Autonomous vehicle developers, such as GM and Waymo, have submitted comments to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that encourage the agency to establish new guidelines for autonomous vehicles that lack a steering wheel and gas/brake pedals.  NHTSA asked automotive manufacturers and other autonomous vehicle technology companies to submit comments regarding changing regulations to include specific framework for AVs. In their comments, several commenters encouraged new rules for vehicles without a traditional steering wheel or brake and gas pedals.  Host Zach Adams, litigator Jon Feczko, and transactional lawyer Tod Northman discuss whether the absence of federal government regulation is delaying development.  Jon and Zach suggest that we wait for public support for AV increases; Tod believes that NHTSA’s continuing current work to promulgate regulation is critical.

Host Zach Adams digs into global mobility with Dr. Chris Borroni-Bird, the founder of Afreecar LLC, which aims to provide solar-powered vehicles to African villages.  Dr. Borroni-Bird’s particular interest is the fusion of technology and design, producing for example a “skateboard” vehicle.  This far-ranging discussion covers the future of mobility. Before founding Afreecar, Dr. Borroni-Bird was Chief Engineer of Future Programs at Waymo  and had a half-time appointment at MIT Media Lab, with a focus on the development and commercialization of a solar-powered mobility hub that could be applied to all communities around the world, ranging from sub-Saharan African villages to affluent megacities.  Before that, Dr. Borroni-Bird was Qualcomm's VP of Strategic Development, where he focused on reshaping transportation around the convergence of wireless power and wireless communications.  He also served as GM’s Director of Advanced Technology Vehicle Concepts and EN-V Program (Electric Networked-Vehicle, left). He was named one of Automotive News’s Electrifying 100 in 2011. Before the EN-V, he led GM’s Autonomy, Hy-wire and Sequel “skateboard” concepts.  Before joining GM, he led Chrysler’s gasoline fuel cell vehicle development and was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame as a Young Leader in 2000.

In this episode of Driverless, Tod Northman and Emmanuel Sanders continue their discussion with Professor Mark Geistfeld, the Sheila Lubetsky Birnbaum Professor of Civil Litigation at the NYU School of Law, about his groundbreaking performance-based approach to liability for and regulation of Autonomous Vehicles. Professor Geistfeld discusses the “regulatory sweet-spot” for Autonomous Vehicles, and the kinds of claims manufacturers and programmers can expect during this wave of Autonomous Vehicle deployment. Professor Geistfeld further addresses the “bystander problem” and suggests that the problem is not unique to Autonomous Vehicles, but one that transcends all areas of tort.

On this episode of Driverless Tod Northman and Emmanuel Sanders interview Professor Mark Geistfeld, the Sheila Lubetsky Birnbaum Professor of Civil Litigation at the NYU School of Law, about his groundbreaking performance-based approach to liability for and regulation of Autonomous Vehicles. Professor Geistfeld discusses the shortcomings of earlier approaches to Autonomous Vehicle liability, and the benefits of adopting a commonsense, performance-based approach. Professor Geistfeld further advocates for adoption of a performance-based regulatory framework, which will provide certainty to manufacturers and users of Autonomous Vehicles without hampering the innovation and improvement of this life-saving technology. 
 

Blair LaCorte is president of AEye, a pioneer in artificial perception systems. Jay Campbell, co-founder of Tucker Ellis’s autonomous vehicle and intellectual property group and an intellectual property trial lawyer, interviews Mr. LaCorte about AEye’s systems based approach to artificial intelligence and perception, inspired by how the human visual cortex conceptually focuses on and evaluates the environment around a vehicle, driving conditions, and road hazards. By actively scanning the surrounding environment with a combination of LiDAR and cameras, AEye offers a unique and efficient paradigm for driverless technology.

Blair LaCorte is president of AEye, a pioneer in artificial perception systems. Jay Campbell, co-founder of Tucker Ellis’s autonomous vehicle and intellectual property group and an intellectual property trial lawyer, interviews Mr. LaCorte about AEye’s systems based approach to artificial intelligence and perception, inspired by how the human visual cortex conceptually focuses on and evaluates the environment around a vehicle, driving conditions, and road hazards. By actively scanning the surrounding environment with a combination of LiDAR and cameras, AEye offers a unique and efficient paradigm for driverless technology.

We flip the microphone on our podcast host Zachary Adams.  Miami litigator Francisco “Frank” Ramos, Jr., speaks with Zach on “A Conversation With,” Defense Research Institute’s podcast where Frank interviews lawyers about their practice.  Frank is a DRI member and a partner at Miami law firm Clarke Silverglate PA; he has written seven books about law and its practice and quickly digs into some of the most important questions about autonomous vehicles.  The format gives Zach the opportunity to step back from the detail we frequently cover to address big-picture questions about autonomous vehicles and the state of laws and regulations.  You also get to know Zach better.

Bart Kosko, is a Professor of Electrical Engineering in the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering and a Professor of Engineering and Law in USC's Gould School of Law. Kosko wrote the book on fuzzy logic and is an expert on neural networks. Jay Campbell, co-founder of Tucker Ellis’s autonomous vehicle and intellectual property group and an intellectual property trial lawyer, interviews Kosko. Jay and Kosko have been friends for many years going back to a case they worked on together nearly twenty years ago. Since then, Jay has tried several cases involving neural networks and fuzzy logic. Kosko is a fellow of the IEEE, a fellow of the International Neural Network Society (INNS), and a fellow of the International Fuzzy Systems Association (IFSA).

Dr. Bart Kosko, is a Professor of Electrical Engineering in the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering and a Professor of Engineering and Law in USC's Gould School of Law.  Dr. Kosko wrote the book on fuzzy logic and is an expert on neural networks.  Jay Campbell, co-founder of Tucker Ellis’s autonomous vehicle and intellectual property group and an intellectual property trial lawyer, interviews Dr. Kosko.  Jay and Dr. Kosko have been friends for many years going back to a case they worked on together nearly twenty years ago.  Since then, Jay has tried several cases involving neural networks and fuzzy logic.   Dr. Kosko is a fellow of the IEEE, a fellow of the International Neural Network Society (INNS), and a fellow of the International Fuzzy Systems Association (IFSA).

Chris S. Egner is a product liability attorney, and a member of the Global Expert Team, at Continental Tire the Americas, LLC. Despite having “tires” in its name, Continental provides a diverse range of parts and components to the automotive industry. Its approach to autonomous technology is similarly ambitious: rolling out a robotic delivery dog (ANYmal) and CUbE, the Continental Urban Mobility Experience, a driverless vehicle, for example. Chris’s responsibilities at Continental include risk assessment and case evaluation for complex product liability, asbestos, toxic tort, and automotive systems matters. She manages external counsel throughout the U.S. during all phases of litigation. Host Zach Adams, a litigator at Tucker Ellis, discusses Continental’s efforts to develop automated driving technology safely while navigating a challenging liability and regulatory environment. Chris’s role at Continental gives her a broad understanding of autonomous technology and legal liability.