ARTICLES
14 years after the DARPA Urban Challenge: How one race influenced the future of work, transport, and tech
Almost a decade and a half ago, a group of Torc'rs and Virginia Tech engineering students were gathered around a bank of screens: videos and data that would let them know if their entirely unmanned vehicle, Odin, had run off course, gotten stuck in a parking space, or...
Daimler Truck, Torc Kick Off Year 3 of Industry’s First OEM/Tech Firm Collaboration on Autonomous Trucks
(Blacksburg, Va., USA / Portland, Or., USA/ Stuttgart, Germany — September 29, 2021) Torc Robotics and Daimler Truck kick off their third year of partnership poised to commercialize the first scalable, profitable Level 4 autonomous truck that will help fleets improve...
Meet a Torc Co-op: Jamie Barnes
At Torc, co-ops (or “cooperative education positions”) are full-time opportunities for college students studying engineering to develop their skills, work alongside world-class engineers, and get paid to work on autonomous vehicles. Co-ops are integral to the success...
Pure-Play + Partnerships = the Path to Profitable Self-Driving Truck Commercialization
According to Torc CEO Michael Fleming, Torc’s pure-play approach to developing self-driving trucks will deliver the first scalable and profitable autonomous trucks to U.S. highways. Pure-play means a very tight focus on three things: one OEM truck platform (Daimler’s...
18-Ton Vision: Developing Perception for Torc’s Self-driving Trucks
Picture this: A freight truck travels down the highway. Because of the truck’s size, its driver has better visibility than other vehicles on the road, but they cannot see everything. A compact car moves into the passing lane and enters the truck’s blind spot. Ahead of...
Torc to scale self-driving fleet with next-gen Daimler test trucks designed for its L4 system
(Blacksburg, Va.) Torc Robotics will scale its self-driving truck testing in the Southwest in early 2021 using an enhanced prototype truck developed with Daimler Trucks North America. This new generation of Freightliner Cascadia test trucks bolsters Torc’s capability...
Daimler Trucks and Torc partner with Luminar to enable automated trucking – Daimler Trucks acquires minority stake in Luminar
Automotive World https://www.automotiveworld.com/news-releases/daimler-trucks-and-torc-partner-with-luminar-to-enable-automated-trucking-daimler-trucks-acquires-minority-stake-in-luminar/
Torc Robotics, Daimler Trucks release video of self-driving truck testing
(Blacksburg, Va.) Torc Robotics and Daimler Trucks have released a video showing footage of their testing of self-driving trucks on a closed-course on Virginia’s Smart Road and along highways in the Blacksburg, Virginia area, including I-81. Scenes include...
NASA safety expert joins Torc Robotics self-driving truck team
(Blacksburg, Va.) Former NASA safety engineering executive John Marinaro has joined Torc Robotics, the leader in self-driving trucking, as director of operational safety and testing — and member of the executive team. In this role, Marinaro has oversight and risk...
Torc Robotics to expand self-driving truck testing to New Mexico with test center in Albuquerque
(Blacksburg, Va. – Sept. 3, 2020) Torc Robotics and Daimler Trucks will expand their joint self-driving truck on-road testing to New Mexico this month and establish a test center in the Albuquerque area. This announcement by Daimler Trucks and Torc coincides with the...
Torc Robotics Doubles Virginia HQ Facility, Continues Growth to Develop Self-Driving Trucks
(BLACKSBURG, VA) Torc Robotics doubled its headquarters facility this week in Blacksburg, Virginia with the completion of a major construction project. Although the nearly 16,000 square-foot expansion marks another milestone in Torc’s growing role as a powerhouse in...
How experiences shape our view of safety at Torc
The strength of Torc’s winning teams comes in part from the diverse individual contributions from each team member. A variety of backgrounds, life experiences, and viewpoints can contribute to a wealth of perspectives on the importance of safety. In Part...