On Monday, June 3, AutonomouStuff, part of Hexagon's Positioning Intelligence division, launched the first phase of its Open Autonomy Pilot program.
AutonomouStuff will conduct testing on a defined route in downtown Peoria, Illinois, as it collects data and tests software on two automated research and development vehicles.
“The goal of the Open Autonomy Pilot is to enable, accelerate and deploy technology that drives the future of autonomy,” explains Bobby Hambrick, founder, CEO and president of AutonomouStuff, and chief autonomy officer of Hexagon PI.
Autonomous Vehicles
Autonomous Vehicles
Ford, Agility Robotics partner to get deliveries from self-driving vehicles to the door using robotics
Ford has partnered with Agility Robotics to help self-driving vehicles complete the final step of getting a delivery from the car to a customer’s door using robotics.
Through its pilot programs, Ford has learned that it’s not always convenient for people to leave their homes to retrieve deliveries or for businesses to run their own delivery services.
TuSimple, United States Postal Service partner to test autonomous technology
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has awarded self-driving truck company TuSimple a contract to perform five round trips, for a two-week pilot, hauling USPS trailers more than 1,000 miles between the Postal Service’s Phoenix and Dallas distribution centers.
During the duration of the pilot, a safety engineer and driver will be on board the truck to monitor vehicle performance and to ensure public safety.
For TuSimple, the company is expanding its autonomous operations beyond Arizona, as it debuts its self-driving technology in Texas. TuSimple will run a series of its self-driving trucks for 22 hours each, which includes overnight driving, along the I-10, I-20 and I-30 corridors to make the trip through Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
Drive.ai uses external communication panels to talk to public
With no driver at the helm, self-driving vehicles are posed with the challenge of effectively communicating with their surroundings.
Drive.ai has addressed that challenge head-on, equipping its self-driving vehicles with external communication panels that convey a variety of messages to properly communicate with drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and everyone else on the road.
“Our external communication panels are intended to mimic what an interaction with a human driver would look like. Normally, you’d make eye contact, wave someone along, or otherwise signal your intentions,” Drive.ai CEO Bijit Halder tells AUVSI via email.
Driverless electric truck begins daily freight deliveries on public road in Sweden
According to Reuters, a driverless electric truck has begun daily freight deliveries on a public road in Sweden.
These deliveries are a “world first” according to the truck’s developer, Swedish start-up Einride, and logistics customer DB Schenker.
“This public road permit is a major milestone ... and it is a step to commercializing autonomous technology on roads,” Robert Falck, Einride’s CEO, tells Reuters.
“Since we’re a software and operational first company, a partnership with a manufacturing company is something that we see as a core moving forward.”
Little Roady autonomous vehicle pilot project begins service in Providence, Rhode Island
The Little Roady autonomous vehicle pilot project in Providence, Rhode Island went into service on Wednesday, May 15.
Launched with the intent to evaluate autonomous mobility technology, the research project, which is offering free service to riders, will help the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) “better understand the opportunities and challenges that come with integrating this new technology into RIDOT's transportation planning,” the department says.
RIDOT adds that the research will help improve transit, and provide information for communities, the workforce, and policymakers.
“It's always exciting when Rhode Island has an opportunity to lead the way in cutting-edge green technology,” says Governor Gina Raimondo.
Cepton, Dataspeed partner to bring lidar technologies to autonomous vehicle developers
Cepton Technologies Inc. has partnered with autonomous vehicle (AV) technology provider Dataspeed Inc. to bring its high resolution, long-range and compact lidar technologies to AV developers.
The partnership will result in Dataspeed’s customers now having access to Cepton lidar technology for the development and deployment of autonomous applications.
“Dataspeed is a leading provider of by-wire systems with worldwide installations,” says Mitch Hourtienne, Cepton director of Business Development.
“Our partnership will make it easy for the global community to develop advanced perception capabilities for the next generation of autonomous vehicles.”
Drivent exits stealth mode, announces certification to test autonomous vehicles in Washington state
Self-driving technology company Drivent has exited stealth mode, announcing that it has been certified to test autonomous vehicles in the state of Washington.
The company has also unveiled what it calls “essential” technologies for autonomous vehicles.
“Years ago, we realized that encouraging widespread adoption of self-driving vehicles would require more than just making cars that don't crash,” explains Eric Wengreen, Drivent co-founder.
“While the autonomous industry focused on collision-avoidance technology, we focused on developing technology to overcome the non-collision barriers to adoption of autonomous vehicles.”