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Advanced technology adoption will make Indian roads ‘accident-proof’

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A relatively new company called Hi Tech Robotic Systemz (THRSL) says India’s Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s vision for Indian roads will make vehicles “accident-proof”.

In a recent meeting of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), the minister advocated for fixed driving hours for commercial truck drivers like that of pilots, as well as a policy mandating on-board sleep detection sensors in commercial vehicles to reduce road accidents in India and give relief to truck drivers.

The logistics sector, which is a key enabler and the backbone of any growing economy, is primarily dependent on drivers who operate for long hours in tough working conditions. [Read more…] about Advanced technology adoption will make Indian roads ‘accident-proof’

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems predicted to grow to $63 billion by 2024

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The global market for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) is projected to be valued $63 billion by 2024, according to a report by Accurize Market Research. 

The sector is expected to see a compound annual growth rate of 10.7 percent from 2017 to 2025.

Advanced driver assistance systems, or ADAS, are systems developed to automate, adapt, and enhance vehicle systems for safety and improved driving to assist the driver in the driving procedure. [Read more…] about Advanced Driver Assistance Systems predicted to grow to $63 billion by 2024

Mercedes-Benz receives ‘world’s first internationally valid system approval’ for conditionally automated driving

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Mercedes-Benz says it has become the first automotive company in the world to meet the demanding legal requirements of UN-R157 for a Level 3 system.

The German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) has granted system approval for this on the basis of the technical approval regulation UN-R157, thus paving the way for offering such a system internationally, provided that national legislation allows it.

Germany has taken a pioneering role in this with the opening of the Road Traffic Act (StVG) for Level 3 systems in 2017. [Read more…] about Mercedes-Benz receives ‘world’s first internationally valid system approval’ for conditionally automated driving

Baidu Apollo wins approval for commercialized autonomous car service on open roads in Beijing

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Baidu Apollo has received approval for the commercial operation of its autonomous car service in Beijing, as the company’s Apollo Go, known as Luobo Kuaipao in China, was authorized to provide paid service in China’s first-ever demonstration zone for commercial autonomous driving.

With the service’s first-ever commercial deployment on open roads, Apollo Go marks a further step in its accelerating progress towards large-scale commercial operation.

The autonomous vehicle commercial permit granted by the head office of the Beijing High-level Automated Driving Demonstration Area (BJHAD) today allows Baidu to charge fees for autonomous services offered to the public in a designated area. Baidu was among the first service providers to receive such authorization. [Read more…] about Baidu Apollo wins approval for commercialized autonomous car service on open roads in Beijing

Autonomous driving software startup Helm.ai raises $26 million in new funding

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Helm.ai, creator of next-generation AI software for autonomous driving, today announced it has raised $26 million in series B funding.

This funding will help Helm.ai better serve its rapidly growing customer base, and accelerate product expansion of its highly scalable approach to autonomous driving software.

Additional funding in this round was from JM Partners, Base Capital Funding, and Freeman Group, with additional participation from Nicolas Berggruen, ACVC Partners, OneWay Ventures, Binnacle Partners, Nadia Asoyan, Vlad Tenev, Mark Leslie, Jeff Rothschild, and Neil King. [Read more…] about Autonomous driving software startup Helm.ai raises $26 million in new funding

Fieldin acquires agricultural autonomous driving company Midnight Robotics

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Fieldin, a smart farm operations management company specializing in high-value crops, has acquired Midnight Robotics, a developer of agricultural autonomous driving.

The acquisition creates a “first-of-its-kind combination” of a sensor-based operational farming platform with autonomous driving technologies to empower growers in the day-to-day management of their farms, say the companies.

Fieldin is already applying its combined autonomous farming platform in major farms in California and plans additional implementations of the end-to-end system in the coming months. [Read more…] about Fieldin acquires agricultural autonomous driving company Midnight Robotics

Medical robotics startup Clarapath raises $32 million in additional funding

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Clarapath, a robotics startup aimed at catalyzing change in the way pathology laboratories process human and animal tissues, has undertaken follow-on financing, extending its Series B round with an additional $15.5 million in funding, following the previous close of $16 million in Series B funding.

The round included The 4100 Group (the investment arm of Delta Dental), East Post Road Ventures (the investment arm of White Plains Hospital), Epiphron Capital, Northwell Ventures, P5 Health Ventures, and participation from other strategic organizations.

This brings the total raised to date by Clarapath to more than $38 million. [Read more…] about Medical robotics startup Clarapath raises $32 million in additional funding

TTTech Auto and Infineon design new chip architecture for highly automated driving

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TTTech Auto and Infineon Technologies have developed key components for a fail-operational electronic architecture for highly automated driving of SAE Level 3 and 4.

This enables the safe and reliable processing of, for example, radar or LiDAR camera sensor data and is targeting car and technology manufacturers. The fail-operational architectural concept and its key components ensure the safe operation of highway pilot functions, valet parking and autonomous truck driving in case individual functions fail.

The joint research contributed to the successful completion of the European PRYSTINE (Programmable Systems for Intelligence in Automobiles) project. With a budget of about €50 million, PRYSTINE aimed to realize safe automated driving by fail-operational urban surround perception. [Read more…] about TTTech Auto and Infineon design new chip architecture for highly automated driving

aiMotive opens Munich office

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aiMotive, a supplier of automated driving technologies, has opened a new office in Munich, Germany.

Beyond supporting business operations, the new office will include a workshop to enable testing and data collection in Germany.

László Kishonti, founder and CEO of aiMotive, says: “Munich is an important center of the European automotive industry and a transportation hub in the middle of the continent. A perfect location for our second European office.” [Read more…] about aiMotive opens Munich office

Baidu launches robotaxi test service in Shanghai with Apollo Go ride-hailing platform

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Baidu has launched testing of its Apollo Go in Shanghai, marking the fifth city where passengers have the ability to trial the robotaxi mobile platform. Baidu is the only company to offer this service in the three first-tier cities of Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai.

The Shanghai operation will include 150 stations opened in phases throughout the city to provide users convenient access to residential areas, commercial areas, offices and public transportation. Passengers can use the service from 9.30 am to 11.00 pm every day of the week.

This launch comes on the heels of another milestone for Baidu Apollo – the expansion of Apollo Go to Tongzhou District in Beijing, where the service will enable residents and visitors of the suburb to experience travel in an autonomous vehicle. [Read more…] about Baidu launches robotaxi test service in Shanghai with Apollo Go ride-hailing platform