Unmanned Systems Technology 010 | nuTonomy driverless taxi | Embedded computing | HFE International marine powertrain | Space vehicles | Performance monitoring | Commercial UAV Show Asia report

21 have a very high level of capability of integrating technology to enable their applications, while others need assistance based on our expertise,” he says. One of the leading projects is the nuTonomy autonomous taxi fleet in Singapore, the first in the world to start public trials (see page 26). “nuTonomy is very advanced and is capable of doing amazing things,” Hambrick says. “We have provided only the sensor hardware. It’s an example of AS meeting the customer where they are and where they need help, from supplying individual components to kitting out entire vehicle platforms and providing reference software. “nuTonomy was specifically interested in radar from Delphi and Lidar from Velodyne and IBEO. These products are chosen because they best fit the application requirements of nuTonomy, as well as other customers.” This has led to Hambrick working with many of the leading autonomous car and truck developers, such as Otto, Cruise Automation and Ottomatika. Carnegie Mellon University spun out its autonomous systems expertise into Ottomatika, which last year was bought by car component supplier Delphi. Truck system developer Otto was launched earlier this year by an engineer who had worked on Google’s self- driving car, and it was acquired by ride- sharing company Uber in August 2016. And Cruise Automation was bought by General Motors this year for more than $1 billion to accelerate the mainstream development of autonomous systems. “Otto was a customer of ours in the garage, and I was sitting down with Kyle Vogt [CEO] of Cruise Automation to work out what he needed. Those companies went as fast as they did because of their amazing technology and our ability to help them; nuTonomy is another of those companies.” Being independent is essential so that AS can work with the widest range of suppliers, says Hambrick. “We work with Nvidia, Qualcomm, Intel, NXP and Renesas, who are all aiming to provide great solutions for automated driving, but right now we maintain Bobby Hambrick | In conversation Unmanned Systems Technology | October/November 2016 AutonomouStuff (AS) was at the heart of the first autonomous car track day at Thunder Hill Raceway Park in Willows, California, earlier this year. AS had one of two vehicles that drove autonomously around the track, and was the only team driving 100% autonomously. Of the four teams with designated track time it was also the only team to complete a full-speed lap around the track, in its self-driving Lincoln MKZ. Companies at the track day included comma.ai , a start-up using Nvidia technology to train its deep neural network and run the neural network that drives the car. The company drove its Acura ILX and also had a wheego Whip electric vehicle on hand, using an Nvidia Drive PX card in the trunk. PolySync drove its Kia Soul, and is planning to run its advanced middleware platform on a Drive PX. Tier-one component supplier Denso drove its Tesla Model S, complete with Lidar sensors integrated into the side mirrors, while Audi drove its RS 7 ‘Audi piloted driving’ concept car, and Renovo Motors demonstrated its electric coupe. Track day Autonomous vehicle technology is at a tipping point, according to technology supplier AutonomouStuff A track day in California brought together technology enthusiasts and start-ups to test out autonomous driving systems for the first time