The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Motor Vehicle Administration recently granted autonomy and robotic technologies provider Robotic Research LLC permission to operate Local Motors’ Olli autonomous shuttle between its two office locations in Clarksburg, Maryland.
The Olli shuttle is driven by Robotic Research’s AutoDrive technology.
After a thorough review of the technology with Montgomery County government, law enforcement, fire/EMS, and public transportation, MDOT granted Robotic Research a Highly-Automated Vehicle (HAV) permit for the Olli shuttle, which will allow the company to continue its research and testing of autonomous vehicle capabilities and technology directly on a half-mile stretch of public roadway in Montgomery County.
Autonomous Vehicles
Autonomous Vehicles
Wayve to use funding to launch pilot fleet of autonomous vehicles in central London
With a focus on accelerating autonomous mobility through learning based approaches instead of hand-coded rules, startup company Wayve has announced a $20 million Series A funding round to launch a pilot fleet of autonomous vehicles in central London.
Wayve is of the belief that more physical sensors and hand-coded rules aren't the key to solving the complexity of self-driving cars. Instead, the company believes that better artificial intelligence “brains” are the key to solving the complexity of self-driving cars.
Navya launches autonomous shuttles in Lyon, France
In an effort to support the technological development of the public transport network in Lyon, France, Navya has launched two autonomous shuttles in the city that will be fully integrated into Lyon's public transport network over the next two years.
The shuttles will provide a regular service Mondays through Saturdays, except on match days and during other events.
TomTom, University of Amsterdam launch research lab focused on developing HD maps for self-driving vehicles
TomTom (TOM2) and the University of Amsterdam (UvA) have announced the launch of the Atlas Lab, which is a new public-private research lab that will focus on using artificial intelligence (AI) to develop “advanced, highly accurate and safe” high definition (HD) maps for self-driving vehicles.
TomTom and UvA are working together to research how AI can be used to create HD maps suitable for all levels of autonomous driving.
“At the UvA we are already doing research on automated recognition of items in images and videos. Yet the recognition of items and creation of HD maps in highly complex situations like a moving car, is still a huge challenge,” explains Theo Gevers, one of the scientific directors at Atlas Lab.
Orange County, Lake Nona awarded BUILD grant that will help develop autonomous vehicle infrastructure
Orange County and Lake Nona—a smart community within the city of Orlando and Orange County—have been awarded a new $20 million federal BUILD grant that will help “reimagine mobility” in the smart community.
The grant, which is the first of its kind for Central Florida, will support the planning, design and construction of a Local Alternative Mobility Network (LAMN) in Lake Nona.
RTI unveils Connext Drive platform for autonomous vehicles
Real-Time Innovations (RTI) has unveiled Connext Drive, a platform that the company says provides the necessary software and tools to automotive manufacturers to build highly autonomous vehicles and fleets.
RTI says that Connext Drive allows autonomous vehicle makers to develop and build vehicles without the high risk and cost of in-house technologies. The platform also eliminates the difficulty of adapting legacy connectivity, as it bridges both research and production technologies, and supports development from prototype to end use.
Equipped with a native Software Development Kit (SDK) for developing and integrating vehicle applications, Connext Drive supports software from the research phase all the way through to production.
Virginia establishes itself as a place to be for all things unmanned
Virginia is for lovers, but it is also the place to be for innovation when it comes to all things unmanned, according to speakers during the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) Autonomous Technology Summit on Thursday, Nov. 7, in Fairfax.
“I absolutely believe the potential for autonomous vehicles, whether in air, on land, in sea … could be as much of a revolution as wireless was,” said Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, an early investor in the cellular telephone business and cofounder of the company that would become Nextel.
NIO, Mobileye partner to develop autonomous vehicles
Chinese automobile manufacturer NIO has announced a strategic collaboration with Mobileye, an Intel company that develops vision technology for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving, to develop highly automated and autonomous vehicles (AV) for consumer markets in China and other major territories.
Through the collaboration, Mobileye will design a self-driving system that NIO will engineer and manufacture. The companies say that they will build on Mobileye’s level-4 (L4) AV kit.
