Honda will be the first to mass-produce level 3 autonomous cars, Space X is making strides with rural internet access, and how restaurants are being more resilient and creative amidst the pandemic.
It’s all the tech news that’s popular right now. Welcome to Hashtag Trending! It’s Thursday November 12, and I’m your host Baneet Braich.
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Honda says it will be the first to mass-produce level 3 autonomous cars that will allow drivers to let their vehicles navigate congested expressway traffic. In a press release, the automaker says, “Honda is planning to launch sales of a Honda Legend (luxury sedan) equipped with the newly approved automated driving equipment” before the end of March 2021.” Now, just to recap on the levels of autonomous driving. There are six levels of vehicle autonomy. Levels 0 to 5, range from manual cars or cruise control to fully self-driving vehicles that don’t need those pesky steering wheels, or brake and accelerator pedals. Tesla says it’s very close to number 5.
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SpaceX is making strides when it comes to internet access in rural places. PCMag reached out to beta tester users who described the satellite technology as a game-changer. One user finally got speeds at or over 100Mbps. Another fairly huge skeptic of Starlink says he’s thrilled that it works in the rain. He provided a video of him playing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive using Starlink during a heavy downpour. Even in the rain his connection still reached 113Mbps for downloads and 15Mbps for uploads. One teacher and current Starlink user says he used to pay $100 a month to only get 18Mbps download speeds and 5Mbps on uploads. SpaceX’s goal is to supply 1Gbps download speeds. The company will continue to launch thousands of more satellites into orbit for global coverage. And this year SpaceX was granted its basic telecom license in Canada, but that license does not allow it to operate as an internet service provider within the issuing nation.
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The pandemic has harshly hit the restaurant and hospitality industries. The restaurant industry has faced a loss of up to $240 billion in the U.S, according to the National Restaurant Association. But this has forced the industry to be resilient and get much more creative. Today you’ll find outdoor dining experiences, expanding take-out and delivery services and ghost kitchens. There are now bubbles, igloos, exclusive tents for dining. As the weather gets colder, restaurants are also turning to heated outdoor set-ups. David Chang is a renowned chef in the U.S. who has had to ask himself how to keep moving forward. One point he makes clear is about delivery. Chang told Bloomberg that, “We need to fix the model of the delivery system and logistics because delivery companies taking 30% of your top-line revenue is an unsustainable model.” For him, it’s about getting beyond the four walls of a restaurant.
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing. I’m Baneet Braich, thanks for listening