Gear Up for Driverless Taxis

Gear Up for Driverless Taxis Gear Up for Driverless Taxis When the big names most associated with driverless cars (Google, Tesla, Mercedes, and others) discuss timelines for being ready, their projections can stretch out to a decade. Now, a relatively small startup, Cambridge, MA-based nuTonomy, may be offering a commercial taxi tafelgeschirr using driverless cars much sooner.A 30-person startup, nuTonomy was founded by two Massachusetts Institute of Technology research scientists/professors, Karl Iagnemma and Emilio Frazzoli. Both had earlier earned their doctorates there, Iagnemma in robotics and Frazzoli in aeronautics and astronautics. The company evolved out of their work over the past decade developing autonomous vehicles for a variety of organizations, such as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Nissan and others, and lecturing about the benefits of driverless cars.Eventually a couple of years ago we looked at each other and realized what we have been developing has far broader application than just MIT research projects, says Iagnemma, who serves as nuTonomy CEO. We realized that to make an impact on a global scale we would need to take the technology outside of MIT. Frazzoli is chief technology officer. They both are on leave from MIT.The team behind the driverless taxis project. Image nuTonomyWhile most of the major companies are focusing on automated highway driving, nuTonomy is developing a fleet of driverless cars for an urban taxi service to be launched first in Singapore and later in other markets. The taxis will be able to be hailed with a smart phone. While Iagnemma declines to cite a specific date, he says, It will be sooner than people think.The company recently reached several milestones. The car passed its first driving test in late March that included navigating a custom obstacle curse without incident and was granted official permission in early April to begin driving on public roads. It was a big day, says Iagnemma. So we will start doing that probably tomorrow.Iagnemma believes what sets nuTonomy apart from other driverless car developers is the advanced decision-making techniques they are applying from the aerospace industry. We take a principled approach to decision making and have a set of methods for encoding both rules of the road and driving preferences. Were notlage hard-coding our decision-making engine, which can result in systems that are brittle, non-robust and subject to error, he says. Were also not solely relying on machine learning, which results in a black box system that is difficult to validate. We take a middle ground, where we use a principled algorithmic approach for translating specific rules to the operation of the vehicle. That is unique in automotive to our knowledge.For example, to meet some of the city-states objectives, algorithms nuTonomys engineers designed will indicate the maximum number of cars needed at any given time, taking into consideration a reasonable wait time fo r the number of individuals seeking a taxi, thus reducing traffic and emissions. Algorithms also allow the cars to break low-priority rules of the road when that can be done safely in order to drive flexibly and efficiently. If there are no oncoming cars, for example, the taxi will know its not violating an important rule of not hitting another object when it drives around a double-parked car.According to Frazzoli, These are situations we encounter every day, and we use our judgment to understand the rules we can violate. We have these same judgments embedded in our algorithms.Even though driving driverless in urban centers is much more complex than cruising on a highway, Iagnemma believes nuTonomy can create the most value by focusing on urban driving and be ready sooner. One reason is that this business model allows better control related to geography. You can be very choosy about the environment, he notes. We can get very good at driving in Singapore without having to worry wheth er someone might take our car to Kuala Lumpur for the weekend or take it off road in Malaysia somewhere. We dont have to plan for all the contingencies that are linked to different geographies. We can focus on a single geography and get very good in that area.nuTonomy expected its second car to arrive in mid-April and will continue to build its fleet in the coming months as well as to continue doing development. Driving on public roads exposes us to the real complexity of urban driving, Iagnemma says. We learn a lot. It helps us improve our software. We continue to test and refine the software, and we continue to seek out more complex driving situations in the city. That process will continue until we feel the software is mature enough to launch as a product.From a personal perspective, Iagnemma says there is a sense of being involved at the dawn of an important technological advance, the way I suppose people involved with the early days of the internet or the PC revolution felt. It s that same kind of feeling of being part of the broader community. Hopefully we can make a substantial contribution. We certainly aim to.Nancy S. Giges is an independent writer. For Further Discussion We take a middle ground, where we use a principled algorithmic approach for translating specific rules to the operation of the vehicle. That is unique in automotive to our knowledge.Karl Iagnemma, CEO, nuTonomy

35+ ways to start an email (and a few ways not to)

35+ ways to start an email (and a few ways not to)35+ ways to start an email (and a few ways not to)Hey is for horses- or is it?I remember my first boss welchesdead-set against using hey as a greeting- in email correspondence and otherwise. She felt it was unprofessional and extremely off-putting. While not everyone feels exactly like that- hey greetings actuallyhave the highest open rate- its always best to use a professional tone in important business-specific emails.Not every email is the same. Some emails are addressed to your friends, your mom, a giant bachelorette party, or your CEO.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreWe thought it would be fun to put together a list of some greetings you can use in emails, some you shouldnt, and some youreally shouldnt- no matter to whom they are being sent.Before we start (a disclaimer)With email, we have it pretty easy. We no longer have t o format complicated letters with margins, addresses, return addresses, and formal titles. Often enough, all we have to do is attach a greeting to a anthroponym.Heres my very obvious pro tip. Spell that name correctly. If the recipient has a complicated name, use your copy and paste (CTRL + C, CTRL + V) There is basically no excuse for misspelling a name via email- thats downright lazy. A misspelled name communicates that you dont care enough to take a few seconds.Ok, theres ourrant. Lets dive inWhen youre keeping it professionalWhen youre emailing a new business colleague, a possible client, or anyone else at a professional capacity, keep it simple and straightforward. You will have plenty of opportunities to showcase your sparkling partality as your professional relationship grows. For now, keep everything SFW, using more standard greetings.HelloHiHi ThereGreetingsSalutationsDear correctly-spelled nameGood morningGood afternoonGood eveningWhen its casual (but still professional)Wh en youre emailing your work wife or a friend-adjacent co-worker, you may have a little more fun with your greetings. No, this is not the time to greet with the Budweiser Wassup? but it is a good time to use an exclamation point- and maybe even an emoji?HeyHappy MondayHi friendHey nameHey ThereName-HiyaWell helloWhy,hello thereWhen youre addressing a professional groupWhen youre emailing a group on a thread, there are a few salutation options. You may address each person by name- but if you find yourself on a thread with 12 other people, that might not be feasible. For those situations, you a friendly Hello all or Hello folksVeer away from using gendered language when addressing a group of professional associates. While the word guys or dudes may seem harmless to you, it can come across as unprofessional or downright offensive.Hello everyoneDear name, name, and nameHi everyoneHi allHello folksAllDear teamWhen youre feeling sillyHey buddyHowdyHey girlHey dudeSup?Top of the mornin to y aYoHey, booWhat not to do (or think hard about before you do)To play it safe, dont use any of these at work. Most of them are unprofessional, annoying, or antiquated (see To Whom it May Concern.) Nicknames are okay to us if you have a personal relationship with the person you are emailing- or if they use the nickname on their correspondence.Any greeting wherein you are pressing one letter to show your excitement (seeHiiiiiiiiii) is- whats a nice word for juvenile?HiiiiiiiiiiHi nicknameHey guysSup dog?To Whom it May ConcernDear Sir or MadamWasssuppppAloha, Hola, Bonjour, etcThis article originally appeared on Career Contessa.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Top Resume Trends of 2014

Top Resume Trends of 2014 Top Resume Trends of 2014 Get DigitalApplicant tracking software is used by an increasing number of companies to pre-screen applicants, so understanding how to get past these digital gatekeepers is essential. According to the American Marketing Association, Applicant tracking software (ATS) applications identify key information, including keywords within position titles, accomplishments, functions, and education. The AMA advises job seekers to avoid using graphics on resumes, as those may get tossed out by screening software, and to put contact information in the body of the document instead of a header or footer.Error Free (Is the Way to Be)Now more than ever, it is vital to have an error-free resume. Although the job market is getting better, competition is still fierce. Hiring managers are overwhelmed by qualified applicants, so dont give them a reason to put your resume in the round file. Proofread the whole document every time you make even a small ch ange.New MediaJob seekers especially those in creative fields like marketing should try creating different types of resumes to take advantage of online platforms and digital technology. Jessica Holbrook Hernandez, CEO of Great Resumes Fast, recommends translating your standard paper resume into new formats like video, infographics, or even social media sites likeFacebook and Twitter. Instead of passively sitting back and going with the flow, why not take some time to direct where your job search is going by utilizing the medium that employers are using right now to find new employees? says Hernandez.Embrace the SummaryIn years past, the objective a statement of two or three sentences about what kind of job you were looking for was considered a must-have. However, that was in a much hotter market that favored job seekers over employers. According to staffing firm Robert Half, More job seekers are replacing the objective statement with a summary. A well-crafted overview of your mo st impressive qualifications at the top of the page can better convey why youre an attractive candidate.Tell Your StoryExecutive job search coach Laura Smith-Proulx warns job seekers to leave the lists of bullet points behind. Your leadership resume must tell your story in context, with specifics on the obstacles youve overcome and the results youve orchestrated, says Smith-Proulx. Listing metrics without the salient details will no longer make you a contender. Start thinking of your employment history, education, and workplace achievements as a story with you as the heroBreak the One-Page RuleYouve probably heard that resumes should be a single page. The logic is that becausehiring managers have a limited amount of time, putting everything on a single page makes it easier for them to scan for relevant details. Nowadays, software does the screening, and longer resumes can show more of your work story (and include extra keywords). Peter Harris of Workopolis thinks job seekers should nt limit themselves to single-page reumes The first page has to be good and relevant to the employer or else youll get tossed. But if they like what they see on page one, theyll keep reading to find out more.Remember that trends come and go, and whats considered cutting-edge today could be pass in a year or two. Your resume is a living document that should evolve alongside your career, so try to update it twice a year, even if you arent actively looking for a new job.All of us here at Grammarly wish you a happy New Year and the best of luck in your job searchMaster the art of closing deals and making placements. Take our Recruiter Certification Program today. Were SHRM certified. Learn at your own pace during this 12-week program. Access over 20 courses. Great for those who want to break into recruiting, or recruiters who want to further their career.