BMW to launch iNext autonomous car in 2021

BMW has confirmed plans to launch an electric, autonomous car by 2021, named the iNext. Chief executive Harald Krueger revealed the plans during the company’s celebration of 100 years in business.

“We are further expanding the BMW i line-up,” said Krueger. “In just a few weeks, we will offer an i3 with 50 per cent more battery capacity. In 2018, we will launch a BMW i8 Roadster. This will be followed in 2021 by the BMW iNext, our new innovation driver, with autonomous driving, digital connectivity, intelligent lightweight design, a totally new interior and the next generation of electro-mobility.”

Krueger didn’t give any details on the design or performance of the BMW iNext, we suspect a most of the autonomous car is still being worked on.

It is an interesting development however, since only a few automotive manufacturers have confirmed plans to launch autonomous cars. BMW has been one of the quicker car companies to embrace self-driving, with plans to install automatic parking on most cars by 2018.

An interesting part of the comment from Krueger is “the next generation of electro-mobility”, which suggests redefining of “automotive” from the company.

BMW and others considering “Cars-as-a-Service”?

We’ve heard that automotive companies are looking into offering several autonomous cars on a flat rate, so you could use a sporty car to get to work and then an SUV to take the family somewhere special on the weekends.

The cars would wait in a garage for your call and customers would pay monthly for the package. BMW has not mentioned that scenario in the announcement of the iNext, but it is a possibility.

While BMW is one of the first to announce plans to launch an autonomous car, it is not alone in the race. Tesla is starting to implement self-driving systems on highways already, General Motors recently acquired an autonomous car startup for $1 billion, Audi, Ford, Toyota,Mitsubishi, PSA Group, and Fiat Chrysler are working on their own systems or in partnership with Google.

Autonomous medical drones will soon transport emergency organ donations

The drones we have today do everything from deliver packages to provide surveillance footage, but now we're getting closer to something that could even save someone's life. 

EHang, the company with the first autonomous drone on the market capable of transporting a human, has just sealed a deal that will use the drones to transfer donated organs to people in emergency situations.

Pharmaceuticals and lung transplant tech company Lung Biotechnology PBC is acquiring up to 1,000 of EHang's autonomous drones for its Manufactured Organ Transport vehicle system (MOTH). Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Lung Biotechnology will use an advanced version of the EHang 184 drone revealed in January.

IMAGE: EHANG

The collaboration between the two companies will span up to 15 years and will involve the drones executing pre-programmed flight plans to hospitals and recharging pads strategically located to ensure that organs are delivered while still viable for transplantation. 

"We anticipate delivering hundreds of organs a day, which means that the MOTH system will help save not only tens of thousands of lives, but also many millions of gallons of aviation transport gasoline annually," said Martine Rothblatt, CEO of Lung Biotechnology in a statement sent to Mashable. 

No date has been given for when the first flights will take place, but as the partnership aggressively ramps up toward regular service, medical drones could hit the skies before delivery drones become ubiquitous. If this collaboration works, it's not unrealistic to imagine automated ambulance drones transporting humans for common emergency hospital visits in the future. 

As if the autonomous drone part of the system wasn't innovative enough, on the ground, the transport tech will support the delivery of pig-to-human xenotransplantation and organs regenerated through through stem cells therapy.

Yes, the drone age is truly upon us. 

IoT already a boon to transport and logistics sectors

The Internet of Things (IoT) revolution will bring a myriad of improvements to all industrial sectors, but two areas already seeing the advantages of IoT are transport and logistics.

In the past ten years, companies have lowered the amount of available resources for transport and logistics, while forcing the teams in charge of transporting goods to customers to be more efficient.

See Also: Robot trolleys (self)drive up productivity at BMW

It has been a difficult task for companies, but the Internet of Things will ease that struggle. Offering a real-time visualization of the entire transport fleet and operations, alongside actionable insight and analysis, IoT will make critical decision much easier.

An end-to-end cloud network that is capable of communicating with all devices will reduce labor costs and improve order time, as humans are not a necessary part of the operation. Once an order comes in, the IoT system is capable of obtaining the stock, packaging, labelling, and sending it; much quicker than a human workforce.

Asset management and tracking is another underrated feature of IoT, which will allow businesses to ensure products are moved in a timely fashion and no stock goes to waste.

Transport sector improvements start with fleet management

Fleet management might be the most important part of transport and logistics, especially for businesses that have a large amount of vehicles on the road delivering goods. Knowing where each vehicle is, how long it took to deliver a package, and the routes taken by drivers could give businesses a lot more data to fix some of the supply cost issues.

“By leveraging connected, mobile devices, enterprises can capture, share and manage data around their moving assets across the enterprise,” said SupplyChain247. “Connectivity also enables enterprises to communicate with their technicians (drivers) anytime, anywhere, allowing them to be proactive with in-field repairs, maintenance, etc. With real-time updates on certain conditions such as bad weather or traffic, fleet technicians can better respond and/or prepare.”

It isn’t just about the vehicles arriving on time however, businesses can also add sensors inside the vehicle to ensure the package is at the right temperature, not damaged, and secure. It can also add sensors to third-party devices, like fuel pumps, to ensure that the customer is getting all they require from the supplier.