One thing’s for certain: Hyundai has some grand ambitions for its robotics development. And thus far, the automaker has been willing to put its money where its mouth is, most notably in the form of its acquisition of Boston Dynamics, which valued the robotics pioneer at north of $1 billion. Robotics are, predictably, taking center… Continue reading Hyundai sends Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot into the metaverse
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
Voyant raises $15M to scale production of its tiny, inexpensive lidar tech
The future of lidar is uncertain unless, as Voyant hopes to do, its price and size are reduced to fractions of their current values. As long as lidars are sandwich-sized devices that cost thousands, they won’t be ubiquitous — so Voyant has raised some cash to bring its smaller, cheaper, more easily manufactured, yet still… Continue reading Voyant raises $15M to scale production of its tiny, inexpensive lidar tech
How Meituan is redefining food delivery in China with drones
On a congested sidewalk next to a busy mall in Shenzhen, a 20-something woman uses a smartphone app to order a milk tea on Meituan, a major food delivery company. In under ten minutes, the pearl-white drink arrives, not on the back of one of the city’s ubiquitous delivery bikes, but descending from the cloudy… Continue reading How Meituan is redefining food delivery in China with drones
TuSimple completes its first driverless autonomous truck run on public roads
Autonomous trucking startup TuSimple has completed its first autonomous truck run on open public roads without a human in the vehicle, according to the company. TuSimple’s Autonomous Driving System (ADS) navigated 100% of the 80-mile run along surface streets and highways between a railyard in Tuscon, Arizona and a distribution center in Phoenix, which took… Continue reading TuSimple completes its first driverless autonomous truck run on public roads
Waymo partners with Geely to make electric AVs for ride hail in the US
Waymo, Alphabet’s autonomous driving technology arm, is partnering with Chinese automaker Geely to build an all-electric, self-driving ride-hailing vehicle. The companies will integrate Waymo Driver, Waymo’s AV system, into Geely’s Zeekr vehicles for use in U.S. markets “in the years to come.” While Waymo is not providing a specific time frame for either the start… Continue reading Waymo partners with Geely to make electric AVs for ride hail in the US
The eVTOL take-off part two: Looking ahead to 2022
This year was a watershed for the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) industry, marked by billion dollar exits, huge venture deals and more partnerships. But in many ways, the past year should be thought of as the setting of a chess board before a match: the pieces are in place. Now it is time… Continue reading The eVTOL take-off part two: Looking ahead to 2022
Micromobility in 2022: Refined, mature and packed full of tech
2021 was the year micromobility as a concept, a solution and a way of life really started to settle in. Increased shared micromobility and COVID-ridden public transit helped make small electric vehicles mainstream enough for people to wrap their heads around purchasing their own. Consequently, 2021 was the year of the e-bike, with a growth… Continue reading Micromobility in 2022: Refined, mature and packed full of tech
GM is also dropping its CES exhibit, organizers still planning in-person show
Update: CTA head Gary Shapiro has offered TechCrunch the following updated statement, Over 2200 companies are confirmed to participate in person at CES 2022 in Las Vegas. Our focus remains on convening the tech industry and giving those who cannot attend in person the ability to experience the magic of CES digitally. CES 2022 will provide… Continue reading GM is also dropping its CES exhibit, organizers still planning in-person show
Patreon CPO says the company will double in size in 2022
Creator monetization startups are cropping up left and right as the tech world embraces the fast-growing creator economy. But Patreon, founded in 2013, has been around since before words like “influencer” were in our vocabulary — back when “Tik Tok” was a Kesha song, rather than the social platform that everyone is trying to emulate.… Continue reading Patreon CPO says the company will double in size in 2022
The eVTOL take-off: four trends that shaped 2021
Billions of dollars, dozens of deals, and one legal battle: the year in eVTOL was an unforgettable one, with developers picking up the pace even as the larger aviation sector was busy slowly recovering from the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Below, we catch up with leading analysts and investors to identify the top trends… Continue reading The eVTOL take-off: four trends that shaped 2021