|
Listen to this text  |
Latitude AI will deal with autonomous driving know-how for Ford automobiles. | Source: Ford
Ford at this time launched Latitude AI, a subsidiary creating new automated driving know-how. The firm will deal with making a hands-free, eyes-off-the-road automated driving system for next-generation Ford automobiles.
This new self-driving firm is taking up 550 staff that had been a part of Argo AI, Ford’s earlier self-driving undertaking that was shut down in October 2022. These staff labored throughout machine studying and robotics, cloud platforms, mapping, sensors and compute techniques, take a look at operations, techniques and security engineering.
Latitude AI will assist Ford’s strategic shift that got here final yr to focus extra on creating automated driving applied sciences for personally owned automobiles. This separates Latitude from Argo AI, which centered on creating autonomous robotaxis.
Latitude AI’s work will construct off of Ford’s hands-free, highway-driving know-how referred to as BlueCruise, which has already logged greater than 50 million miles. Latitude hopes to automate the components of driving that may be probably the most tedious, nerve-racking and ugly, it mentioned, like bumper-to-bumper visitors or lengthy stretches of freeway.
This shift may also set itself aside from autonomous car firms like Cruise and Waymo, that are each centered on creating autonomous robotaxis, and places itself in the identical ring as Tesla’s Full Self-Driving beta software program, which lately underwent a recall.
“We see automated driving technology as an opportunity to redefine the relationship between people and their vehicles,” mentioned Doug Field, chief superior product growth and know-how officer, Ford Motor Company. “Customers using BlueCruise are already experiencing the benefits of hands-off driving. The deep experience and talent in our Latitude team will help us accelerate the development of all-new automated driving technology – with the goal of not only making travel safer, less stressful and more enjoyable, but ultimately over time giving our customers some of their day back.”
Sammy Omari, govt director of ADAS applied sciences at Ford, will function the CEO of Latitude AI. Ford appointed Peter Carr as the corporate’s chief know-how officer, who will oversee Latitude’s product and technical growth and David Gollob as president. Gollob shall be liable for the corporate’s enterprise operations.
“We believe automated driving technology will help improve safety while unlocking all-new customer experiences that reduce stress and in the future will help free up a driver’s time to focus on what they choose,” Omari mentioned. “The expertise of the Latitude team will further complement and enhance Ford’s in-house global ADAS team in developing future driver-assist technologies, ultimately delivering on the many benefits of automation.”
Latitude AI is headquartered in Pittsburgh, the place Argo AI was positioned and has further engineering hubs in Dearborn, Michigan and Palo Alto, California. The firm additionally operates a highway-speed take a look at observe facility in Greenville, South Carolina.