Facebook’s Oculus patents lightweight smart glasses

Facebook-owned Oculus has patented a lightweight smart glasses concept that would be able to “augment views of a physical, real-world environment with computer-generated elements.”

The patent shows a pair of glasses that look like basic shades, which would force the electronics to be packed in tightly, similar to the first version of Google Glass. Instead of having to look up to see the augmentation, Oculus plans to use all the glass as a display.

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Three members of the advanced research division at Oculus, including one that previously worked on Microsoft’s HoloLens, published the patent application, according to Business Insider.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the ‘end goal’ for AR is lightweight glasses at the company’s developer conference last year. That goal may be a few years away from reality, with Oculus chief scientist, Michael Abrash, recently saying that AR glasses won’t replace smartphones until 2022.

Four of the five major U.S. tech companies are working on smart glasses. Apple patented a design similar to Oculus that allows mixed reality and content layered on-top of real world environments; Microsoft is building the more expensive HoloLens; and Google has Glass.

Amazon is the only one that has not shown interest, more focused on quirky ways for drones to fly around cities.

Between now and the augmented future, Oculus is expected to launch a whole range of virtual reality headsets for all types of consumers. A sub-$500 standalone headset could launch before the end of the year, and mobile headsets are reportedly in the pipeline.

Ford patents removable wheel for self-driving vehicles

In the interim between semi-autonomous and self-driving, cars will need to be able to switch modes with relative ease. Ford has shown one possible way to move to self-driving mode, by making the steering wheel and brake pedals removable.

In a patent granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Ford shows how the wheel and pedals could be manually removed and refitted for testing the car. Customers would be able to move from autonomous to manual, simply by attaching the parts back to the car.

See Also: Ford spends billions to meet ambitious self-driving goal

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Once removed, the parts that connect to the steering wheel are folded away inside the dashboard. An airbag is fitted inside the front dash, replacing the one in the steering wheel.

Ford’s patent looks to a future where customers are able to choose between manual and self-driving. This is expected to be between 2025 and 2050, a time when people will still be allowed to drive, but cities and metro areas begin to move to a fully driverless system.

Commuters from outside the city may drive into town, before switching to a driverless mode.

Ford is aiming for a self-driving vehicle on the road by 2021, though it is expected to be part of the company’s own ride-sharing app. Customers won’t be able to purchase the cars until at least 2026, according to the company’s head of research.

What’s odd about the patent is Ford plans to skip Level 3 autonomy and go straight to Level 5, the highest level of self-driving. In that future, the computer will control the car in all environments.
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Waymo patents collapsible self-driving car design

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Google’s self-driving division, Waymo, has received a patent for an automotive design where the car loses rigidity before a crash, minimizing the damage to the rider and any other cars.

Waymo would achieve this by reducing the tension of hood, panels and bumpers before an accident, according to Silicon Beat. The release of tension should, in theory, significantly reduce the damage to other cars or people.

See Also: Google’s self-driving division could be a $70 billion business, says Morgan Stanley

“The force of the vehicle’s impact is a primary factor in the amount of damage that is caused by the vehicle,” said Waymo in the patent. “Accordingly, it is desirable to design a vehicle that can reduce the force of impact experienced during a collision.”

As most car accidents happen due to human error, Waymo expects most of its crashes to be the fault of the driver or pedestrian. It should, hopefully, be able to spot potential hazards a few seconds before a crash, giving the system time to loosen the tension.

The patent does not detail what would happen to the person inside the car in this scenario. Waymo riders sit in the back seat usually, so the company may be looking to redesign the car to insulate the driver from crashes while reducing the overall damage.

It is not the first unorthodox patent for reducing damage we have seen from Waymo, a year ago the company filed an patent for a hood that would stick the pedestrian to the bonnet of the car.

Waymo also recently tested its Chrysler Pacifica vans in Death Valley, making sure that even with the additional electrics the self-driving cars were able to function in extreme conditions.

Amazon’s latest wacky idea: mobile drone stations on trains, boats, and vans

Amazon’s engineers are cooking up some wild ideas on how to integrate drones into major cities. In the latest patent filing, the e-commerce giant shows how special facilities connected to trains, boats, and vans could be used as storage space and repair stations for drones.
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The drones would be moved to areas of anticipated demand and fly out from the mobile hub.

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“The intermodal vehicles may be coupled to locomotives, container ships, road tractors or other vehicles, and equipped with systems for loading one or more items onto the aerial vehicle, and for launching or retrieving the aerial vehicle while the intermodal vehicles are in motion.”

“Additionally, intermodal vehicles may be loaded with replacement parts and/or inspection equipment, and configured to conduct repairs, servicing operations or inspections on aerial vehicles within the intermodal vehicles, while the intermodal vehicles are in motion,” said Amazon in the filing.

Having mobile storage and repair units may help Amazon deploy thousands of drones without having to spend a large amount on warehouse space inside major cities. We could even see Amazon use the transport for both supply and storage, with the drone taking items from the same truck or train.

Amazon clearly going all-in on drones

It should be noted Amazon is filing quite a lot of patents to do with drone travel and storage. It patented a zeppelin concept that had drones delivering parcels from above and mini zeppelins supplying the mother. A few weeks later it filed a vertical warehouse in the shape of a beehive.

Even with all these filings, Amazon is still a few years away from any serious drone deployment. The company has conducted a few tests in the U.K., but has yet to integrate drones into any of its Prime services and the laws on drone use are still in flux across most of the world.