New motion dataset offers object trajectories and corresponding 3D maps for over 100,000 segments, each 20 seconds long and mined for interesting interactions with cars, people, and more.
Waymo begins limited robotaxi tests in San Francisco
Waymo announced a couple of weeks ago it wouldn’t be expanding its robotaxi service in Arizona any time soon. I took that as a sign of Waymo gearing up to start testing in a new city – San Francisco, perhaps. Today, Waymo announced just that. It has begun limited testing in San Francisco, marking its…
Cruise, Waymo lead way in Calif. autonomous vehicle testing
California’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) yesterday released its annual Disengagement Report, which breaks down the number of times a human driver takes over control of an autonomous driving system being tested on the state’s public roads. The DMV released reports for 29 companies for the period from December 2019 to November 2020. Waymo (29,944.69)…
Tesla spurs Waymo to dump ‘self-driving’ term
In what appears to be yet another dig at Tesla, Waymo today said it will no longer use the term “self-driving” to describe its vehicles. The Alphabet subsidiary will instead refer to its work as “fully autonomous driving technology.” According to Waymo, this isn’t just a matter of terminology. It said it will use more…
Top 10 transactions in robotics in 2020
Best week ever for robotaxis?
In a normal week, Boston Dynamics being acquired by Hyundai Motors for nearly $1 billion would be the biggest story. But this week has been anything but normal. This has arguably been the best week ever for the development of autonomous vehicles. Robotaxis, in particular, marked new milestones. Waymo has officially opened up its robotaxi…
How the U.S. election could affect the future of autonomous driving, China relations
Pär-Olof Johannesson, CEO of TerraNet AB, offers his perspective on how the U.S. presidential election will affect the development of autonomous and electric vehicles worldwide, as well as relations with China.
Waymo, Daimler team up on Level 4 autonomous trucks
Daimler will integrate Waymo’s autonomous driving technology into a “unique version” of its Freightliner Cascadia semi-trailer trucks.
What’s next for Waymo’s robotaxis, Dusty Robotics’ Tessa Lau, robotic prosthetics with Coapt
This week, The Robot Report Podcast talks about construction robotics with Dusty Robotics’ Tessa Lau, learns about prosthetics operating systems from Coapt’s Blair Lock and user Bert Swift, and reviews the latest news.
Waymo driverless robotaxi service expanding in Phoenix
Waymo, the self-driving vehicle technology unit of Google parent Alphabet, is relaunching and expanding access to its fully driverless robotaxi service around Phoenix. Current members of the Waymo One ride-hailing service will now have access to driverless robotaxis and in a few weeks anyone who downloads the Waymo app will too. In other noteworthy changes,…
Podcast: FedEx’s parcel-handling robots; Waymo & Fiat; MassRobotics on startups dealing with COVID-19
The Robot Report Podcast talks with Plus One Robotics about its deal with FedEx, and MassRobotics updates us on how startups are dealing with COVID-19.
Robotics investments recap: May 2020
Although May 2020 was a relatively slow month for robotics transactions, autonomous vehicle companies such as Waymo, Didi Chuxing, and Tesla continued to receive investments.
Waymo raises another $750 million for its autonomous vehicles
Remember the $2.25 billion funding round Waymo announced in March? Well, it’s been extended to $3 billion thanks to $750 million in fresh capital from a slew of new investors. The new investors include funds that are managed by T. Rowe Price Associates, Perry Creek Capital, and Fidelity Management and Research Company. Interestingly, T. Rowe…
Robotics investments recap: March 2020
Autonomous vehicle Waymo received the biggest investment in March 2020, but other fundings and acquisitions continued as the novel coronavirus pandemic spread.
Waymo Open Dataset Challenges put autonomous vehicle engineers to test
Waymo today extended the suspension of its autonomous vehicle programs to now include fully autonomous vehicles. Earlier in the week, Alphabet-owned Waymo paused operations of autonomous vehicles that had safety drivers on board. This is due, of course, to the ever-growing COVID-19 pandemic and the novel coronavirus. Like many companies, Waymo is looking to keep…
Argo AI, Aurora, Cruise, Pony.ai, Uber halt self-driving tests due to COVID-19
Several companies are now following in Waymo’s footsteps and suspending testing of autonomous vehicles. Argo AI, Aurora, GM’s Cruise, Pony.ai and Uber all announced they have suspended driverless vehicle programs in efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus. Waymo said yesterday it is temporarily suspending its Waymo One ride-hailing service in the…
Waymo suspends some self-driving programs due to COVID-19
Waymo is suspending some of its autonomous vehicle programs due to COVID-19, which is the disease the coronavirus causes. The company announced it has temporarily shut down its Waymo One ride-hailing service in the Phoenix area, which allows the public to ride in self-driving vehicles with trained human safety operators behind the wheel, and its…
Waymo raises $2.25B as it continues expanding self-driving operations
Silver Lake, CPP Investments, and Mubadala Investment led Waymo’s first external funding round, as the company celebrated more self-driving milestones.
Waymo autonomous trucks, minivans roll into Texas, New Mexico
Waymo announced that it is expanding mapping and testing of its autonomous trucks and vans in Texas and parts of New Mexico.
Waymo buys Latent Logic for simulation of human behavior
Waymo acquired Latent Logic, a UK start-up that uses imitation learning to simulate models of human behavior on the road. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed, but it marks the launch of Waymo’s first European engineering hub, which will be located in Oxford. Spun out of Oxford University in 2017, Latent Logic develops…
China’s robotics market: A look ahead to 2020
The global robotics market will continue to be affected by China’s manufacturing slowdown and trade tensions with the U.S., says international analyst Georg Stieler as he looks ahead to 2020.
Waymo Open Dataset available for autonomous vehicle researchers
On the heels of announcing it’s expanding tests into Florida, Waymo has released the Waymo Open Dataset for autonomous vehicle researchers. The Waymo Open Dataset, available for free, covers a wide variety of environments, from dense urban centers to suburban landscapes. It also includes data collected during day and night, at dawn and dusk, in sunshine…