Khodrocar - To
fully understand how those changes are manifesting, and how they could
evolve in the future, we have to first understand the startups and
entrepreneurs driving those changes.
The startup advantage
Why
is it that startups are pushing some of the biggest changes? There are
many possible explanations, including the fact that startups are nimbler
and less bogged down with bureaucratic decision-making than larger
corporations. Startups are also more willing to experiment with new
territory, which tends to result in innovative thinking and radical new
solutions.
Applied to the auto industry, this innovative approach
gives startups and established companies alike the chance to
incorporate new strategies to push the market forward.
Budding startups
These are some of the most innovative startups influencing the auto industry today:
GhostWaveBased
in Columbus, Ohio, GhostWave specializes in radar sensors that are less
vulnerable to outside interference. Together with lidar, cameras, and
other sensory features, self-driving cars rely heavily on radars to
"see” the road and the objects around them. The problem is that too much
interference in the air can corrupt the images radars provide, making
it more likely for a vehicle to miss an important cue and be involved in
a collision.
GhostWave hopes its new technology will help
develop a radar that won’t see as much interference, which is going to
become even more important when there are millions of autonomous
vehicles on the road at once.
NeteeraAlso
operating in the realm of better sensors for autonomous vehicles is the
startup Neteera Technologies. Neteera is dedicated to creating a new
type of sensing technology for autonomous vehicles, one that blends the
advantages of radar and lidar together in one device. Utilizing
sub-Terahertz frequencies, it’s able to detect objects and movement
through non-conductive and non-transparent materials. In addition to
automotive applications, the technology could prove useful in the
security and health sectors.
NuroA
newcomer to the autonomous vehicle game, Nuro is hoping to spark a new
trend in self-driving car development. Rather than outfitting an older
vehicle model with new self-driving technology, Nuro has created a
prototype, dubbed R1, that’s custom-made for driverless, passenger-less
delivery. Small and nimble, Nuro’s vehicles specialize in last-mile
delivery. The company’s focus on specialization and unique design could
inspire a new wave of specialized vehicles.
EV Safe ChargeAutonomous
vehicles aren’t the only high-tech considerations in the auto industry.
Automotive companies are also focusing on creating more fuel-efficient
cars, including models that run exclusively on electricity. This is
where EV Safe Charge comes in. This startup specializes in the
development of widespread infrastructure for charging electric vehicles,
including residential installations.
WayRayWayRay
focuses on improving driver and passenger experiences within vehicles
by giving them an augmented reality vision of their surroundings. Its
technology allows the projection of digital renderings on top of real
environments, offering drivers real-time and visual navigation
throughout their respective cities and highlighting environmental
objects and changes of note.
Mighty AILike
Cognata, Mighty AI helps autonomous vehicle creators at a software
level. But instead of providing a virtual environment for training a
program, Mighty AI offers the data and structuring necessary to create a
fully realized autonomous vehicle program. In other words, it provides
the ingredients necessary to build your own self-driving platform. If
successful, Mighty AI could make entering the self-driving game much
more affordable and realistic for practically any company.
These
aren’t the only startups helping shape the future of the auto industry,
but they are some of the most visible and most promising. You can expect
the average road in the U.S. to look very different over the next
decade or so, and maybe even sooner.