FLEETDRIVE
AUTOMATED DOG WALKER
LEOPARD VISITS CAR FACTORY
NEW ASSET PROGRAMS
Major auto maker Toyota has recently patented an autonomous dog-walking vehicle that not only helps you walk your dog but also takes charge of clean up duties .
Called a “ guidance vehicle ”, it aims to take a dog out for a walk on a preprogrammed route . While it is mainly designed for unmanned walks , owners can come along and control the vehicle from its main platform .
It is equipped with a ‘ discipline mode ’ which locks the leash if the dog deviates from the route or gets too excited while taking a walk .
Perhaps the most interesting feature of the guidance vehicle is its ability to clean up after a dog . It is equipped with cameras that detect if a dog urinates triggering a spray of water or defacated which triggers the deployment of a collection decive to scoop it up .
While this seems to a great idea especially for persons with disabilities or for the elderly , it remains to be seen if Toyota will bring the guidance vehicle to market .
Many car manufacturing factories have experienced closures in the past couple of years but a Mercedes-Benz factory in Pune , India closed production for a few hours after a leopard wandered into the facility .
The appearance of the wild cat has caused panic among the workers and the site had to be shut down as a Wildlife SOS rapid response team from the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre and the State Forest Department safely removed the curious creature from the site .
The rescue took about four hours , and Wildlife SOS reports that neither the creature nor any workers sustained injuries . The leopard was released back into the wild .
Ford is expanding the curriculum and adding locations to its premier training program designed to add more specially trained automotive technicians to a fast-growing field that now includes electric vehicles .
The initiative , known as Automotive Student Service Educational Training ( ASSET ), is a collaboration between Ford Motor Company , Ford and Lincoln dealers and select community colleges and technical schools . The program provides Ford and Lincoln dealerships and their customers with technicians highly trained in Ford service technologies and diagnostic & repair methods .
Three new Automotive Student Service Educational Training ( ASSET ) programs are starting this year at the following community colleges :
• Pima Community College , Tucson AZ
• Wake Technical College , Raleigh , NC
• Gwinnett Technical College , Lawrenceville , GA
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