Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Autonomous Vehicles

Baidu partners with automaker BAIC to mass produce Apollo robotaxis

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Baidu, the equivalent of Google in China and a developer of autonomous car technology, is partnering with automaker BAIC Group’s electric vehicle brand ArcFox to jointly release Apollo Moon, a new generation of robotaxis that are set to be mass-produced with a per unit manufacturing price of RMB 480,000 ($75,000). Apollo is a business unit of Baidu.

Said to be “only one third of the cost of average Level 4 autonomous vehicles”, Apollo Moon is described as “a monumental milestone” in the large-scale commercialization of fully autonomous ride-hailing services in the smart transportation industry.

Apollo Moon has a projected operating cycle of over five years and is slated to revolutionize the transportation sector by providing dependable long-term robotaxi ride-hailing services. [Read more…] about Baidu partners with automaker BAIC to mass produce Apollo robotaxis

Mobile Industrial Robots launches new AMR for towing carts through dynamic spaces

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Patented autonomous mobile robot (AMR) solution offers high precision and performance when picking up, transporting and delivering carts with payloads up to 1,100 pounds

Mobile Industrial Robots, a provider of autonomous mobile robots, has launched the MiR250 Hook for automatically collecting and towing carts through dynamic and constricted industrial spaces.

The MiR250 Hook includes the MiR250, MiR’s fastest and most compact AMR, creating a robust user-friendly offering that easily and cost-effectively automates the transport of various sizes of loaded carts weighing up to 1100 pounds (500 kg).

The latest generation of the MiR Hook solution, the patented MiR250 Hook further optimizes internal logistics and other workflows at industrial facilities to increase productivity and profitability and free human workers for higher-value tasks. [Read more…] about Mobile Industrial Robots launches new AMR for towing carts through dynamic spaces

Perrone Robotics completes series of public road tests of its autonomous vehicles

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Perrone Robotics, a provider of autonomous vehicle technology, says it has successfully completed a series of public road demonstrations in the city of Westminster, Maryland, as part of an event hosted by the Mid-Atlantic Gigabit Innovation Collaboratory (MAGIC) Autonomous Corridor Project.

Following the success achieved in Maryland a week before, the company conducted back-to-back public road tests for customers with a GreenPower AV Star zero-emission transit shuttle, and a Low Speed Vehicle neighborhood electric vehicle, both integrated with Perrone Autonomy.

These vehicles are slated for customer deployment later this summer for use in municipal and university transit applications. [Read more…] about Perrone Robotics completes series of public road tests of its autonomous vehicles

Beep launches Yellowstone’s first autonomous shuttles in partnership with Local Motors

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Beep – a provider of multi-passenger, electric, autonomous mobility solutions – has launched what it says is Yellowstone National Park’s first-ever autonomous shuttle program, called TEDDY (The Electric Driverless Demonstration in Yellowstone), in partnership with Local Motors, a designer and manufacturer of autonomous vehicles.

The TEDDY project, an ode to Teddy Roosevelt, will enable the National Park Service to test the feasibility and sustainability of autonomous mobility and better plan for the future of transportation.

Joe Moye, Beep CEO, says: “Beep is proud to have been selected by the National Park Service to provide transformative mobility at the country’s first national park. [Read more…] about Beep launches Yellowstone’s first autonomous shuttles in partnership with Local Motors

NuPort Robotics selects Nvidia Drive platform for autonomous trucks

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NuPort Robotics, a Canada-based autonomous trucking company, has selected the Nvidia Drive platform to power its middle-mile semi-truck transportation solutions, which will be capable of safely operating in all weather conditions.

NuPort is defining next-generation transportation solutions for the Canadian trucking industry. Using state-of-the-art technology and a unique approach, NuPort is poised to change the middle-mile logistics.

NuPort will leverage the centralized compute capabilities of the Nvidia Drive platform-which is scalable to Level 4 autonomy-for processing a wide array of deep neural networks (DNNs) necessary for autonomous trucks to operate safely under various weather conditions. [Read more…] about NuPort Robotics selects Nvidia Drive platform for autonomous trucks

Infineon and Reality AI teach cars how to ‘hear’

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Today’s advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are based on cameras, radar or lidar. As a result, their target objects need to be within the line of sight to be recognized by the system.

This, however, turns into a weakness when it comes to emergency vehicles – they can be heard much earlier than they can be seen and thus are invisible to ADAS for a longer time.

To address this challenge, Infineon Technologies together with Reality AI created an advanced sensing solution giving vehicles the sense of hearing. [Read more…] about Infineon and Reality AI teach cars how to ‘hear’

US government-funded project tests connected vehicles for lifesaving applications

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A US Department of Transportation-funded project called THEA Connected Vehicle Pilot has been testing connected vehicles for lifesaving applications at the American Center of Mobility.

The tests were undertaken in collaboration with automotive manufacturers and road operators.

The Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority Connected Vehicle Pilot (THEA CV Pilot) is a $22 million project jointly funded by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and THEA. [Read more…] about US government-funded project tests connected vehicles for lifesaving applications

Beep secures $20 million Series-A investment from Intel and Blue Lagoon

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Beep, a provider of multi-passenger, electric, autonomous mobility solutions, has closed the company’s Series A investment round with Intel Capital and Blue Lagoon Capital, raising $20 million.

The funding will enable Beep to continue the expansion of its autonomous fleet deployments across North America and leverage its learnings to advance passenger mobility service for cities, business districts and campuses at scale.

Beep utilizes a combination of machine learning, contextual traffic data and the company’s existing centralized command center data to provide vital oversight in managing high-risk scenarios for autonomous vehicles in complex geo-fenced environments. [Read more…] about Beep secures $20 million Series-A investment from Intel and Blue Lagoon

SberAutoTech launches its first fully autonomous vehicle

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By David Rafalovsky, CTO, Sberbank Group; executive vice president, head of technology, Sberbank

SberAutoTech, a Sber ecosystem company, has revealed a prototype of its own autonomous vehicle for future mobility, which it has named “FLIP”.

The brand-new and fully self-driving vehicle has been developed to match the highest level in international driving automation classification. It pursues the new mobility concept providing quick, safe, and comfortable transportation for passengers through cutting-edge IT and automotive technologies.

There is a proprietary electric platform driven by an electric motor powered by a replaceable battery module at the core of FLIP. Key differentiating know-how is that fast-swappable batteries can be replaced in five minutes. [Read more…] about SberAutoTech launches its first fully autonomous vehicle

ASRock Industrial and Dynamis PRC to provide autonomous car technology for 2022 Formula Student Championship

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ASRock Industrial is currently collaborating with Dynamis PRC, providing its latest Intel 10th Gen CPU motherboard IMB-1222 to power up the prototype’s autonomous driving system and participate in the 2022 Formula Student Championship.

Formula Student is one of the world’s most competitive international automobile design competitions for students among university teams. Each team designs and builds a formula-style competition vehicle to enter the race.

Among many great teams, Dynamis PRC from Italy has achieved 4th place globally and ranked 1st nationally after years of competitions and successes. [Read more…] about ASRock Industrial and Dynamis PRC to provide autonomous car technology for 2022 Formula Student Championship