BlackBerry Launches Autonomous Driving Research Center in Canada
On Monday, December 19, Blackberry Ltd. opened its new autonomous driving research center in Canada. In order to accommodate this new venture, the company expanded its QNX facility in Ottawa, Canada so that it can develop autonomous and advanced driver assistance technology.
“The BlackBerry QNX Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Centre serves as a catalyst and funnel for the private, public, and academic sectors, to collaborate on hands-on projects that provide proof-of-concept and production-ready solutions for connected, automated, and autonomous vehicles,” read a statement from the QNX website.
As a part of its integration into the world of autonomous vehicle technology, BlackBerry has partnered with Detroit-based Ford Motor Company, to install its technology on Ford's vehicles. BlackBerry has also received permission to test Ford vehicles equipped with autonomous technology on the public roads of Ontario, Canada.
While BlackBerry is relatively new to the world of autonomous vehicle technology, the longtime mobile phone manufacturer has two decades’ worth of experience working with vehicles, as the company has equipped more than 60 million vehicles worldwide with its software platforms, according to Reuters.
