available”, according to a new global survey. The sobering finding – which indicates that ITS providers and policy makers have more to do to explain some of the benefits – comes from the IRU’s ‘The future of road transport’ report. The other major barrier to adopting technology is cost, say 71% of respondents. The IRU says: “This suggests that pockets of the industry have

Kowa is showcasing its lens series for 12MP cameras with a 1.1" chip size and a pixel size of 3.45µm at Vision 2018 this week in Stuttgart, Germany. The new FC series is optimized to fit the micro lenses of the new Sony sensors IMX253 and IMX304, so that unwanted shading on the sensor is prevented. Kowa’s lenses are also wide-band coated which effectively decreases glare and reflection and produces a high transmission from the visible to the NIR wavelength.

Denso has acquired Ease Simulation, a US company which develops automotive diagnostics technology. Richard Shiozaki, senior vice president of Denso Products and Services Americas, says the deal is part of a long-term strategy to offer new value for mobility. Ease will now merge with Denso Products and Services America, an automotive components subsidiary based in California. Ease also offers automotive inspection software, automotive emissions equipment and automotive telematics systems.