Joan Lowy

Associated Press

Industrial Media Unboxing Video

Industrial Media Unboxing Video

IEN Unboxed is a new show in which our editors unbox new tools on the market and discuss their features.

The Trump administration has quietly set aside plans to require new cars to be able to wirelessly talk to each other, auto industry officials said, jeopardizing one of the most promising technologies for preventing traffic deaths.

Gov't Won't Pursue Talking Car Mandate

Trump administration sets aside plans to require new cars to be able to wirelessly talk to each other.

In this Jan. 5, 2017 file photo, an exhibitor demonstrates a drone flight at CES International, in Las Vegas. White House officials said Trump will sign a memorandum Wednesday permitting states, localities and tribes to craft their own pilot programs to test drones. There is no limit on the number of communities that can participate.

Trump OKs Drone Test Program

Trump's directive will increase the number and complexity of drone flights.

In this April 2014 file image frame grab from video, provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a test at the FAAs technical center in Atlantic City, N.J. The U.S. government is urging that large, personal electronic devices like laptops be banned from airline checked luggage because of the potential for a catastrophic fire.

Laptops Pose Fire Risk

The U.S. government is urging the world airline community to ban large, personal electronic devices.

Distracting Technology in Cars

The 'explosion of technology' has made things worse.

In this Feb. 16, 2009, file photo, debris at the scene of a plane crash site of Continental Connection Flight 3407 in Clarence Center, N.Y. An influential industry panel plans to vote Sept. 14, 2017, on recommendations that the Federal Aviation Administration eliminate or scale back dozens of safety rules, including one on airline pilot qualifications. The recommendations are contained in a report to the FAA’s Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee in response to President Donald Trump's directives to cut government regulations.

Panel Votes to Lessen Airline Pilot Qualifications

The recommendations are a response to an effort by the agency to comply with President Donald Trump's directives to cut government regulations.

This image provided by the National Transportation Safety Board shows the damage to the left front of the Tesla involved in a May 7, 2016, crash in Williston, Fla. Investigators are meeting Sept. 12, 2017, to determine the likely cause of the crash that killed Joshua Brown, 40, of Canton, Ohio, who was using the semiautonomous driving systems of his Tesla Model S sedan. The sedan struck the underside of a semitrailer that was turning onto a divided highway in Williston. The sedan's roof was sheared off before the vehicle emerged on the other side of the trailer.

Cause of Fatal Tesla Crash Investigated

The case has raised questions about the ability of automakers to keep the attention of drivers engaged as new technology allows them to cede greater control to their vehicles.

This May 13, 2014, file photo shows a row of Google self-driving Lexus cars at a Google event outside the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif. The House voted Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017, to speed the introduction of self-driving cars by giving the federal government authority to exempt automakers from safety standards not applicable to the technology, and to permit deployment of up to 100,000 of the vehicles annually over the next several years.

House OKs Bill to Speed Up Driverless Tech

The bill gives the federal government authority to exempt automakers from safety standards not applicable to the technology.

In his May 22, 2012 file photo, a side mirror warning signal in a Ford Taurus at an automobile testing area in Oxon Hill, Md. Safety systems to prevent cars from drifting into another lane or warn drivers of vehicles in their blind spots are beginning to live up to their potential to significantly reduce crashes, according to two studies released Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017.

Automated Systems Prevent Accidents

They are beginning to live up to their potential to significantly reduce crashes.

President Donald Trump, accompanied by Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, holds a flowchart of highway projects as he speaks to the media in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017.

Trump Takes On Permitting Regs for Infrastructure

Building trade groups had urged Trump to revoke an Obama-era order pertaining to projects built on flood plains, saying it was overly bureaucratic and increased costs.

In this Jan. 5, 2017 file photo, a drone flies in Las Vegas. The world’s largest manufacturer of civilian drones is proposing that drones be required to continually transmit identification information to help government security agencies and law enforcement figure out which might belong to rogue operators.

Drone Maker Wants More Security

The chief concern is that there are no means for security agencies to differentiate between drones that may pose security risks from those that don't.

In this photo, a self-driving car is seen in Detroit. General Motors is trying to persuade state lawmakers across the country to pass legislation that would clear the way for the automaker to make self-driving cars publicly available while potentially barring GM’s competitors from putting their own vehicles on the road.

GM Tries to Freeze Out Uber

Proposed bills set a blueprint for the introduction of fully self-driving cars that are part of on-demand, ride-sharing fleets, but they must be owned by an automaker.