Tesla CEO Elon Musk is on a mission to link human brain with computers in coming four years

Image Credits: Reuters

Tesla Inc founder and Chief Executive Elon Musk said his latest company Neuralink Corp is working to link the human brain with a machine interface by creating micron-sized devices. Neuralink is aiming to bring to the market a product that helps with certain severe brain injuries due to stroke, cancer lesion etc, in about four years, Musk said in an interview with website Wait But Why.

“If I were to communicate a concept to you, you would essentially engage in consensual telepathy,” Musk said in the interview published on Thursday. bit.ly/2oWJcMw Artificial intelligence and machine learning will create computers so sophisticated and godlike that humans will need to implant “neural laces” in their brains to keep up, Musk said in a tech conference last year.

“There are a bunch of concepts in your head that then your brain has to try to compress into this incredibly low data rate called speech or typing,” Musk said in the latest interview. “If you have two brain interfaces, you could actually do an uncompressed direct conceptual communication with another person.” The technology could take about eight to 10 years to become usable by people with no disability, which would depend heavily on regulatory approval timing and how well the devices work on people with disabilities, Musk was quoted as saying.

In March, the Wall Street Journal reported that Musk had launched a company through which computers could merge with human brains. Neuralink was registered in California as a “medical research” company last July, and he plans on funding the company mostly by himself.

Reuters

Publish date: April 21, 2017 2:48 pm| Modified date: April 21, 2017 2:48 pm

Tesla will recall 53,000 cars globally to fix a parking brake issue

Image Credits: Reuters

Tesla Inc said on Thursday it would recall 53,000 of its Model S and Model X cars globally to fix a parking brake issue. Shares of the U.S. luxury electric car maker were down nearly 1 percent at $302.77 in afternoon trading, following its biggest ever recall.  Tesla’s total production for 2016 was 83,922 vehicles and included both Model S and Model X.

“The electric parking brakes installed on Model S and Model X vehicles built between February and October 2016 may contain a small gear that could have been manufactured improperly by our third-party supplier,” Tesla said in a statement on its website. The car maker said there had been no accidents or injuries due to the issue.

Tesla said less than 5 percent of the vehicles being recalled may be affected and it would take less than 45 minutes to replace the brakes. The company also said it would send an official recall notice to its customers.  Tesla, led by entrepreneur Elon Musk, had said last year it would recall 2,700 Model X sport utility vehicles in the United States due to a faulty locking hinge in third-row seats.

The company said on Thursday it was working with Italian supplier Freni Brembo SpA to get the replacement parts. Brembo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Reuters

Publish date: April 21, 2017 8:53 am| Modified date: April 21, 2017 8:53 am

Tesla recalls 7,000 charging adapters to address overheating issue

Image Credit: REUTERS

By tech2 News Staff /  07 Dec 2016 , 15:48

Electric car maker Tesla has sent for a recall of about 7,000 adapters that are used for charging its products. The announcement comes after two chargers overheated and melted the plastic on the plugs. No other damage has been reported and Tesla has notified U.S. regulators of its voluntary recall.

According to Bloomberg, two customers reported the overheating issue in November. The accessories used were apparently not made by Tesla but manufactured by an outside supplier and haven’t been sold for at least six months. The adapter type in question is the NEMA 14-30 which are sometimes used to charge Tesla vehicles via clothes-dryer appliance outlets in U.S. homes. International customers will not be affected and the faulty chargers will be replaced in the next few weeks.

The company is also replacing the NEMA 10-30 and 6-50 adapters. These will be replaced in about three months. There hasn’t been any reports of overheating or any other fault in the above mentioned adapters, but it seems that Tesla doesn’t want to take any chances.

Here is what Tesla had to say:

In November 2016, we learned about two customers whose NEMA 14-30 charging adapters overheated. These are the only two such incidents that we know of anywhere in the world and neither resulted in any injuries or property damage. However, out of an abundance of caution, we’re replacing NEMA 14-30, 10-30 and 6-50 adapters that were made years ago by our original supplier.

If you have one of these NEMA 14-30 adapters and regularly use it, you will receive a replacement from us within the next couple of weeks. Until then, we ask that you stop using your current adapter, and that you instead charge your car in a different way, such as with a Tesla Wall Connector or NEMA 14-50 adapter (if you have one), or by Supercharging.

Although there have been no incidents with NEMA 10-30 or 6-50 adapters, they have some common elements with the NEMA 14-30, so we will be replacing those as well. These replacements will take about three months to develop and manufacture. In the meantime, since none of these adapters has ever overheated, you can continue to use them if you do not have another way to charge your car.

Tim Cook asks employees to work together and move forward after surprise Trump victory

Image: Reuters.

By Aditya Madanapalle /  10 Nov 2016 , 17:28

Tim Cook sent a letter to Apple employees calling for unity, and quoting the advice of Martin Luther King Jr. “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” The letter does not mention Trump directly. Over the course of his campaign, Trump has directly threatened harsh measures on Apple, including forcing the company to manufacture the phones on American soil.

Speaking on Apple refusing to cooperate with law enforcement officials in unlocking a device, Trump called for a boycott of Apple products. “Boycott Apple until such time as they give that information. It just occurred to me” Trump had said during his campaign. Later on, Trump Tweeted that he would personally only use his Samsung device till Apple handed over the information.

 Follow

Donald J. Trump 

✔@realDonaldTrump

I use both iPhone & Samsung. If Apple doesn't give info to authorities on the terrorists I'll only be using Samsung until they give info.

11:32 PM - 19 Feb 2016

 
•  3,5693,569 Retweets
 
•  9,6029,602 likes

The letter by Cook is an effort to ease the anxiety of employees, where he asks the employees to help each other out. Indirectly addressing the rhetoric used by Trump over the course of his presidential campaign, Cook wrote “Our company is open to all, and we celebrate the diversity of our team here in the United States and around the world — regardless of what they look like, where they come from, how they worship or who they love.” A copy of the letter is available with Buzzfeed.

The sentiments were echoed by Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, who responded to the Trump victory by saying “Our commitment to our mission and values are steadfast, and in particular fostering a diverse and inclusive culture.” Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, had posted an open letter on Medium, that said “I firmly believe that whether you’re building a company or leading a country, a diverse mix of voices and backgrounds and experiences leads to better discussions, better decisions, and better outcomes for everyone.”

A Trump win could have serious repercussions on technology companies. Tim Cook had held a fundraiser to help support the Clinton campaign. Tim Cook seems to be more anti-Trump than pro-Hillary because he had earlier hosted a fundraiser for Republican candidate Bernie Sanders. Silicon Valley executives apparently had a secret meeting on an Island where they discussed plans to stop Trump from winning the presidency. Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google co-founder Larry Page, Sean Parker, and Elon Musk CEO of SpaceX and Tesla were at the meeting.

(Also Read: President Trump: What Microsoft, Facebook and other tech CEOs said)

Silicon Valley had collectively rolled its eyes after Trump warned of a bubble in the technology sector. Trump claims that the unicorn companies, startups with a valuation of over a billion dollars, are overvalued and are attracting investments while not being profitable. Silicon Valley collectively rejected this warning. Tech CEOs including Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai, Steve Wozniak, Pierre Omidyar, Meg Whitman and Marc Benioff all openly supported Clinton in the lead up to the election. Peter Thiel, a venture capitalist and Palmer Luckey of Oculus stood out for their open support for Trump.

General Motors decides to increase the production of Chevrolet Bolt electric cars

Image Credit: REUTERS

  07 Nov 2016 , 09:06

General Motors Co is ramping up production of Chevrolet Bolt electric cars at a factory north of Detroit and is on track to start delivering vehicles as promised by the end of the year, company officials said on Friday.

Barring a last-minute stumble, GM will be first to offer an electric car with more than 200 miles of driving range at a starting price of less than $40,000 before tax credits. Silicon Valley electric car maker Tesla has said its entry in this new market segment, the Model 3, will launch next year. The Bolt and the Model 3 represent contrasting strategies to push electric vehicles into the mainstream of the U.S. auto market.

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk has said the company will overhaul its Fremont, California, factory to build as many as 500,000 Model 3 sedans and related models a year. Tesla’s Model 3 design prototypes show a car aimed at German luxury sedans such as the Audi A3 or A4. Musk has said nearly 400,000 people have put down deposits on the Model 3.

GM, however, is taking a more cautious approach. The $37,495 Bolt, with a 238-mile range, is a compact, utilitarian hatchback with design features such as a thin front seat to increase rear-seat legroom, aimed at making the car attractive to drivers for ride-hailing services.

GM’s Maven car-sharing operation will receive Bolts to offer drivers who want to work for GM’s ride-hailing partner, Lyft. Company officials will not say how many customers have tried to order Bolts from dealers. GM is also hedging its bets on production targets after getting burned in the past by over-estimating demand for electric or hybrid cars. Sales of electric and plug-in hybrid cars represent just 1 percent of the U.S. light-vehicle market, despite government efforts to promote cleaner cars.

At GM’s Orion assembly plant, Bolts are rolling off the same final assembly line as gasoline-fueled Chevrolet Sonic sedans and hatchbacks. During a tour on Friday, every fourth or fifth car on the line was a Bolt. The Orion plant is working on one shift, building at a pace of about 90,000 cars a year.

GM redesigned the Orion assembly operation to allow workers to build either Bolts or Sonics and can shift production depending on demand, said Yves Dontigny, launch manager for the Bolt. At one assembly station, after a Sonic body is mated to its gasoline engine and axles, a carrier wheels the battery pack for a Bolt into place. The same workers secure it to a Bolt body hanging on a carrier overhead.

Reuters

Tesla’s Musk adds solar roofs to his clean energy vision

  29 Oct 2016 , 13:50

By Nichola Groom

Tesla Motors Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk on Friday unveiled new energy products aimed at illustrating the benefits of combining his electric car and battery maker with solar installer SolarCity Corp.

The billionaire entrepreneur showed of solar-powered roof tiles that eliminate the need for traditional panels and a longer-lasting home battery, which Tesla calls the Powerwall, aimed at realizing his vision of selling a fossil fuel free lifestyle to consumers.

“This is sort of the integrated future. An electric car, a Powerwall and a solar roof. The key is it needs to be beautiful, affordable and seamlessly integrated,” Musk said while showcasing the products on homes that once served as the set of the television show “Desperate Housewives.”

Musk is the biggest shareholder in both Tesla and SolarCity, which is run by two of his first cousins. Analysts have been dubious of the deal’s proposed synergies, with some suggesting the merger is a way for Tesla to rescue money-losing SolarCity. A vote on the acquisition is scheduled for Nov. 17.

The rollout of the product, expected as soon as next summer, would be “unwieldy” if the two companies are not combined, Musk told reporters.

Having two separate companies “slows things down, makes them more expensive. It’s worse for shareholders,” he said.

Musk refused to answer a reporter’s question about how Tesla’s balance sheet would accommodate the acquisition of SolarCity.

By incorporating solar modules into rooftops, Tesla is hoping to succeed with a solar technology that to date has had little success. Just this year, Dow Chemical said it would stop selling a solar shingle it

Google, Ford and Honda among automakers against proposed self-driving car regulations in California

  20 Oct 2016 , 11:01

Alphabet Inc’s Google unit and automakers objected on Wednesday to California proposals to set new, mandatory rules for testing self-driving cars in the state, which industry officials said could hobble their efforts in the home to much of self-driving vehicle testing and development. Automakers and Google raised a litany of concerns about California’s proposal at a hearing in Sacramento on Wednesday. They expressed opposition to the state proposal to require compliance with guidelines that federal regulators issued last month, but made voluntary.

They questioned why California would require a new autonomous vehicle data recorder and what data they would be required to test, and they objected to a proposal they said would force a 12-month delay between testing a vehicle and deploying it on public roads. Automakers also questioned whether police should be able to get any self-driving data within 24 hours without seeking a warrant or subpoena.

California regulatory policy is important to automakers and technology companies because of its impact on operations in the state, and because the policies enacted in the most populous U.S. state often influence what other states and other countries do. The proposed requirement that manufacturers generate a year of driverless testing data before applying for an operating permit drew objections from General Motors Co, Volkswagen AG, Honda Motor Co, Ford Motor Co, and Google.

The state’s approach “could greatly delay the benefits that self-driving vehicles can bring to safety and mobility for individuals,” said David Strickland, who heads the Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets that includes Google, Ford, Lyft, Uber Technologies Inc and Volvo Car Group. Brian Soublet, deputy director of the California DMV, said Wednesday the department wants concrete suggestions to help improve its proposal. Soublet said the department will be considering potential changes over the next several months but he did not give a timetable for finalizing the rules.

“The goal is making sure that we can get this life-saving technology out on the streets,” Soublet said. California’s proposal would allow for the absence of a human driver and a steering wheel in advanced self-driving cars. In December, California had proposed to require licensed drivers and controls in self-driving vehicles.

Ron Medford, director of safety for Google’s self-driving car project, said California’s proposal to require manufacturers to obtain local approval is “unworkable.” The rule could prevent manufacturers from testing a vehicle that can travel from one area to another. Advocacy group Consumer Watchdog urged California to prohibit autonomous vehicles without a human driver until federal regulators enact enforceable standards.

Reuters