All posts by Richard Brown

VIA

Setting up the VIA Fleet Cloud Management Portal in Five Easy Steps

June 18, 2020 Richard Brown Leave a comment

Cloud-connected dash cams like the VIA Mobile360 D700 enable centralized data collection and provide a comprehensive overview of the status of a vehicle fleet from any location with an internet connection. This connectedness gives fleet managers the tools they need to monitor vehicles and drivers on the road, as well as the data to analyze routes and driver behavior. The combination of these tools allows fleet managers to deploy their vehicles more efficiently, improve safety, and reduce liability.

One of the main goals of the VIA Fleet Cloud Management Portal is to make capturing, compiling, and accessing mission-critical vehicle and driver data generated by the D700 as convenient and fast as possible. Its features include live tracking of both vehicles and drivers, a dashboard that displays key fleet, vehicle, and driver statistics, and trip histories of vehicles and drivers. Continue reading Setting up the VIA Fleet Cloud Management Portal in Five Easy Steps →

VIA

Combating distracted driving with the VIA Mobile360 D700 AI Dash Cam

June 9, 2020 Richard Brown Leave a comment

Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of traffic accidents. Even with the best of intentions, not everyone is immune to the siren call of their smart phone during a long and boring drive or the temptation of a quick snack to keep their energy levels up. After all, nothing much generally happens in the space of a few seconds – unless of course a car unexpectedly cuts in front of the vehicle or a pedestrian steps out onto the road. Then all hell can break loose with potential consequences that can last a lifetime for both the driver and the victims.

Preventing accidents caused by inattentive or careless drivers is of particular concern to fleet managers with multiple vehicles carrying valuable cargoes operating to demanding schedules in their charge – not just because of the risk to life and limb but also the potential insurance and repair costs that may be incurred. Continue reading Combating distracted driving with the VIA Mobile360 D700 AI Dash Cam →

VIA

notes from the field: taking the AI upgrade path

June 4, 2020 Richard Brown Leave a comment

The single most important benefit of building an AI-enabled system is that you can upgrade its functionality without having to make any modifications to the hardware.

As we recently demonstrated with the VIA Mobile360 AI dash cam, such upgrades can be a lot more substantial than minor software tweaks and bug fixes. In response to customer feedback, we added three major features to the device to boost driver safety and provide fleet managers with deeper insights into vehicle usage. Continue reading notes from the field: taking the AI upgrade path →

VIA

Notes from the field: learning AI with the VIA Pixetto visual sensor

May 18, 2020 Richard Brown Leave a comment

It was a great pleasure to visit the prestigious Taipei Municipal Renai Junior High School last Friday to learn about the program the institution has developed to educate its students about advanced technologies like AI.

The goal of the program, as the school principal emphasized during his presentation, goes beyond simply teaching students narrow technical skills such as how to code or build a robot. Its overall objective is to provide a holistic framework for students to improve their critical thinking and problem solving abilities so that they can harness technology tools to make a greater contribution to society. Continue reading Notes from the field: learning AI with the VIA Pixetto visual sensor →

Mobility

notes from the field: enabling new last-mile services with autonomous delivery vehicles

May 13, 2020 Richard Brown Leave a comment

Autonomous delivery vehicles have the potential to be much more than a replacement or extension of existing delivery services. With a powerful computing system inside them, they will be able to go beyond simply transporting goods or meals from a logistics hub to a consumer’s home to providing a wealth of new last-mile services that improve convenience, security, and health for individual consumers and the community at large.

In addition to core navigation and safety functionality such as 360° surround view video, long and short-range radar, and LiDAR, autonomous delivery vehicles will be able to support a huge selection of additional features and applications to meet individual and community needs – such as facial recognition to ensure that the right person is picking up the delivery and even thermal sensors for scanning the temperature of workers and other people who come close to the vehicle. Continue reading notes from the field: enabling new last-mile services with autonomous delivery vehicles →

Mobility

Notes from the field: when will autonomous delivery vehicles become a commonplace sight?

May 12, 2020 Richard Brown Leave a comment

How long will it be before autonomous delivery vehicles become a commonplace sight on the streets of our towns and cities?

Perhaps this will happen much sooner than many people think. Demand for such devices looks set to explode as delivery and logistics companies look to reduce operational costs and expand the range and convenience of the services they offer without having to hire additional drivers. According to a recent AutoSens blog article, there are already over thirty companies providing autonomous delivery solutions in China – with many more expected to pile into the market. In the US, a growing number of retailers such as Walmart, Kroger, Lowes, and Target have also started testing autonomous deliveries using vehicles from the likes of Nuro, Ford, and Waymo. Continue reading Notes from the field: when will autonomous delivery vehicles become a commonplace sight? →

Mobility

Notes from the field: promising new seeds of mobility?

May 8, 2020 Richard Brown Leave a comment

It’s hard to be optimistic when it comes to predicting how the mobility market will develop as more and more countries gradually emerge from the Covid-19 lockdown.

One key question is whether the traditional auto industry will be able to recover from its catastrophic drop in sales once people are allowed to hit the road again. The fragile state of the global economy and the growing popularity of remote working practices and on-demand grocery and meal delivery services suggest that achieving a recovery will be challenging to put it mildly. In the short term at least, it’s likely that auto makers will have to put a lot of long-term development projects on hold as they grapple with today’s grim economic realities. Continue reading Notes from the field: promising new seeds of mobility? →

Confucius

Notes from the field: it’s only in the cold of winter

May 1, 2020 Richard Brown Leave a comment

Given the turbulent times that Confucius lived in, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that there are plenty of passages in the Analects that resonate with the difficult times that we ourselves are experiencing.

The one I find most resonant is in 9.28, were Confucius quotes an ancient saying: “It’s only in the cold of winter that you realize that the pines and cypresses are the last to wither.” The key point he is making is that it is only when tough times arrive that people reveal their true character. While it’s all too easy to prosper in the soft warmth of summer without any real effort, it’s a lot more difficult to make it through the harsh cold of winter. Continue reading Notes from the field: it’s only in the cold of winter →

Confucius

Analects of Confucius Book 9: Confucius on ritual integrity

March 17, 2020 Richard Brown Leave a comment

Even though Confucius was a strong advocate of preserving ancient Zhou dynasty rituals in all their pristine glory, that didn’t mean that he was completely averse to making changes to them when it made sense – as long as they didn’t affect the integrity of the ceremonies.

In 9.3, he doesn’t raise any objections to replacing hemp or linen with silk in the production of ceremonial caps because it is much more economical to do so. Continue reading Analects of Confucius Book 9: Confucius on ritual integrity →

VIA

Notes from the field: CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020 highlights

March 16, 2020 Richard Brown Leave a comment

It’s a pity that CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020 ended on a rather muted note as a result of mounting concerns about the Covid-19 virus. I feel very grateful to have had the opportunity to attend this awesome event and get a colorful snapshot of the latest construction industry trends.

The highlight for me was the live demonstration Caterpillar gave of their latest vehicles. I was particularly impressed with how they showed the increasingly important role technology is playing in improving operator productivity and safety by enabling the real-time capture and analysis of key telematics data. Continue reading Notes from the field: CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020 highlights →