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Warehouse robotics startup Hai Robotics raises $200 million in funding

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Hai Robotics, a Chinese warehouse robotics startup pioneering in autonomous case-handling robotics system, has secured two new continuous rounds of financing, generating more than $200 million in total.

The new money is to be invested in boosting Hai’s robot fleet with technological upgrades, expanding its global operation networks, optimizing its supply chain management and corporate structure as well as talent.

The C round funding was led by 5Y Capital with participation from Sequoia Capital China, Source Code Capital, VMS, Walden International and Scheme Capital. [Read more…] about Warehouse robotics startup Hai Robotics raises $200 million in funding

AutoX autonomous vehicle navigates through China’s urban villages

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AutoX, a developer of Level 4 fully autonomous RoboTaxis founded by e-commerce giant Alibaba, has released a new video this week showcasing how its fully driverless RoboTaxis handle the challenging rush hour conditions of China’s “urban villages” in what is described as the “ultimate autonomous driving challenge”.

Unique to China, urban villages are ultra high-density residential neighborhoods in major cities, including Shenzhen and Guangzhou, that are typically surrounded by skyscrapers, transportation infrastructure, and other modern urban developments.

The public roads in urban villages are extremely busy, chaotic and overcrowded, especially in the early evening. [Read more…] about AutoX autonomous vehicle navigates through China’s urban villages

ZF launches its ‘most advanced’ autonomous emergency braking system for commercial vehicles in China

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Automotive systems manufacturer ZF is preparing for volume production of its most advanced autonomous emergency braking assistance system in China. OnGuardMAX will be installed in new truck models by two leading Chinese manufacturers from this year.

Sophisticated data integration with state-of-the-art camera and radar sensor helps the system autonomously detect, classify and react on moving and stationary vehicles, motorcycles and bicycles.

The system warns the driver of imminent collisions and, if necessary, can autonomously bring the vehicle to a complete stop. This advanced object detection and autonomous braking capability further enables the new ZF system to help avoid or mitigate accidents involving pedestrians. [Read more…] about ZF launches its ‘most advanced’ autonomous emergency braking system for commercial vehicles in China

Honda and AutoX test autonomous cars on public roads in China

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Honda China is collaborating with AutoX on autonomous driving research in China through vehicle testing on public roads. Honda will provide Accord and Inspire vehicles that will utilize AutoX’s autonomous vehicle technology.

AutoX is the frontrunner of Level 4 autonomous driving in China. In this partnership, Honda will adopt and leverage on AutoX’s cutting-edge technology and rich experience in the testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles in the most populated cities in China.

Through the test, Honda aims to deepen understanding of China’s traffic environment, establish the public acceptance and safety of autonomous driving technology, as well as to seek new autonomous driving technology solutions. [Read more…] about Honda and AutoX test autonomous cars on public roads in China

Baidu Apollo awarded China’s first licenses to test autonomous vehicles at night and in special weather conditions

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Baidu Apollo has received China’s first batch of qualifications to test autonomous vehicles at night and in special weather conditions on public roads in Beijing.

A total of 53 such test qualification notices along with five general public road test licenses were granted to Baidu Apollo at the Beijing Intelligent Connected Vehicle Policy Pilot Zone launch event on April 13, 2021. The Pilot Zone encompasses 225 square kilometers, six highways, and urban expressways that cover a total length of 143 kilometers.

The ability to transport users during peak rush hours, nighttime, and bad weather scenarios – such as rainstorm conditions – poses an immense challenge in regards to the perception, prediction, planning and control capabilities of autonomous vehicles. [Read more…] about Baidu Apollo awarded China’s first licenses to test autonomous vehicles at night and in special weather conditions

XPeng undertakes the ‘longest autonomous driving expedition in China’

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XPeng, an electric vehicle company in China, has undertaken what is described as “the longest autonomous driving expedition” in China, with a fleet of XPeng P7s, covering a total distance of 3,675 km across six provinces across the country.

This will be the longest autonomous driving expedition by mass-produced vehicles in China.

The expedition will showcase the capability of Navigation Guided Pilot, full-stack in-house developed autonomous driving solution by XPeng, in complex driving scenarios on China’s highways. [Read more…] about XPeng undertakes the ‘longest autonomous driving expedition in China’

Baidu receives green light to demonstrate commercialized autonomous vehicles in China

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Baidu, China’s equivalent of Google and a developer of autonomous vehicles, has received qualifications for 35 of its “Apollo” vehicles to demonstrate commercialized autonomous driving operations, and qualifications for 10 vehicles to conduct driverless testing, by traffic authorities in Cangzhou city, in China.

These qualifications will allow Baidu to be the first company in China to experiment with various monetization mechanisms for autonomous driving services, marking a landmark step on Baidu Apollo’s road to commercialization.

With these qualifications, Baidu Apollo will be able to roll out commercialized demonstrations of its smart transportation services in Cangzhou, and explore various mechanisms for charging customers, such as discounts, trial tickets, and voluntary payments from riders, for the first time by any autonomous driving company in China. [Read more…] about Baidu receives green light to demonstrate commercialized autonomous vehicles in China

Chinese robotics sector files ‘44 percent of total global patents’

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The Chinese robotics sector generated almost half of total global patents in the most recent year available, according to a new report. 

The figure was published in the Annual Report on the Development of the Robot Industry in China, jointly written by HRG International Institute of Research and Innovation as well as the China Institute of Science and Technology Evaluation.

The two organizations produced what they call the 2021 Blue Book of the Robot Industry, based on their research. [Read more…] about Chinese robotics sector files ‘44 percent of total global patents’

Baidu Apollo selected to build landmark 5G intelligent driving project in China

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Baidu, China’s equivalent of Google, says its autonomous car business unit Apollo has jointly won a bid to construct a 5G intelligent driving project in Chengdu in a tender worth RMB 105 million ($16.1 million).

The first project of its kind on Sichuan Province, the win adds to Baidu Apollo’s growing portfolio of smart transportation projects across China, which are leveraging the company’s strengths in AI-powered new infrastructure to bring about an intelligent transformation of transportation and urban management.

As part of the project, Baidu Apollo will develop 30 kilometers of intelligent connected demonstration roads in the Singapore-Sichuan Hi-Tech Innovation Park. [Read more…] about Baidu Apollo selected to build landmark 5G intelligent driving project in China

OrionStar showcases Qualcomm-enabled 5G service robots at MWC Shanghai

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OrionStar, the robotics company invested in by telecommunications company Cheetah Mobile, has developed three service robots embedded with Qualcomm’s 5G solutions and processing capabilities.

The company showcased some of its technologies at the recent Mobile World Congress (MWC) Shanghai 2021.

By adding 5G connectivity, the robots get a powerful boost in AI performance to provide an even higher level of stability, consistency, responsiveness, coordination and remote control capabilities. [Read more…] about OrionStar showcases Qualcomm-enabled 5G service robots at MWC Shanghai