We are all aware of how popular autonomous cars are in the development circuit, but there wasn't a definite note on the number of startups that are directly or indirectly involved in this field. Now, thanks to Comet Labs' impressive effort behind inspecting the entire market, we have a figure in hand. Titled 'The Future of Transportation Stack', the list includes a massive array of 263 institutions – startups and incumbents put together, that have all dipped their toes amid hopes of presenting autonomy to mainstream production vehicles. While there is a large variety of services that are being provided, the companies have a single goal – give rise to hardware, software and any related component that will help establish the technology (and their own name) in the realm of autonomous vehicles.
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Self-driving, autonomous or driverless cars are being seen as the first true implementation where artificial intelligence, sensor coordination, deep learning and everything else come together to give robots charge of driving cars. The range of companies listed in Comet Labs' master list involve service providers (like Uber, Waze, Zipcar, etc.), safety technology providers (like Carma, Argus, etc.), intelligent assistance providers (like Hudify, Cloudcar, etc.), automation system providers (like Drive.ai, Udacity, Tomtom, Waymo, Faraday Future, etc.), connected car infrastructure providers (like Drivebot, Motionlogic, etc.), advanced manufacturers, sensor providers (like Radiosense, Velodyne, etc.), and others like Kitty Hawk, Starsky, Tesla and many, many more. While some of these startups have made more headlines than the rest, what is impressive to note is the extent of work that is being done in this field.
Only yesterday, we spoke about the number of levels of autonomy that automakers are following. The technology in question is an amalgamation of car companies, component providers, programmers, designers, industry heads and governing bodies who are visualising the prospect of self-driving vehicles, enabling the technology to maneuver the same, and creating formal rules and ethics surrounding this heavily advanced field. The list sheds light into a developing industry that is slated to be the future of commuting, and the vastly diverse range of advancements that are taking place right now.
Isn't it quite overwhelming?