Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 52.61
November 18, 2022
There are 500,000 yard trucks currently operating around the world, according to ISEE. Driving them can be difficult, tedious, and dangerous, said the startup. ISEE yesterday announced that it has obtained $40 million in Series B funding, which it plans to use to hire staffers as it continues developing self-driving yard trucks. “By leveraging advanced cognitive modeling, game theory, and deep learning, we’ve developed proprietary technology that’s a perfect match for the challenges of a logistics yard,” stated Yibiao Zhao, co-founder and CEO of ISEE. “Our self-driving technology is the most advanced autonomous yard tractor product on the market.” ISEE,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 10.44
October 27, 2022
…Meanwhile, progress is continuing, slowly but surely, in autonomous trucks and robotic deliveries. From factories, warehouses, and truck yards to loading docks and last-mile logistics, automation efficiency is welcome at each link in the supply chain. Inflation, the aforementioned supply chain challenges, and a return to brick-and-mortar retail may slow investment in robotics. However, attendance at this year's trade shows and the move from pilots to full-fledged deployments suggest that more robots than ever will be in use during his year's holiday shopping season. MIT develops smarter robots to find things Walk into a physical store, and the product you…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 58.88
July 19, 2022
Not only can robots aid warehouse workers and self-driving trucks provide long-haul freight transit, but automation can also benefit logistics yards. Outrider Technologies Inc. this month announced the release of its next-generation autonomy kit for yard automation. The kit supports over-the-air software updates and field-swappable units to deliver enterprise-class reliability, enable remote technical support, and efficiently service the system in the field – all at scale, said the company. “Distribution yards are harsh industrial environments with around-the-clock operations, which means our autonomous system must be rugged, easy to service, and remotely supportable,” said Andrew Smith, founder and CEO of Outrider.…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.69
June 07, 2022
…in technologies such as SBRA's Whiz and ASI's automated yard vehicles? “We solved indoor automation with Whiz, and we saw similar challenges in terms of technologies and driving sustainable scale,” said Watkins. “Indoor and outdoor systems are very different, but they both work around people, require orchestration, and have willing marketplaces.” “We like [ASI's] industry-agnostic approach—it's not focused on a single vertical but is instead building on years of experience accelerating automation in an outdoor format,” he said. “We're constantly searching for products and partners that do those things.” However, while the cost of cameras and lidar sensors has dropped…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 19.13
January 24, 2022
Much of North America's freight travels by tractor-trailer truck on highways, but the addition of autonomy, modularity, and electrification to locomotives could give the older transportation mode new life. Parallel Systems last week came out of stealth and announced that it has raised $49.55 million in its Series A round. The Culver City, Calif.-based startup said it plans to use the funding to build a fleet of rail vehicles, conduct testing, and grow its team. “We founded Parallel to allow railroads to open new markets, increase infrastructure utilization, and improve service to accelerate freight decarbonization,” stated Matt Soule, co-founder and…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 25.89
December 09, 2021
…this year, with funding flowing to developers of autonomous trucks. Robotic Research OpCo LLC today announced that it has raised $228 million in Series A funding. The Clarksburg, Md.-based company said it will use its first outside capital to drive further innovation and expand its RR.AI division, which is focused on commercializing autonomous driving systems for commercial truck, bus, drayage, and logistics vehicles. “This investment reflects our success in developing autonomous solutions for our U.S. government customers, and [it] will provide the resources needed to meet our growing commercial customer demand and the expansion of our commercial efforts,” said Alberto…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 11.72
October 31, 2021
…electric passenger and utility vehicles, and a line of yard trucks for logistics, said the companies. “Perrone aims to deploy its kit at fleet-scale for shuttles, low-speed electric vehicles, cargo vans, and large logistics trucks for municipal, governmental, and commercial customers in the U.S., Europe, and Asia,” said Paul Perrone, CEO of Perrone Robotics. “We needed a lidar partner that could meet demand as we scale production models with our TONY AV retrofit kit. Ouster stood out for its performance characteristics, top-notch support team, and the ability to scale for fleet-level AV deployments.” “We’re excited to partner with Ouster to…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 33.94
September 21, 2021
Embark Trucks Inc., which is developing autonomous technology for the trucking industry, last week announced that it has partnered with Ryder System Inc. The companies plan to launch a nationwide network of up to 100 Embark transfer points, where Ryder will provide yard operations, maintenance, and fleet management to support a seamless coast-to-coast autonomous network for Embark fleet partners. “A fully developed transfer point has to include autonomous truck maintenance services and efficient yard operations,” said Alex Rodrigues, CEO of Embark. “By working with Ryder to offer best-in-class truck services throughout our transfer point network, we’re laying the groundwork for…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 11.68
September 02, 2021
In addition to autonomous trucks on highways, self-driving cars for urban ride-hailing, and robotic delivery services, autonomous vehicle technology is emerging for yard operations. Unikie is developing and testing a logistics system at Valmet Automotive's automotive factory in Uusikaupunki, Finland. The Automated Factory Parking technology is designed to provide valet parking for cars that do not have autonomous features. “Valmet Automotive is interested in new technologies as a way to gain competitive advantage through improved efficiency and safety for our processes, and it has been interesting to see how the system can manage a production environment,” said Sami Kunvik, manager…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 54.16
July 27, 2021
Outrider Inc., a provider of autonomous yard trucks for logistics hubs, today said it is the first company to offer advanced, automated tractor-trailer hitching capabilities. This patent-pending technology is now available as part of the Outrider System, which automates distribution yards for large enterprises. More than 10 billion tons of freight moves across the U.S. annually, and most of that freight passes through distribution yards in trailers, said the Golden, Colo.-based company. “Nearly all the food we eat, the clothes we wear, and the materials we use are transported by trucks and trailers,” said Andrew Smith, founder and CEO of…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.94
June 14, 2021
…pallets on dunnage. “It's like moving around an industrial yard with heavy lift capacity,” Gordon told Robotics 24/7. “But there are mobility issues—rough terrain is different from most commercial spaces. The APL will bring supplies or equipment to outdoor servicing environments.” The APL prototype builds on Stratom's previous work with the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) and the U.S. Army on the eXpeditionary Robotic-Platform (XR-P) and eXepditionary Robotic-Field Artillery Autonomous Resupply (XR-FAAR) vehicles. “The XR-P was the first program to show the potential of autonomous loading in and out of aircraft,” said Gordon. “The APL will have similar capabilities in a…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 25.36
June 10, 2021
…mobile robots have been entering facilities for several years, yard trucks are just beginning to benefit from investments in autonomous vehicles. Founded in 2017, ISEE was developed on AI research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The startup asserted that its AI can anticipate unexpected behaviors better than any other system on the market. ISEE said its system provides flexible autonomy so machines can understand human decision making and deliver the versatility needed to automate operations seamlessly. It works alongside human distribution workers to enhance driving capacity, optimize throughput, and improve predictability, said the company. As a result, operators can…
