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Avride

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Avride Inc.
IndustryAutomotive industry
Founded2016; 8 years ago (2016) as a division of Yandex
December 4, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-12-04) as Avride
HeadquartersAustin, Texas
Key people
Dmitry Polishchuk, CEO (2024)
ProductsSelf-driving cars
Delivery robots
Number of employees
270 (2024)[1]
ParentNebius Group
Websitewww.avride.ai
Footnotes / references
[2]
Point cloud of proprietary lidar
Self-driving car at Consumer Electronics Show in 2019
Autonomous delivery robot in Arizona
Self-driving car and autonomous delivery robot in Ann Arbor
Robotaxi in Innopolis
Self-driving Hyundai Sonata

Avride Inc. is a developer of self-driving cars and delivery robots. It is organized in Delaware and headquartered in Austin, Texas, with offices in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Tel Aviv, and Seoul. It is a subsidiary of Nebius Group and was formerly an affiliate of Yandex called Yandex SDG.

The self-driving cars are based on mass-produced car models, such as the Toyota Prius and Hyundai Sonata. Each vehicle is equipped with four proprietary lidars, six radars and from 8 to 12 cameras. The company's semi-solid state lidars can recognize objects as far as 500 meters away and are capable of changing the scanning pattern on-flight. They can increase point cloud density in the area near the vehicle when it is moving through a courtyard, or increase range when driving at a high speed on a highway.[3] The company has specific technologies developed to deal with bad weather. These include lidar cloud filtering from snowflakes reflections, and measuring coefficient of friction for speed and maneuver planning.[4]

The delivery robots operate on the same technology as the company's self-driving cars and are manufactured in Taiwan. Robots are equipped with the same types of sensors as the cars including lidars, radars and cameras, and can reuse localization and perception algorithms developed for cars. Robots also reuse many neural networks, specifically for prediction of other road users’ behavior. These networks were initially developed for cars, and were tested, adapted, and implemented for the robots.[5] Robots move at a speed of 5-8 km/h (3-5 mph), can autonomously navigate crosswalks and recognize traffic lights. Average working time on a single battery charge is about 8–12 hours. The third generation of robots, launched in November 2021, have replaceable batteries.[6]

History

2016-2020

In 2016, a 120-person team at the company began assembling the underlying hardware for self-driving cars.[7]

The company launched its first self-driving car prototype in May 2017.[8][9]

In June 2017, the company released a video demonstrating its self-driving car technology.[10] The prototype vehicle was a heavily modified Toyota Prius+ hybrid wagon/compact MPV equipped with three Lidar optical distance sensors by Velodyne Lidar, six radar units, and six cameras and a GNSS sensor for navigation, with Intel CPUs and Nvidia GPUs[11] using the GNU operating system with the Linux kernel.[8][12]

In November 2017, the company tested the car in winter conditions on a closed course. The car drove successfully along snowy roads, despite the increased difficulties presented by the snow. The vehicle covered 300 km.[13][14]

In February 2018, the company tested the car in snowy conditions on public roads.[15]

Unmanned robo-taxi service was launched on in August 2018 in the university town of Innopolis, Tatarstan.[16][17][18] By February 2020, over 5,000 autonomous passenger rides were completed in Innopolis.[19]

In November 2018, the company obtained a license to use its self-driving cars on public roads in Nevada.

In December 2018, the company received permission from the Ministry of Transport and Road Safety in Israel to test its driverless cars on public roads in Tel Aviv.[20][21] In September, 2019 the testing territory was expanded to include the city center.[22]

In January 2019, demo rides were offered to guests of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.[23][24] Unlike other prototypes demonstrated at the exhibition, the cars operated without any human control. There was no engineer at the wheel, only one in the passenger seat to take control of the car in case of emergency. In January 2020, the company again provided autonomous rides for guests of the convention.[25]

In March 2019, the company partnered with Hyundai Motor Company to develop self-driving car components including control systems for level 4 and level 5, the categories of automation defined as requiring limited to no human intervention, with possible expansions of the venture to areas such as speech, navigation, and mapping technologies, and for technologies for use by other manufacturers.[26][27][28][29][30] In July 2019, Hyundai Mobis and Yandex presented a self-driving Hyundai Sonata as the first result of the collaboration.[31][32][33]

In October 2019, the company's self-driving cars passed 1 million miles in fully autonomous driving.[34][35][36]

In November 2019, the company launched delivery robots based on the same technology stack as the company's self-driving cars.[37][38][39] Robots were the size of a suitcase and navigated sidewalks at the speed of 5-8 km/h. They were tested on Yandex's campus in Moscow, transporting small packages between buildings.[37]

In April 2020, the company launched delivery robots in Skolkovo, Moscow Oblast for uses by city employees.[40] In May 2020, robots entered their first commercial deployment at the Skolkovo Innovation Center, used for document transportation.[41]

In June 2020, the company presented the fourth generation of its self-driving cars, based on the Hyundai Sonata.[42][43][44]

In August 2020, the company opened an autonomous vehicle testing center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.[45][46]

In September 2020, the self-driving division was spun-off into a standalone company under the name of Yandex Self-Driving Group (Yandex SDG) and Yandex invested $150 million into the company.[47]

In December 2020, robots were used for the Yandex.Eats food delivery service to make food and grocery deliveries in Moscow.[48]

2021-present

In August 2021, in partnership with Grubhub, the company launched autonomous delivery robots at Ohio State University for food delivery.[49] In November 2021, the service was launched at the University of Arizona.[50]

Also in August 2021, Yandex acquired Uber's stake in the company as part of a $1 billion transaction.[51]

As of September 2021, the company had around 170 autonomous vehicles in its fleet, which had driven over 14 million kilometers (10 million miles) in Russia, Israel and the United States.[52]

In October 2021, the company partnered with Russian Post and 36 robots started making autonomous deliveries from 27 post offices in Moscow.[53]

In November 2021, the company transitioned to using proprietary lidars on autonomous vehicles.[3]

In March 2022, the company paused operations in the United States, including its robotaxis in Ann Arbor and its partnership with Grubhub, as a result of international sanctions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[54]

In August 2023, the company rebranded its international division as Avride.[55]

In July 2024, Avride moved its headquarters to Austin, Texas.[56]

In October 2024, the company partnered with Uber to provide delivery robots for Uber Eats and to provide self-driving cars for Uber passengers.[57][58]

Also in October 2024, the company launched a four-wheeled delivery robot that is more energy efficient than previous models and has the ability to turn 180 degrees almost instantly.[59]

References

  1. ^ Abuelsamid, Sam (July 16, 2024). "Former Yandex Self-Driving Group Reemerges As Avride". Forbes.
  2. ^ "General Information Name Search". Delaware.
  3. ^ a b Rudnitsky, Jake (November 21, 2021). "Yandex Self-Driving Cars Rely On In-House Sensor to See the Road". Bloomberg News.
  4. ^ Shah, Saqib (March 19, 2021). "Yandex's autonomous cars have driven over six million miles in 'challenging conditions'". Engadget.
  5. ^ Wiggers, Kyle (March 26, 2021). "How Yandex plans to expand its autonomous robot delivery service". VentureBeat.
  6. ^ Albrecht, Christopher (November 18, 2021). "Yandex Unveils Third Gen Delivery Robot with Swappable Battery". OttOmate.
  7. ^ Wiggers, Kyle (21 January 2019). "Yandex let us ride in its autonomous Prius". VentureBeat.
  8. ^ a b Etherington, Darrell (May 30, 2017). "Yandex's on-demand taxi service debuts its self-driving car project". TechCrunch.
  9. ^ Fingas, Jon (May 30, 2017). "Russian internet giant Yandex shows off its self-driving car". Engadget.
  10. ^ Edelstein, Stephen (31 May 2017). "Russian Tech Giant Yandex Jumping Into the Self-Driving Taxi Fray". The Drive.
  11. ^ "Nvidia reveals new computing platform for 'fully autonomous robotaxis'". Robotics & Automation News. October 11, 2017.
  12. ^ Silver, David. "Russia's Yandex Offers Driverless Rides And Passengers Say 'Da!'". Forbes.
  13. ^ Lomas, Natasha (November 28, 2017). "Yandex takes its self-driving test cars out for a spin in the snow". TechCrunch.
  14. ^ "Yandex tests self-driving taxis in the snow - for the first time!". Russia Beyond. November 28, 2017.
  15. ^ Hawkins, Andrew J. (February 16, 2018). "Watch this self-driving car navigate the snowy streets of Moscow". The Verge.
  16. ^ "Europe's first unmanned taxi launched in Russia". Herald Globe. Russia Beyond. 14 September 2018.
  17. ^ Sawers, Paul (August 28, 2018). "Yandex leads Europe's autonomous taxi push with public test launch in Russia". VentureBeat.
  18. ^ "Europe's First Driverless Taxis to Launch in Russia". The Moscow Times. August 28, 2018.
  19. ^ "Нет закона и интернета: почему по дорогам Татарстана не ездят беспилотники?" [No law and no internet: why don’t driverless cars drive on the roads of Tatarstan?]. Inkazan (in Russian). February 12, 2020.
  20. ^ Griver, Simon (26 December 2018). "Yandex to operate self-driving cars in Israel". Globes.
  21. ^ HACOHEN, HAGAY (December 25, 2018). "The Russians are coming! Yandex-built smart cars to be tested in Tel Aviv". Jerusalem Post.
  22. ^ "Yandex' Autonomous Vehicles to Roam Around the Heart of Tel Aviv". CTech. 19 September 2019.
  23. ^ "Yandex Demonstrates Self-Driving Car Technologies on the streets of Las Vegas During CES 2019" (Press release). GlobeNewswire. January 7, 2019.
  24. ^ Stewart, Jack (January 16, 2019). "The Bold Robocar Roaming Las Vegas Without a Human Backup". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028.
  25. ^ Kleinman, Zoe (January 6, 2020). "Russian car with no driver at wheel tours Vegas". BBC News.
  26. ^ Lunden, Ingrid (19 March 2019). "Yandex inks deal with Hyundai to build self-driving car tech for its Mobis OEM division". TechCrunch.
  27. ^ Wiggers, Kyle (March 19, 2019). "Yandex and Hyundai ink deal to develop driverless car components". VentureBeat.
  28. ^ "Hyundai Signs Deal With Russia's Yandex for Autonomous Cars". The Moscow Times. Bloomberg News. March 19, 2019.
  29. ^ Khrennikov, Ilya (March 19, 2019). "Hyundai signs deal with Russia's Yandex for autonomous cars". The Star.
  30. ^ Windsor, Richard (March 19, 2019). "Autonomous Autos: Deal With Hyundai Mobis Is A Big Credibility Boost For Yandex". Forbes.
  31. ^ Lekach, Sasha (July 11, 2019). "Hyundai Sonata gets a self-driving makeover from Yandex". Mashable.
  32. ^ Krok, Andrew (July 11, 2019). "Hyundai Mobis and Yandex reveal 2020 Sonata self-driving prototype". CNET.
  33. ^ Dzikiy, Phil (July 11, 2019). "Watch the new self-driving Sonata from Hyundai and Yandex, due to hit Moscow streets soon". Electrek.
  34. ^ Khrennikov, Ilya (October 18, 2019). "Russia's Yandex Joins the Self-Driving Car Million-Mile Club". Bloomberg News.
  35. ^ Wiggers, Kyle (October 17, 2019). "Yandex's self-driving cars have driven 1 million miles". VentureBeat.
  36. ^ "Yandex's self-driving cars reach one million autonomous miles driven on public roads". Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International. October 17, 2019.
  37. ^ a b Hamilton, Isobel Asher (November 8, 2019). "The 'Google of Russia' has built a fleet of self-driving food-delivery robots". Business Insider.
  38. ^ Etherington, Darrell (November 7, 2019). "Yandex is now testing a self-driving sidewalk cargo delivery robot". TechCrunch.
  39. ^ Holt, Kris (November 7, 2019). "Yandex is testing autonomous delivery robots at its Moscow HQ". Engaget.
  40. ^ Wiggers, Kyle (April 29, 2020). "Yandex deploys autonomous delivery robots in Moscow's Skolkovo district". VentureBeat.
  41. ^ "Delivery robots appear on the streets of Moscow". Russia Beyond. September 9, 2020.
  42. ^ Abuelsamid, Sam (June 2, 2020). "Yandex Debuts Automated Driving Prototypes Based On Hyundai Sonata". Forbes.
  43. ^ "Yandex starts regular tests of self-driving cars in US". TASS. August 6, 2020.
  44. ^ Fisher, Christine (June 2, 2020). "Yandex updates its self-driving tech on the 2020 Hyundai Sonata". Engadget.
  45. ^ Gardner, Greg (August 6, 2020). "Yandex, Uber's Russian Partner, Kicks Off Self-Driving Car Tests In Ann Arbor". Forbes.
  46. ^ Hyatt, Kyle (August 6, 2020). "Russian company Yandex sets up self-driving car testing in Ann Arbor, Michigan". CNET.
  47. ^ Lunden, Ingrid (September 4, 2020). "Yandex spins out self-driving car unit from its Uber JV, invests $150M into new company". TechCrunch.
  48. ^ "Yandex Launches Food Delivery Robots". The Moscow Times. December 9, 2020.
  49. ^ "Grubhub and Yandex SDG Launch Robot Delivery Technology at The Ohio State University" (Press release). PR Newswire. August 19, 2021.
  50. ^ Stolte, Daniel (November 17, 2021). "Delivery Robots are Ready to Take Your Order". University of Arizona.
  51. ^ Bellan, Rebecca (August 31, 2021). "Yandex buys out Uber's stake in Yandex Self-Driving Group, Eats, Lavka and Delivery for $1B". TechCrunch.
  52. ^ Stolyarov, Gleb (September 8, 2021). "Russian tech firm Yandex to test self-driving taxis in Moscow this year". Reuters.
  53. ^ Rudnitsky, Jake (October 25, 2021). "Yandex Puts Delivery Robots on Moscow Streets for Russian Post". Bloomberg News.
  54. ^ "Russian autonomous-driving company Yandex SDG idles U.S. operations amid Ukraine invasion". Automotive News. March 4, 2022.
  55. ^ Aris, Ben (August 4, 2023). "Yandex self-driving group rebrands its international division as Avride". bne Intellinews.
  56. ^ Korosec, Kirsten (July 18, 2024). "Fisker scores a win, an AV startup reboots in Texas, and why Elon pushed the Tesla robotaxi reveal". TechCrunch.
  57. ^ "Uber and Avride Announce Autonomous Delivery and Mobility Partnership" (Press release). Business Wire. October 3, 2024.
  58. ^ Hawkins, Andrew J. (October 3, 2024). "Uber partners with ex-Yandex self-driving group for robotaxis and robot delivery". The Verge.
  59. ^ Hawkins, Andrew J. (October 30, 2024). "Avride rolls out its next-gen sidewalk delivery robots". The Verge.
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