Something popped up recently in my news feed about Workhorse — the electric van and pickup truck manufacturer — arranging for $35 million in new financing. Not only does the new money pay off some existing indebtedness, it also puts money in the till to pay for the supplies and materials needed to ramp up… Continue reading A Conversation With Workhorse CEO Steve Burns
Tag: Autonomous
Five top priorities for new Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley – Automotive News
New Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Mike Manley inherits a much cleaner “house,” as his predecessor, Sergio Marchionne, referred to the company, but it’s far from spotless. Marchionne, replaced Saturday because of serious illness, defied the odds by successfully combining Italian automaker Fiat with Chrysler Group to form the world’s seventh-largest automaker. He cleaned up the… Continue reading Five top priorities for new Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley – Automotive News
Ford’s Self-Driving Unit CEO: Here’s Where We’re Taking Autonomous – TheStreet Tech
Over the last several years, Ford (F) has gotten serious about investing in autonomous driving. The auto giant has committed to investing $4 billion through 2023 in an autonomous driving subsidiary, a figure that includes a $1 billion investment in self-driving startup Argo AI. It has been testing out self-driving cars in Miami, and has plans to… Continue reading Ford’s Self-Driving Unit CEO: Here’s Where We’re Taking Autonomous – TheStreet Tech
That’s No Mirage: NVIDIA and Partners Make Self-Driving Dreams a Reality in Las Vegas Desert
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
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).
Bill Ford Jr. – Crain’s Newsmakers 2018 – Crain’s Detroit Business
Winner: Crain’s Newsmaker of the Year Bill Ford Jr. Executive Chairman, Ford Motor Co. Chad Livengood Bill Ford Jr. shocked the Blue Oval’s closest observers in 2018 when he engineered Ford Motor Co.’s purchase of a ramshackle 105-year-old train station in Detroit. The executive chairman of the Dearborn-based automaker set the course for Ford’s return… Continue reading Bill Ford Jr. – Crain’s Newsmakers 2018 – Crain’s Detroit Business
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
Pensa’s autonomous drone system, utilizing in-store servers with Intel architecture to power the analytics, uses computer vision and artificial intelligence to inform retailers of what is on shelves and what is missing – across all stores, everywhere, at any point in time. Intel is at NRF 2019 from Jan. 13-15 at the Javits Convention Center… Continue reading Images: Ten Years of Intel at NRF: Retail Transformation Has Only Just Begun
Blackmore launches 450 m Doppler lidar for autonomous vehicle fleets – Laser Focus World
IMAGE: One single Doppler colored lidar frame instantly shows velocity and range of traffic and pedestrians without any interference. (Image credit: Blackmore) Doppler lidarfdbqbqdeurtbefdvtauyxx manufacturer Blackmore Sensors and Analytics (Bozeman, MT) announced two new interference-free lidar product lines. The Blackmore Autonomous Fleet Doppler Lidar (AFDL) is a Doppler lidar system specifically designed for autonomous fleet… Continue reading Blackmore launches 450 m Doppler lidar for autonomous vehicle fleets – Laser Focus World
Man says CES lidar’s laser was so powerful it wrecked his $1,998 camera – Ars Technica
A man attending this week’s CES show in Las Vegas says that a lidar sensor from startup AEye has permanently damaged the sensor on his $1,998 Sony camera. Earlier this week, roboticist and entrepreneur Jit Ray Chowdhury snapped photos of a car at CES with AEye’s lidar units on top. He discovered that every subsequent… Continue reading Man says CES lidar’s laser was so powerful it wrecked his $1,998 camera – Ars Technica