SAE International, Ford, General Motors (GM) and Toyota have announced the formation of the Automated Vehicle Safety Consortium (AVSC), which will work to safely advance testing, pre-competitive development and deployment of SAE Level 4 and 5 automated vehicles.
The AVSC will provide a safety framework that will foster the responsible evolution of autonomous technology before broad development, the entities say. They add that ultimately, the work will “inform and accelerate the development of industry standards” for autonomous vehicles (AVs), and harmonize with the efforts of other consortia and standards bodies throughout the world.
Mobility
Mobility
UC Davis welcomes automated shuttle to its West Village neighborhood
An automated, all-electric shuttle has begun operating in the West Village neighborhood of the University of California, Davis (UC Davis).
A product of Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corporation’s (SAIC) Innovation Center, the shuttle is being demonstrated around a defined loop of the West Village community as part of an agreement between SAIC and UC Davis.
Expected to take place through June 1, the demonstration will allow researchers with the Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS-Davis) and its China Center for Energy and Transportation to conduct perceptional and behavioral surveys among residents and shuttle riders at no cost to UC Davis.
Daimler Trucks acquires majority stake in Torc Robotics in an effort to commercialize highly automated trucks
In an effort to commercialize highly automated trucks (SAE Level 4) on U.S. roads, Daimler AG’s subsidiary Daimler Trucks and Buses Holding Inc. is acquiring a majority stake in Torc Robotics.
Torc Robotics' team and Daimler Trucks’ developers, specifically the Research & Development team of Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA), will work together closely as part of the overall agreements.
Gatwick Airport partners with Stanley Robotics to test robotic valet parking service
Stanley Robotics has signed a framework contract with Gatwick Airport that will result in Gatwick becoming the first airport in the United Kingdom to test robots that valet park passengers’ cars.
During the trial, which is expected to run from the second half of 2019 to early 2020, passengers will leave their cars in a ‘parking station’ close to the South Terminal entrance. A driverless robot will gently lift up the car and store it in a secure car park, all without passengers having to hand over their keys.
The system will be connected to real-time flight information so the robot simply returns the vehicle to the parking station. The user will receive a message that the vehicle is ready and waiting for their arrival.
United Kingdom's first full-sized autonomous bus begins trial
Transport operator Stagecoach, bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) and technology company Fusion Processing are collaborating on a trial of the United Kingdom’s first full-sized autonomous bus.
A product of ADL, the ADL Enviro200 vehicle, which was demonstrated for the first time publicly on Monday, March 18, is being trialed in a Manchester bus depot.
During the trial, the bus will be used in autonomous mode within the depot environment to perform movements such as parking and moving into the bus wash.
“This is an exciting project to trial autonomous technology on a full-sized bus for the first time in the UK,” says Stagecoach Chief Executive Martin Griffiths.
Optimus Ride deploying self-driving vehicles in New York and California
Optimus Ride has announced plans to deploy its self-driving vehicles at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and Fairfield, California's Paradise Valley Estates. With these deployments, residents and workers at both sites will have access to efficient and convenient self-driving mobility within defined, geofenced areas, according to Optimus Ride.
The Brooklyn Navy Yard deployment, which is expected to launch in the second quarter of 2019, will be the first commercial self-driving vehicle program in the state of New York. The vehicles will operate on the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s private roads, as they provide a loop shuttle service to connect NYC Ferry passengers to Flushing Avenue outside the Yard’s perimeter.
Navya's autonomous shuttle to be used at mixed-use destination in Georgia
A private, community development and commercial real estate firm called the Integral Group has announced an autonomous vehicle partnership with Navya that will result in Navya being the shuttle provider for Assembly, an adaptive reuse community, in Doraville, Georgia.
Headquartered in Atlanta, the Integral Group says that this technology will “enhance the overall accessibility of the site,” as it connects the mixed-use destination with two nearby Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) stations.
TuSimple develops automotive-grade camera and vision system for autonomous trucks
TuSimple has developed a proprietary automotive-grade camera and vision system that will be deployed on its autonomous customer fleet by Q3 2019.
Expected to go into volume production in Q2 2019, the system offers “enhanced reliability of autonomous operation,” according to TuSimple. The company adds that the system is a necessary step in its goal of commercializing the first driverless truck.
Yandex and Hyundai Mobis partner on autonomous vehicle development
Tech company Yandex and automotive components manufacturer Hyundai Mobis have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop control systems for Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous vehicles, by combining Yandex’s self-driving technologies with Hyundai Mobis’ experience in the automotive industry.
The agreement also provides the potential for the companies to expand into other areas of cooperation such as developing joint products that are equipped with Yandex technologies including speech, navigation, and mapping to name a few.
Kroger and Nuro launching their autonomous grocery delivery service in Houston
Just months after launching a first-of-its-kind self-driving grocery delivery service in Scottsdale, Arizona back in Aug. 2018, Kroger and Nuro have announced that they will launch their autonomous grocery delivery service in Houston.
Expected to begin this spring, the service will be available through two Houston Kroger stores, serving customers residing in four local zip codes.
