dmv

Google's self-driving cars win big in Nevada

Nevada is known as being one of the most lenient states when it comes to gambling, fireworks, and getting married; and now it's extending that easygoingness to driverless cars.

As of today, Nevada is the first state to let Google's self-driving cars on the roads. The state's Department of Motor Vehicles issued the tech giant the first license to see just how these cars act and react on busy streets and highways, according to the Las Vegas Sun.

"We're excited to receive the first testing license for self-driving vehicles in Nevada," a Google spokesperson … Read more

Router glitch cripples California DMV network

The California Department of Motor Vehicles department suffered a network outage on Thursday due to an equipment glitch, a state official said.

A router switch malfunctioned, said Bill Maile, spokesman for Office of Technology Services for the state of California.

"It's very rare," he said. "Our staff quickly diagnosed the problem and re-routed network traffic to restore connectivity."

The network was down for about two hours and was restored at about 1:40 p.m. PST, according to Maile.

There are 168 DMV offices throughout the state, said Jan Mendoza, spokeswoman for the DMV.

"… Read more

Four states' DMVs frown on smiling

Do I detect the faintest hint of a smile in your driver's license photo? The smile that says, "Gee, I've been here for three days, it's amazing what popping a little E can do to help you through."

Well, perhaps you might rejoice that you don't live in Arkansas, Indiana, Virginia, or Nevada.

Those states--and perhaps more to come--have decided to enact a no-smiling policy on driver's license photos.

Their intentions are noble. You see, these states have invested in very fine software that compares photos on licenses to other photos already taken. … Read more

Bot takes a spin on its own Segway

A few months back we cited a Segway designed for robots but didn't really think we'd see it in use, at least not so soon. That was before researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science introduced "Hubo," which, so far as we know, is the first robot to have mastered the art of the twin-wheeled scooter at more than 12 miles per hour. That's nearly 20 times faster than its walking speed, just enough to get it in trouble.

At present the bot's driving must be directed by humans via remote control, according … Read more

Another robot for a human-free Japan

It's creepy even to think this, but we have to wonder if there's some correlation between Japan's declining population and its obsession with robots. Is it possible that the island nation is intentionally preparing to cede a portion of its society to machines?

The country has always shown a borderline-unhealthy fascination with robots, but recent developments seem to be aimed specifically at populating the service industry's work force. We've seen a system to replace surly hotel clerks and robots that can act as hospital receptionists and porters. Now enter Ubiko from UBIX, an all-purpose bot … Read more