Self-driving vehicles (automotive)

Inceptio Trucking400x275China’s Inceptio Technology has announced the closing of a $270 million Series B equity financing round. The closing of the round will allow the company to accelerate the development of its self-developed, full-stack autonomous driving system known as “Xuanyuan” as well as speed up deployment in electrification.

 

MotionalVan400x275Motional has announced that it chose Ottopia to support the deployment of its robotaxi fleets. Motional said it will use Ottopia’s teleoperation technology to conduct remote vehicle assistance (RVA) when operating its fully driverless, SAE Level 4 autonomous vehicles.

 

Arcimoto400x275Arcimoto, which develops and manufactures “fun utility vehicles” (FUVs), recently demonstrated the first-ever driverless FUV, in addition to other technologies during its FUV and Friends Summer Showcase at the Portland (Ore.) International Raceway.

 

Cepton dSPACE 400x275Cepton, which provides intelligent lidar-based solutions, and dSPACE, which develops simulation and validation solutions, have announced a collaboration to enable easier adoption of lidar technology in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), autonomous vehicles (AV), and other autonomous applications. The partnership looks to enable dSPACE to integrate Cepton’s lidar sensors into its simulation tool chain, helping customers accelerate their development using Cepton lidars.

 

NCOA SelfDrivingSurvey400x275Approximately 70% of older drivers have said they have trust in self-driving and ride-hailing (SDRH) services, in a new survey released by the National Council on Aging and Volkswagen Group of America. Those respondents said they feel confident that these services could enhance their safety, and believe that they could help achieve tasks outside the home and do the things they want in life.

 

SurveyCars400x275In a new survey of consumers in the U.S., U.K., and Germany, a large majority (72.5%) said they would use a robotaxi service, and more than half expect fully functional self-driving cars are more than three years away. However, consumers remain concerned about malfunctions, avoiding obstacles, and software security of the vehicles.

 

Argo Lyft Ford400x275Lyft, Ford Motor Company and Argo AI have announced that its commercialized autonomous ride hailing services will be deployed by the end of 2021. Initial deployments are scheduled for Miami, Fla., to be followed by Austin, Texas, the companies said in a statement.

 

CMU narrow street400x275It is a scenario familiar to anyone who has driven down a crowded, narrow street. Parked cars line both sides, and there isn't enough space for vehicles traveling in both directions to pass each other. One has to duck into a gap in the parked cars or slow and pull over as far as possible for the other to squeeze by. Drivers find a way to negotiate this, but not without close calls and frustration. Programming an autonomous vehicle (AV) to do the same — without a human behind the wheel or knowledge of what the other driver might do — presented a unique challenge for researchers at the Carnegie Mellon University Argo AI Center for Autonomous Vehicle Research.

 

TactileMobility400x275Tactile Mobility, which develops tactile data and virtual sensing technology, has announced the launch of a runover virtual solution that provides vehicles with the ability to identify in real time an initial runover of an object to prevent a full runover.

 

AuroraSPAC400x275Self-driving technology company Aurora has announced entering into a definitive business combination agreement with Reinvent Technology Partners Y, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) with the intention of going public following the merger. Upon closing of the proposed transaction, the combined company will be named  Aurora Innovation with common stock expected to be listed on Nasdaq with the ticker symbol AUR.

 

AEye lidar Continental400x275AEye, which develops high-performance lidar solutions, has announced new partnerships and customer deployments, along with touting that its sensors can detect objects at the 1,000-meter mark in rain and behind windshield glass.

 

Inceptio AD Trucks400x275Inceptio Technology has exhibited two models of mass-produced autonomous-driving heavy-duty trucks. Developed in cooperation with Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle (DFCV) and Sinotruk, the trucks are equipped with Inceptio’s self-developed, full-stack autonomous driving system Xuanyuan.

 

Algolux400x275Algolux, a computer vision software company, has announced raising $18.4 million in Series B funding. The new investment will be used by the Montreal-based company to accelerate market adoption of its computer vision and image optimization solutions. The round was co-led by Forte Ventures and Drive Capital, with additional funding from new investors Investissement Quebec, Castor Ventures, and Nikon-SBI Innovation Fund. Existing ventures GM Ventures, Generation Ventures, and Intact Ventures also participated.

 

GhostSystem400x275Autonomous driving safety firm Ghost has announced closing a $100 million Series D financing round, to help continue development of its system that aims to prevent automobile crashes. Returning investors Sutter Hill Ventures and Founders Fund participated in the round, along with a new commitment from Coatue. The company is currently testing in California, and said it will use the new capital to continue development and introduce its product next year.

 

Vecow Hailo 8 400x275Vecow Co., which develops embedded technologies, has announced a partnership with artificial intelligence chipmaker Hailo, to launch a next-generation AI solution, the ABP-3000 AI computing system. The system features a compact Hailo-8 AI accelerator module, enabling better performance and AI inference capabilities at the edge. The collaboration allows for best-in-class power productivity and edge ecosystem development possibilities, the companies said in a statement.

 

PittsburghRobotics 400x275The Pittsburgh Robotics Network (PRN), an alliance of robotics companies, research institutions, and universities in the Pittsburgh area, has announced it has grown to more than 100 members. The group has announced a commitment to make the city the “Robotics Capital of the World” through new strategic initiatives.