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Baidu DeepWay unveils autonomous truck

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DeepWay, a Baidu-backed company, has unveiled Xingtu, a smart new energy heavy-duty truck with a computing power of more than 500 teraflops per second and ultra-long-distance sensing capabilities of more than 1 kilometer.

This launch marks Baidu’s entry into the multi-trillion dollar global freight market.

Powered by Baidu’s globally recognized AI technology stack and the Baidu Apollo autonomous driving platform, Xingtu is a prime example of the next generation vehicles we will see in the smart driving era. [Read more…] about Baidu DeepWay unveils autonomous truck

Driving will be outlawed for humans by 2050, says IDTechEx

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Autonomous cars will match or exceed human safety by 2024, after which they will grow rapidly at aan annual rate of 30 percent, according to IDTechEx’s new report Autonomous Cars, Robotaxis & Sensors 2022–2042.

By the 2040s, they will be capable of fulfilling the world’s mobility needs without a single collision. So why should humans be allowed to continue driving?

For a long time, the parameters around how we can drive our vehicles have been restricted. Speed limits exist to increase safety, seatbelts are mandated to increase safety, and city centers are becoming pedestrianized to increase safety for pedestrians. [Read more…] about Driving will be outlawed for humans by 2050, says IDTechEx

Autonomous vehicles ranked among top 10 innovations attracting investment

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The convergence of automotive and technology industries is accelerating the pace of innovation in the mobility and transportation sectors, leading to a surge in patent grants relevant to autonomous vehicles while also attracting venture capital investors’ interest in the area.

GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, has ranked autonomous vehicles among the top 10 innovation-led technologies.

GlobalData’s Technology Innovation Intensity framework is a proprietary data-driven model that incorporates key innovation drivers from alternative datasets such as patents and deals to track a technology’s pace of innovation as well as its lifecycle stage. [Read more…] about Autonomous vehicles ranked among top 10 innovations attracting investment

Baidu launches multi-purpose autonomous minibus

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Baidu, the Chinese internet search giant which also has an autonomous vehicle business unit called Apollo, has launched what it describes as “a new generation of multi-purpose autonomous minibuses”. 

Named “Apolong II”, the new vehicles are being rolled out in Guangzhou Huangpu District.

The Apolong II is equipped with advanced autonomous driving capabilities and the latest in-vehicle smart cabin technologies to enhance passenger experience. [Read more…] about Baidu launches multi-purpose autonomous minibus

DXC Luxoft and AWS partner to accelerate autonomous driving industry with Robotic Drive Cloud

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DXC Luxoft has entered into a collaboration with Amazon Web Services to accelerate the autonomous driving industry with DXC Luxoft’s Robotic Drive Cloud offering on AWS.

The Robotic Drive tooling and services provide reduced development and test times with unmatched total cost of ownership (TCO) to customers building autonomous driving systems.

The new relationship offers a tangible competitive advantage to customers by accelerating the development of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving. [Read more…] about DXC Luxoft and AWS partner to accelerate autonomous driving industry with Robotic Drive Cloud

Cleveron conducts ‘world’s first’ driving exams with a driverless semi-autonomous last-mile delivery vehicle

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Cleveron, an Estonian-based technology company, partnered with LRK Driving School to conduct what they say are “the world’s first driving exams with an unmanned semi-autonomous car”.

The exams were carried out with Cleveron’s last-mile delivery vehicle Cleveron 701. All four Cleveron specialists passed the exam and received the world’s first tele-operated vehicle certificates.

To receive the certificate, drivers first had to undergo special tele-operated vehicle training, followed by field exercises and city driving, in accordance with the Estonian examination standards. [Read more…] about Cleveron conducts ‘world’s first’ driving exams with a driverless semi-autonomous last-mile delivery vehicle

Ghost raises $100 million for ‘breakthrough’ in autonomous driving safety

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A startup company called Ghost has raised $100 million Series D financing, fueling the development of its autonomous driving system that features what it describes as “a revolutionary breakthrough in crash prevention”.

Returning investors Sutter Hill Ventures and Founders Fund participated in the round, along with a new commitment from Coatue.

Ghost was founded in 2017 with the belief that driving should not be dangerous. Despite all the technology and features included in modern cars, cars still crash – accidents and fatalities are going up, not down. [Read more…] about Ghost raises $100 million for ‘breakthrough’ in autonomous driving safety

Robotic Research and FPInnovations partner to develop resource road truck platooning technology

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Joint efforts will provide Level 4 Autonomy for natural resource sector roads

Robotic Research, a developer of “automated driving systems” (or ADS, meaning autonomous), and FPInnovations, a Canadian private non-profit research and development center, are collaborating to develop an off-road truck platooning system for the forest industry.

This project will combine Robotic Research’s proven expertise as a global leader in self-driving technology with FPInnovations’ knowledge in forestry and transportation to adapt the truck platooning technology to off-highway environments.

The multi-year project aims at accelerating the adoption of off-road automated-vehicle technology to improve safety and address an acute labor shortage, thereby improving the quality and viability of rural jobs where natural resources are located. [Read more…] about Robotic Research and FPInnovations partner to develop resource road truck platooning technology

Major tech and automotive industry players establish cross-industry partnership for automated driving

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Arm, Audi, Denso, NXP and six further technology and research leaders are joining industry group The Autonomous to develop state-of-the-art technology for autonomous vehicles.

The aim is to lay the basis for safety standardization and series production.

This form of collaboration will help to overcome major hurdles of prevailing competition in the industry and solve safety challenges. [Read more…] about Major tech and automotive industry players establish cross-industry partnership for automated driving

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