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Baidu wins ‘first’ driverless permits in China for autonomous ride hailing on public roads

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Baidu Apollo Go has received what it says is the “first ever permits in China” that authorize the company to provide driverless ride-hailing services to the public on open road in Beijing.

This regulatory approval marks a significant milestone for the autonomous ride-hailing industry in China, indicating a regulatory openness to taking a further step toward a fully driverless mobility future.

With these permits issued by the head office of the Beijing High-level Automated Driving Demonstration Area (BJHAD), ten autonomous vehicles without drivers behind the steering wheel will offer rides to passengers in a designated area of 60 square kilometers in Beijing. [Read more…] about Baidu wins ‘first’ driverless permits in China for autonomous ride hailing on public roads

Pony.ai becomes ‘first’ autonomous driving company to receive taxi license in China

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Pony.ai, an autonomous driving technology company, claims it has become the “first and only autonomous driving company to obtain a taxi license in China”.

Pony.ai was awarded a permit to operate 100 autonomous vehicles as traditional taxis in Nansha, Guangzhou.

In May, Pony.ai will start charging fares in the entire 800 square kilometers of Nansha with 100 robotaxis and intends to gradually expand the scale and scope of service to other areas of Guangzhou to benefit more residents. [Read more…] about Pony.ai becomes ‘first’ autonomous driving company to receive taxi license in China

China aims for global leadership in robotics with new five-year plan

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The new five-year plan for the robotics industry in China, released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in Beijing, focuses on promoting innovation.

The government wants to make China a global leader for robot technology and industrial advancement.

The statistical department of the International Federation of Robotics reports about the domestic and foreign engagement on the world’s largest market.

Milton Guerry, president of the International Federation of Robotics, says: “China is by far the biggest robot market in the world regarding annual sales and the operational stock. [Read more…] about China aims for global leadership in robotics with new five-year plan

Baidu expands Apollo Go robotaxi service to all first-tier cities in China

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Baidu Apollo’s ride-hailing service platform Apollo Go has launched trial operation in Shenzhen’s Nanshan District, providing autonomous robotaxi services to Shenzhen commuters.

Shenzhen is the seventh city where Baidu has introduced its robotaxi ride services in China, following Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Changsha, and Cangzhou.

Shenzhen’s Nanshan District, home to top tech companies including Tencent and Huawei, is one of the most densely populated areas in south China.

The launch of Baidu’s robotaxi services is set to drive further developments in autonomous driving in Shenzhen and accelerate the development of local intelligent connected vehicles, underscoring Baidu’s continuous efforts and ambition to lead the transformation of intelligent transportation in China. [Read more…] about Baidu expands Apollo Go robotaxi service to all first-tier cities in China

Winter Olympics provide China opportunity to showcase its robots

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The Winter Olympics – or Beijing 2022 – are under way in China, and the country’s roboticists are using it as an opportunity to show off their technologies. 

This is not unexpected, of course. Japan used the Summer Olympics to showcase its engineering prowess in the area of vehicle technologies as well as robots.

In fact, there’s probably less robotic showing off going on in Beijing than one might have expected, given that China is now the world’s largest buyer of robots. It’s also now the world’s largest car market, much of which is slowly becoming autonomous. [Read more…] about Winter Olympics provide China opportunity to showcase its robots

FedEx installs sorting robot from DoraBot at e-commerce facility

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FedEx Express, a division of global logistics giant FedEx, has installed a sorting robot called “DoraSorter” from a company called DoraBot at one of its facilities in China.

Dorabot, a specialist robotics solution provider for logistics, launched DoraSorter – an AI-powered intelligent sorting robot – in collaboration with FedEx Express.

The sorting robot represents FedEx Express’ latest push in digitizing its operations and building a smart logistics network to handle the ever-growing volumes of e-commerce-related shipments in the region. [Read more…] about FedEx installs sorting robot from DoraBot at e-commerce facility

AutoX expands robotaxi operation zone to 1,000 km

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Alibaba-backed AutoX, a developer of Level 4 fully autonomous cars, or “robotaxis”, now claims to operate “China’s largest autonomous driving area”.

The total area covers 1,000 square kilometers, including a 168-square-kilometer fully driverless zone. AutoX robotaxis are able to navigate all the public roads inside the 1,000 square kilometer area.

Expanding the total autonomous driving area to over 1,000 square kilometers is an important step towards making the robotic taxi service a reality in the daily lives of people in China. [Read more…] about AutoX expands robotaxi operation zone to 1,000 km

Schaeffler acquires precision gearbox maker Melior Motion 

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Schaeffler, a billion-dollar German company which supplies bearings and other components to the automotive and aerospace industries, has signed an agreement to acquire all of the shares of Melior Motion.

The acquisition of this supplier of precision gearboxes for robotics and other applications in automation expands the robotics portfolio of the Schaeffler Group’s industrial division.

As automation of simple, repetitive tasks as well as complex mounting and manufacturing processes is progressing rapidly, Schaeffler’s industrial division is expanding its position as a supplier for robotics components and systems. [Read more…] about Schaeffler acquires precision gearbox maker Melior Motion 

Comau creates high-volume electric drive assembly line for Geely to ‘double its automation rate’

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Comau has developed and implemented an automated electric vehicle drive assembly line for Geely Automobile, one of China’s largest automakers, at the Geely Veremt plant in Ningbo, China.

The assembly line is specifically created for the end-to-end assembly of the electric motor, gearbox and inverter.

Designed in close collaboration with the Geely team, the complete line uses a flexible automatic production system to assemble the permanent magnet motor rotors, gearboxes and electronics drives, in addition to automated quality control and testing. [Read more…] about Comau creates high-volume electric drive assembly line for Geely to ‘double its automation rate’

Intel Mobileye and Geely Zeekr to build autonomous car for consumer market

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Mobileye, an Intel subsidiary which develops advanced driver assistance systems, and Zeekr, the premium electric car brand owned by China’s largest automaker Geely, are to develop a new all-electric consumer vehicle with Level 4 capabilities.

The plan represents an expansion of their existing strategic technology partnership.

The planned autonomous vehicle will be powered by six EyeQ 5 system-on-chips to process Mobileye True Redundancy sensing, Responsibility-Sensitive Safety (RSS)-based driving policy and a new open collaboration model on Road Experience Management (REM) mapping technology. [Read more…] about Intel Mobileye and Geely Zeekr to build autonomous car for consumer market