Market trends and business perspectives
ZF, one of the world’s largest automotive systems suppliers, has acquired a 25 per cent stake in Embotech, a developer of autonomous vehicle software.
The companies have agreed a strategic partnership agreement to jointly develop fully autonomous systems for commercial vehicle yard operations.
The partnership aims to enhance the operational safety and productivity of distribution hubs and yards. [Read more…] about ZF partners with Embotech to develop freight yard automation systems
Outrider, a developer of autonomous technology for yard operations at logistics hubs, has released “fully autonomous” trailer backing capabilities to its fleet.
This proprietary technology enables autonomous yard trucks to back trailers into tight spaces with precision and without modifications to trailers.
These capabilities are now available as part of the Outrider System, which automates distribution yards for large, logistics-dependent enterprises. [Read more…] about Outrider releases ‘fully autonomous’ truck parking system
Outrider, the startup company pioneering autonomous yard operations for logistics hubs, has opened the Outrider Advanced Testing Facility, which it says is “the first-ever test site dedicated to distribution yard automation technologies”.
Located in Brighton, Colorado, this 200,000-square-foot distribution yard with 49 dock doors operates 16 hours per day, five days per week and will expand to 24-hour operation in 2022.
This test facility is being used to validate Outrider’s autonomous capabilities, supporting the scaling of deployments at customer sites. [Read more…] about Outrider opens ‘industry’s first’ test site dedicated to distribution yard automation
Whirly Max is introducing its intelligent landscaping robot Yardroid, which is described as looking like a “mini tank”. It runs on tracks, is able to turn on the spot, can climb over vertical obstacles up to 6 inches high and slopes of up to 45 degrees.
The company says that Yardroid is a big step up from the perimeter guided robotic lawn mowers available today. Yardroid is controlled by computer vision and artificial intelligence.
It can find its way around an area by special proprietary computer algorithms. Instead of randomly criss-crossing a lawn, Yardroid drives in a defined pattern. It can automatically change the mowing height. [Read more…] about Whirly Max launches landscaping robot Yardroid
Outrider, a provider of autonomous yard operations systems for logistics hubs, has closed $65 million in Series B funding, led by Koch Disruptive Technologies. Other existing investors increased their investments, including NEA, 8VC, and Prologis Ventures.
New investors included Evolv Ventures, the investment arm of Kraft Heinz, and Henry Crown and Company. With $118 million raised to date, Outrider is positioned to scale and support the rapid automation of distribution yards.
In supply-chain-intensive industries, distribution yard operations are necessary for transitioning goods between the road and the warehouse. [Read more…] about Outrider raises $65 million in Series B financing round
Autonomous Solutions Inc has launched an unmanned yard truck solution. The system is basically an industrial robotic arm on the back of a driverless truck. (See video below.)
The technology combines the expertise of four companies:
ASI’s Mobis software gives operators real-time awareness and control of a fleet of unmanned trucks, each of which is driven by ASI’s proven autonomous vehicle technology. [Read more…] about Autonomous Solutions Inc launches robotic unmanned yard truck solution
Emerging from two years of stealth-mode operation, Outrider has announced it has raised $53 million in funding and deployed initial pilots of its Outrider System, the first-to-market solution focused on autonomous yard operations for logistics hubs.
The seed and series A funding rounds were led by NEA and 8VC, respectively.
The goal of distribution yards is to keep semi-trailers full of freight moving quickly in the space between the warehouse doors and public roads. [Read more…] about Outrider launches with $53 million in funding to automate distribution yards
