Road-ready advanced autopilot systems, intelligent cockpits and highly accurate map localization platforms wowed the crowds this week at CES in Las Vegas. At the core of each of these cutting-edge technologies is the high-performance, energy-efficient compute of NVIDIA DRIVE. To kick off the show, ZF and Continental announced premium, Level 2+ automated driving systems using… Continue reading That’s No Mirage: NVIDIA and Partners Make Self-Driving Dreams a Reality in Las Vegas Desert
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Our Seattle Forecast: Cloudy, with a 100% Chance of Robotics Innovation
Rain, Mount Rainier and, now, robots. The Seattle landscape is getting another feature with the opening of our AI Robotics Research Lab. Leading the facility is Dieter Fox, senior director of robotics research at NVIDIA and professor at the University of Washington Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering. Dieter Fox, a roboticist… Continue reading Our Seattle Forecast: Cloudy, with a 100% Chance of Robotics Innovation
Velodyne Lidar Sensors Power ThorDrive’s Trailblazing Autonomous Driving Commercial Vehicle Services
Velodyne Lidar Sensors Power ThorDrive’s Trailblazing Autonomous Driving Commercial Vehicle ServicesNovember 28, 2018|In Press Releases|By Albie JarvisKickoff Event Takes Place Thursday, November 29th 11:00 a.m.
Hassett ACE Hardware, 875 Alma Street, Palo Alto
Utilizing Velodyne Lidar sensors, ThorDrive, a leading autonomous vehicle (AV) startup, is introducing commercial vehicle services in the first of many pilots. The kick-off event will be attended by local government and business leaders, including Mayor Liz Kniss of Palo Alto, Mike Jellen, President and CCO of Velodyne Lidar, and Seung-Woo Seo, founder of ThorDrive. The initial service, in partnership with Hassett ACE Hardware, will support select residents of Channing House (senior housing) and fire departments in Palo Alto with plans to expand to additional pilots soon. The ThorDrive platform is using Velodyne’s lidar sensors to provide rich data content for its AV software.
“ThorDrive-powered commercial vehicle services demonstrate how Velodyne intelligent lidar sensors are helping companies place autonomous vehicles on the road today”
“We are excited to provide groundbreaking autonomous driving technology that is pioneering a new way to provide value-added services in logistics processes,” said Seung-Woo Seo. “Velodyne’s lidar technology provides a crucial data set for sensor fusion in ThorDrive software and will continue to be a core component in the ThorDrive sensor suite.”
“ThorDrive-powered commercial vehicle services demonstrate how Velodyne intelligent lidar sensors are helping companies place autonomous vehicles on the road today,” said Mike Jellen. “ThorDrive’s technology taps the full potential of Velodyne’s rich computer perception data to help determine the safest way to navigate and direct a self-driving vehicle. They are transforming logistics by
developing dedicated autonomous vans to help companies create faster, more efficient commercial services.”
The ThorDrive platform has been designed to provide the highly accurate sensor fusion, high-precision localization, and detailed path planning needed to operate in dense urban environments. It can build maps for hyperlocal areas, such as private parking lots. The platform has been demonstrated to support proof-of-concept tests quickly and cost effectively.
ThorDrive has been using Velodyne lidar sensors in developing its autonomous driving technology since 2010. The company retrofits Ford vans with its AV technology and they will be deployed as a fleet of autonomous vehicles across the United States, addressing commercial and logistics markets.
“ThorDrive is very pleased to be working with Velodyne because of their commitment to continuous innovation and focus on manufacturing at scale,” said Farshid Arman, COO, ThorDrive. “Velodyne has been an invaluable collaborator and provides the reliable product and on-time delivery we need to develop our full stack autonomous driving software to our customers’ choice of commercial vehicles.”
About ThorDrive
ThorDrive, based in Silicon Valley, has been developing autonomous driving technology since 2010, and was established as a company in 2017. ThorDrive is applying its autonomous driving product suite to providing value-added commercial vehicle services (www.thordrive.ai).
The biggest innovations in location intelligence at CES 2019
Location intelligence powers businesses far and wide. Whether you’re an auto-maker, a fleet logistics manager, an advertising executive or an application developer, we presented something for you at CES 2019. This week, more than 182,000 people from 155 different countries descended into Las Vegas for the world’s largest and most famous consumer technology show, CES.… Continue reading The biggest innovations in location intelligence at CES 2019
David Hall Wows Industry with New Technology Solution for Space Exploration
David Hall Wows Industry with New Technology Solution for Space ExplorationDecember 7, 2018|In Press Releases|By Albie Jarvis
Hall unveils his latest invention to industry, military, and policy leaders at U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s event, LAUNCH: Industry Taking Off
David Hall is one of history’s rare technological visionaries with the imagination and technical wherewithal to recognize a problem, conceive a solution, and then build something that works. On December 6 at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s event, LAUNCH: Industry Taking Off, David Hall presented his world-changing solution to a longstanding problem: how to carry materials into space safely, reliably, and efficiently. The audience of industry, military, and policy representatives heard from Hall as well as keynote remarks from Secretary of the Air Force, Heather Wilson; NASA Administrator, Jim Bridenstine; Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Michael Griffin; NOAA Deputy Administrator, Dr. Neil Jacobs; and Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross.
“You can either solve new problems with old technology, or you can solve old problems with new technology. When it comes to launching things into space it’s time for the latter approach.”Tweet this
Hall’s proposal involves a propulsion system that utilizes magnets, thereby eliminating the vast amounts of fuel and materials consumed by the current rocket-based approach. Hall’s efficient launch system allows for the construction of substantial structures in space that would be easily accessible from Earth: places where people could live, work, and conduct scientific research. Such a project has more value for humanity than attempting to colonize Mars, according to Hall.
In 1983, Hall started his company, Velodyne, after inventing servo-driven audio equipment that opened a new world of sound experience. Then, through his participation in the DARPA Grand Challenge, in 2005 Hall created the central component for safe autonomous vehicles, a lidar sensor that could clearly see and measure the vehicle’s surroundings. When not engaged in his duties as the CEO of Velodyne Lidar, Hall continues to invent new technologies, including the Martini marine deck stabilization system that allows boats to travel through choppy waters more quickly and efficiently while greatly increasing passenger comfort.
As he has throughout his career as an inventor, Hall recognizes that the time is ripe for a new idea. “We now have new technologies that enable a paradigm shift in the enduring challenge of space exploration and colonization,” Hall explains. “You can either solve new problems with old technology, or you can solve old problems with new technology. When it comes to launching things into space it’s time for the latter approach.”
Images: Ten Years of Intel at NRF: Retail Transformation Has Only Just Begun
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It’s ON! Putting Next Gen in the Hands of Tens of Millions of Gamers
Gaming is thriving. An entire generation is growing up gaming. Two billion gamers and counting. They play at home, on the go and on multiple platforms, and by far the most vibrant, innovative and open is the PC. The forces driving PC gaming are staggering in scale. Take the battle royale genre — think Fortnite,… Continue reading It’s ON! Putting Next Gen in the Hands of Tens of Millions of Gamers
Ten Years of Intel at NRF: Retail Transformation Has Only Just Begun
By Joe Jensen Ten years ago, Intel formed the Retail Solutions Division at an opportune moment – the industry was ripe for disruption. At the time, the average store could barely make use of the information at its disposal. Because systems couldn’t talk to each other, nothing happened in real time. Retailers were giving up… Continue reading Ten Years of Intel at NRF: Retail Transformation Has Only Just Begun
David Hall Honored as “2018 Inventor of the Year” by Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation
David Hall Honored as “2018 Inventor of the Year” by Intellectual Property Owners Education FoundationDecember 12, 2018|In Press Releases|By Albie Jarvis
Genius behind the Autonomous Vehicle revolution celebrated at Foundation Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C.
David Hall Honored as “2018 Inventor of the Year” by Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation
The Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation honored David Hall, chief executive officer and founder of Velodyne Lidar, Inc., as the 2018 Inventor of the Year at the Foundation’s awards dinner held at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. last night. Hall was recognized for creating the groundbreaking lidar sensor technology that is the essential component for fully autonomous vehicles and enables the most sophisticated advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Each year, the Foundation recognizes outstanding inventors for their contributions to the economy and overall quality of life.
“Inventing is my passion and I like to imagine building something that nobody’s built before”Tweet this
“Inventing is my passion and I like to imagine building something that nobody’s built before,” Hall said. “I amuse myself by innovating. It’s what I do. What I’m looking for is the smile on someone else’s face when they use my product and get joy out of it. I invent for the love of inventing and it was an honor to be recognized by the Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation. Intellectual property protection is imperative to fostering innovation and is a valuable asset to new technology.”
The idea of leveraging lidar technology for autonomous driving came to Hall after competing as one of the original entrants in the DARPA Grand Challenge. In 2005, he invented lidar to give autonomous vehicles real-time, 360-degree vision that then set the stage for revolutionizing the automobile industry. Velodyne Lidar is the industry leader, supplying virtually all of the top automakers and autonomous vehicle developers globally with the smartest, most powerful lidar sensors. In addition to their wide application in self-driving cars, Velodyne’s versatile lidar sensors are now utilized in myriad trailblazing applications, including unmanned aerial vehicles, mapping, industrial safety, security, and more.
Hall is a technology visionary whose more than 30 U.S. patents cover a variety of applications. He founded Velodyne Acoustics in 1983 as an audio company specializing in low-frequency sound and subwoofer technology. In 2011, he launched Velodyne Marine and debuted its first self-stabilizing craft, the Martini, at the 2013 Miami boat show. This prototype was the world’s first sea-faring vessel with an active suspension. More recently, at the US Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural LAUNCH event, Hall presented his vision of a magnet-based propulsion system that would revolutionize space exploration and settlement.
MEDIA PLEASE NOTE: To learn more about IPO and the Inventor of the Year Award, please contact Nyree Berry at IPO (202) 507-4514; nberry@ipo.org. To schedule an interview with David Hall or to request images, please contact Robin Carr at Landis Communications Inc. (415) 561-0888; velodyne@landispr.com.
About IPO and IPO Education Foundation
Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), established in 1972, is a 501(c)6 trade association for owners of patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. IPO serves all intellectual property owners in all industries and all fields of technology. IPO advocates for effective and affordable IP ownership rights and provides a wide array of services to members, including: supporting member interests relating to legislative and international issues; analyzing current IP issues; information and educational services and disseminating information to the public on the importance of intellectual property rights.
IPO has a related 501(c)3 foundation, the IPO Education Foundation. The IPO Education Foundation is devoted to educational and charitable activities designed to promote the value of intellectual property rights. IPO and the IPO Education Foundation share the same office location and IPO staff also support the Foundation.
About Velodyne Lidar, Inc.
Velodyne provides the smartest, most powerful lidar solutions for autonomy and driver assistance. Founded in 1983 and headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Velodyne is known worldwide for its portfolio of breakthrough lidar sensor technologies. In 2005, Velodyne’s Founder and CEO, David Hall, invented real-time surround view lidar systems, revolutionizing perception and autonomy in a variety of industries including automotive, new mobility, mapping, robotics, and security. Velodyne’s established high-performance product line includes the cost-effective VLP-16 Puck™, the versatile VLP-32 Ultra-Puck™, the perfect for L4-L5 autonomy VLS-128™, and the directional view Velarray™. For more information, please visit www.velodynelidar.com.
ZF Acquires Automotive Division of Romanian Engineering Services Provider BeeSpeed in Timisoara
“BeeSpeed is a long-term and reliable partner,” says Manfred Meyer, Head of Engineering in the Active Safety, Braking Systems, and Steering Systems Business Unit at ZF. “By acquiring this company, we will have permanently secured the expertise of BeeSpeed’s roughly 110 engineers who work for us as part of BeeSpeed’s automotive division while offering them… Continue reading ZF Acquires Automotive Division of Romanian Engineering Services Provider BeeSpeed in Timisoara