Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 12.90
March 23, 2022
…and Waymo said it became an official company under Alphabet in 2016. In June 2021, the company raised $2.5 billion in funding. Waymo invests in autonomous trucking Aside from ride-hailing, the company has been actively in the autonomous trucking space. In 2020, the company launched Waymo Via, its autonomous trucking unit. In recent months, Waymo Via has announced it is working with several transportation services companies, including Ryder Systems, UPS, J.B. Hunt, and C.H. Robinson. The global autonomous trucking market could grow to $2 billion by 2027, according to Fortune and Business Insights. The global autonomous ride-hailing service market is…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 10.10
February 25, 2022
…an autonomous van pilot for multiple U.S. cities, while China-based WeRide is testing driverless vehicles in San Jose, Calif. Alphabet unit Waymo recently sued the California Department of Motor Vehicles to keep details of its autonomous vehicle deployment permit, including some public-safety data, private. It and other developers are also testing autonomous vehicles in Arizona.
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 13.20
February 17, 2022
…local delivery service of Mountain View, Calif.-based Waymo LLC. Founded in 2009 as the Google Self-Driving Car Project, the Alphabet Inc. company claimed that it has autonomously driven tens of millions of miles on public roads in more than 13 U.S. states and tens of billions of miles in simulation. It raised $2.5 billion in June 2021. In addition to Waymo Via, Waymo said Waymo Driver powers its Waymo One autonomous ride-hailing service. Waymo Via is also testing autonomous freight in Texas with J.B. Hunt and UPS. Other autonomous trucking developers testing in Texas include Aurora and Uber Freight, TuSimple,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 10.63
January 17, 2022
…service, the Waymo Driver powers Waymo One, which the Alphabet company described as “the world's first fully autonomous ride-hailing service.” J.B. Hunt, Waymo collaborate beyond the highway Other partnerships working on autonomous trucks include TuSimple and DHL Supply Chain, Gatik and Walmart, Aurora Innovation and Uber Freight, Embark Trucks and Texas A&M, and Locomation and Wilson Logistics. Mountain View, Calif.-based Waymo Via is also working with UPS. In addition to J.B. Hunt being Waymo's first customer for self-driving trucks, the companies plan to explore innovations in autonomous driving technology and the digital marketplace. J.B. Hunt claimed that its J.B. Hunt…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 10.00
January 14, 2022
…firm Ike. Waymo, which is owned by Google parent Alphabet, and Cruise, which spun out of General Motors, have pumped billions of dollars into self-driving car research and development. Cruise acquired Voyage in March 2021. Also this week, Magna International acquired the employees and assets of Boston-based Optimus Ride Inc. Former Local Motors executives expressed optimism, however, about the industry's potential. “As with most adventures, they must come to an end. Local Motors has closed its doors,” wrote Jeff Hollowell, senior vice president of information technology at Local Motors, on LinkedIn. “It has been an exciting, challenging, and educational experience…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 9.09
December 20, 2021
…raised $600 million in a Series D funding round, Alphabet's Waymo participated in one external fundraising round of $3 billion, and startup Coco closed on $36 million in funding in August 2021. Other delivery vehicles currently on the market are remotely piloted, “which significantly dilutes their ability to save human labor and create the strongest ROI possible,” claimed Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions. The company said its RAD-M delivery vehicle will primarily operate autonomously, with a minimum amount of necessary human support. “I strongly believe that there is plenty of room for a breakout market leader in the delivery robot sector…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 11.31
November 24, 2021
…with more trials. Waymo Via, the delivery unit of Alphabet Inc. company Waymo LLC, last week announced that it is expanding its partnership with United Parcel Service of America Inc. from vans to trucks. “As we enter into the holiday season, this year’s delivery demand and the need for freight movement remains unprecedented, and Waymo Via will help fill critical needs for our partners during this time,” said Waymo in a blog post. “That’s why we’re expanding our partnership with UPS to autonomous freight movement with Class 8 trucks, a natural next step following the strong and successful partnership we’ve…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 26.97
November 20, 2021
…that it is spinning out of X Development LLC, Alphabet Inc.'s “moonshot factory.” “For the last several years, my team and I have been working to see if it’s possible to teach robots to perform useful tasks in the messy, unstructured spaces of our everyday lives,” said Hans-Peter Brøndmo, general manager of The Everyday Robot Project at X, in a blog post. “We imagine a world where robots work alongside us, making everyday tasks — like sorting trash, wiping tables in cafes, or tidying chairs in meeting rooms — easier.” “In a more distant future, we imagine our robots helping…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 10.55
October 05, 2021
…on testing autonomous trucks, Berkshire Grey for small package processing, and Nuro for delivery robots. It previously partnered with Alphabet's Wing Aviation unit on a drone-delivery pilot in Christiansburg, Va.
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 24.94
July 23, 2021
…Development LLC, the innovation unit of Google Inc. parent Alphabet Inc., today announced that it has launched Intrinsic, a robotics software and artificial intelligence company. Intrinsic said it is developing software to give industrial robots the ability to sense, learn, and adapt to their environments so they can work in a wider range of applications. “Intrinsic is working to unlock the creative and economic potential of industrial robotics for millions more businesses, entrepreneurs, and developers,” said Wendy Tan-White, CEO of Intrinsic. “We’re developing software tools designed to make industrial robots—which are used to make everything from solar panels to cars—easier…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 12.26
June 21, 2021
…became popular on YouTube. Google X, now part of Alphabet Inc., acquired Boston Dynamics in 2013. In 2017, SoftBank bought Boston Dynamics, which itself acquired vision provider Kinema Systems in 2019. SoftBank Robotics makes other humanoid and service robots. Hyundai announced its intention to pick up the company in December 2020. Boston Dynamics began selling the quadruped Spot robot in June 2020 for commercial applications such as inspection and security. The company said that hundreds of its robots are now operating in a variety of industries, including power utilities, construction, manufacturing, oil and gas, and mining. For warehouses and distribution…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 11.42
June 16, 2021
…private equity round adding $750 million in May 2020. Alphabet (the parent company of Waymo and Google), Andreessen Horowitz, AutoNation, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Magna International, Mubadala Investment Company, Perry Creek Capital, and Silver Lake participated in Waymo's latest round. In addition, funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates Inc., Temasek, and Tiger Global invested in the company. Other companies that have obtained billions in investment include Uber, Didi Chuxing, Tesla, and Cruise. The global market for autonomous vehicles will experience a 64.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2020 and 2027,…
