Robotics & Automation News

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Autonomous Vehicles

Toyota, Aurora and Continental to build autonomous vehicles on Nvidia platform

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Toyota, Aurora and Continental have joined the list of mobility technology providers developing and building their consumer and commercial vehicle fleets on chipmaker Nvidia’s accelerated computing and AI platforms.

Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, will build its next-generation vehicles on Nvidia Drive AGX Orin, running the safety-certified Nvidia DriveOS operating system. These vehicles will offer functionally safe, advanced driving assistance capabilities.

The majority of today’s auto manufacturers, truckmakers, robotaxi, and autonomous delivery vehicle companies, tier-one suppliers and mobility startups are developing on Nvidia Drive AGX platform and technologies. [Read more…] about Toyota, Aurora and Continental to build autonomous vehicles on Nvidia platform

How Nvidia conquered the digital world and plans to dominate the robotics industry

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There was a time when it was difficult to see beyond Intel. It was indisputably the world’s largest chipmaker for a long time and eclipsed whoever else was around at the time. For some people, no other semiconductor manufacturer even existed.

Intel’s partnership with manufacturers of computers that ran the Windows operating system was largely responsible for the global success of the company whose unofficial motto was “Only the paranoid survive”.

But perhaps the total and utter domination of the market, and the falling away of would-be competitors into niche markets, led Intel to be less paranoid and get more relaxed – perhaps even complacent. [Read more…] about How Nvidia conquered the digital world and plans to dominate the robotics industry

German government gives Mercedes-Benz green light to sell autonomous cars

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Mercedes-Benz has updated its conditionally automated driving system Drive Pilot and has now received the approval by the German Federal Motor Transport Authority.

Mercedes-Benz says that, with this milestone and green light from the government, it is “all set” for the upcoming sales release in early 2025 in Germany.

This update makes Drive Pilot the fastest certified system for conditionally automated driving (SAE‑Level 3) in a standard production vehicle. It’s optionally available on two luxury saloon car ranges – S-Class and EQS. [Read more…] about German government gives Mercedes-Benz green light to sell autonomous cars

Volvo begins autonomous truck operations for DHL in Texas

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Volvo Autonomous Solutions (VAS) and DHL Supply Chain have taken a significant step towards transforming freight transportation with the launch of autonomous operations in the United States.

The operations will be enabled by the purpose-built, production-ready Volvo VNL Autonomous which is powered by the Aurora Driver. The start of operations marks a critical phase in validating the full ecosystem required for autonomous transport at scale.

At this stage, a safety driver will be present to monitor performance and ensure seamless integration into existing logistic networks. Freight will initially be hauled on two lanes, Dallas to Houston and Fort Worth to El Paso. [Read more…] about Volvo begins autonomous truck operations for DHL in Texas

Denso to buy shares in onsemi to strengthen ADAS partnership

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Denso and onsemi are strengthening their long-term relationship to support the procurement of autonomous driving (AD) and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) technologies.

For over 10 years, onsemi has been supplying Denso with the latest intelligent automotive sensors to enhance ADAS and AD performance.

These semiconductors have become increasingly vital in improving vehicle intelligence including connectivity, to help reduce traffic accident fatalities. [Read more…] about Denso to buy shares in onsemi to strengthen ADAS partnership

Autonomous vehicle accident: Who is at fault and how a car accident lawyer can help

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Autonomous vehicles, or AVs, have completely changed the way we think about transportation.

They are at the cutting edge of technological innovation and has the potential to reduce human error and increase road safety, but accidents involving AVs still happen, which begs the difficult question of who is at fault in a crash involving an AV.

The Complicated Fault System in AV Mishaps

The dynamics of AV accidents involve a multitude of factors, in contrast to traditional auto accidents where fault is usually attributed to one or more human drivers. [Read more…] about Autonomous vehicle accident: Who is at fault and how a car accident lawyer can help

Indy Autonomous Challenge returns to CES 2025

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The Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC), a yearly race to showcase the latest in autonomous racecar technology high-speed autonomy, is gearing up for a “monumental return” to CES 2025 with exciting new developments, including the introduction of multicar racing and the future of physical AI.

Set to take place on January 9, 2025 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway from 2-4 PM PST, the Autonomous Challenge at CES 2025 will mark a significant milestone in the development of autonomous technologies, offering attendees a firsthand look at the evolution of AI in high-speed motorsport. [Read more…] about Indy Autonomous Challenge returns to CES 2025

Opinion: Will autonomous cars ever gain regulatory approval to operate freely on public roads?

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The news that General Motors has decided to fold Cruise into its overall business should send shock waves through the industry. If Cruise can’t do it, with all its money and giant parent’s backing, who can?

Cruise is a relatively new startup which had huge optimism around it because several billion dollars were invested into it and a lot of people still believe autonomous cars are the future of global road traffic.

But after burning through $10 billion and only generating $500 million in revenue, Cruise seems to have lost its parent company’s confidence and has now been absorbed into the historic automotive giant, with its technology being repackaged into GM production cars as, essentially, an advanced driver assistance system called “Super Cruise”. [Read more…] about Opinion: Will autonomous cars ever gain regulatory approval to operate freely on public roads?

General Motors to shut down autonomous car developer Cruise despite $10 billion spend

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General Motors is planning to close down Cruise, its autonomous vehicle technology development business, after the startup had racked up expenses of approximately $10 billion while generating revenues of only $500 million.

The way GM announced the closure on its website was that it plans to “realign its autonomous driving strategy and prioritize development of advanced driver assistance systems on a path to fully autonomous personal vehicles”.

GM will build on the progress of Super Cruise, the company’s hands-off, eyes-on driving feature, now offered on more than 20 GM vehicle models and currently logging over 10 million miles per month. [Read more…] about General Motors to shut down autonomous car developer Cruise despite $10 billion spend

May Mobility launches autonomous shuttle service at Toyota site

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May Mobility, an autonomous driving technology company, has launch a corporate autonomous vehicle service that will utilize the Toyota-manufactured e-Palette vehicle.

The mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) vehicle platform will be operated in Toyota’s Miyata factory, in Fukuoka, Japan. The full name of the site is the Toyota Motor Kyushu (TMK) Miyata factory.

The service uses a custom version of the e-Palette battery-electric vehicle and will provide an efficient and effective transit option for factory employees and guests. [Read more…] about May Mobility launches autonomous shuttle service at Toyota site