Waabi, an autonomous truck startup, has introduced its automated driving technology — an artificial intelligence (AI)-first stack as software along with sensors and compute as hardware.
Called Waabi Driver, the technology forms a complete solution for OEM integration of autonomous driving capabilities at large-scale commercialization.
The AI-first approach allows the system to be trainable and learn from data sent to the system for complex decision-making needed for operating on roads, Waabi said. This technology works with Waabi World, which is software that provides a range of scenarios for vehicles to hone driving skills. This reduces the need to drive in the real world, which allows the system to be more sustainable and smarter even before the wheels hit the streets.
Waabi Driver also applies learned skills for unseen scenarios and new geographies without having ever driven there before, the company said.
The technology is purportedly built to be production ready with multiple redundant truck platforms that can be integrated into assembly lines with no disruptions.
On the hardware side, Waabit Driver includes lidars, cameras and radars with the solution being plug-and-play as well as maximize fuel savings.
While many debate the validity of autonomous driving due to recent moves by automotive OEMs to promote Level 2, 2+ and 3 instead of fully autonomous systems, others are pressing forward with the development of full autonomous systems.
In the world of autonomous trucks, the lack of enough labor force and the boon in e-commerce means there is a more real-world need for these autonomous vehicles. Because of this, many companies are developing their own software and hardware with hopes to meet this demand including Kodak Robotics, TuSimple, Waymo and more.
