BLACKSBURG, VA – Torc Robotics is expanding its commercialization capabilities by integrating its autonomous vehicle technology on a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid.
Torc’s focus since the company was founded has been on saving lives. The company’s technology has done that in mining and defense and now it’s time for that technology to be used on the country’s streets and highways in an effort to save lives by eliminating human error, said Michael Fleming, Torc CEO and co-founder.
Torc has been developing self-driving vehicle technology since 2005. The company previously implemented its technology in two Lexus RX vehicles, nicknamed Asimov. The vehicles successfully logged robotic testing in more than 20 states while operating on both public roads and closed courses with zero accidents. The testing included a coast-to-coast trip across the United States and extensive driving in densely-packed streets such as those located in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Torc’s technology is based on commercially-proven systems the team has developed over the past decade for safety-critical applications such as mining and defense.
Adding the technology to the Pacifica, is another step in the company’s dedication to preparing consumer-ready autonomous cars.
“We’ve been waiting for the time when it would be feasible to apply our system to consumer cars,” Fleming said. “That time is now.”
Torc’s sensors have been integrated with the body of the Pacifica for streamlined design and functionality. The company’s hardware and computers are automotive grade, which ensures cost-effective solutions for scalability and function, Fleming said.
The Pacifica implementation includes LiDAR, radar, cameras and GPS antennas that provide 360-degree perception of the vehicle’s surroundings. The components have been updated from the versions used on Asimov for commercialization readiness.
“Last year we were focused on proving the technology works,” Fleming said. “This year our focus is moving forward with commercialization.”
Asimov Pacific at a roundabout.
Torc has converted more than 100 vehicle platforms to autonomous or remote-control operation for real world testing and use.
Torc’s autonomous vehicle technology has successfully navigated heavy urban traffic, aggressive tailgating, heavy rains, snow and highway detours.
About Torc Robotics
Torc Robotics, headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia, offers a complete autonomous software solution that easily integrates with different hardware components to turn any car into a self-driving vehicle. Founded in 2005, Torc has integrated its self-driving solutions on ground vehicles ranging from two-ton SUVs to 300-ton mining trucks—in safety-critical environments like military, mining and agriculture. Torc challenges its system to conquer the elements and its self-driving cars have safely navigated heavy rain and snowy roads both day and night.
BLACKSBURG, VA – Following the rollout of its Asimov self-driving car system exactly one year ago today, and “human-like” public demos at CES in January, Torc is nearly doubling the size of its team and continues to expand the project.
“We’ve grown our team more in the last year, since launching Asimov, than we have in the last 10 years combined,” said Torc CEO Michael Fleming. “This larger team allows us to meet the growing demand of our customers in the self-driving space and positions us for continued success.”
Fleming said Torc seeks innovative software developers who enjoy solving complex and real-world problems in non-traditional ways, and has expanded its search to international candidates. The company’s mission is saving lives through robotics and has one core value: winning teams.
Torc is hiring for a variety of positions, but most of the new recruits are software engineers who join the company’s deep bench of self-driving technologists—several of whom participated in the legendary DARPA competitions. They will help Torc continue to improve its cross-industry end-to-end software stack.
“In addition to self-driving cars, our technology is implemented in many safety-critical environments, including mining and defense,” said Torc CTO Ben Hastings. “Launching Asimov in 2017 gave us the opportunity to showcase this experience and its potential for saving lives on public roadways. Now we’re focused on more seamlessly integrating the technology and offering a market-ready product that consumers can trust.”
We don’t just share the road with other vehicles. We share the road with people as they walk, run and bike to their destinations. Our autonomous car system, Asimov, is designed to treat people differently than cars, because they move differently. Torc’s number one priority has always been safety. While navigating traffic, the safest decision may require assertive driving. However, we always take a cautious approach toward pedestrians.
This video shows real situations that our self-driving car encountered with people on public roads. You’ll see our car stop for a person stepping off a crowded sidewalk into the street right in front of us. We shift over to provide space for a person walking in the bicycle lane. Our self-driving car predicts pedestrian movement to safely yield at crosswalks, stopping to allow people to cross before they even enter, or cautiously passing by if it is determined that the person plans to wait to cross.
We use our robust sensor suite and machine learning to detect and classify people as different entities than other objects, allowing the system to better understand how to safely behave around them.
At Torc, we believe that self-driving cars will increase the safety of everyone in and outside the car. This is how we share the road.
BLACKSBURG, VA – Torc Robotics announced that it recently obtained a permit for autonomous testing of self-driving cars in California, joining 50+ other firms.
Torc did not test drive in California during its cross-country trip last summer in its Asimov self-driving car system. “Driving cultures differ across regions, and it’s important for self-driving cars to accommodate the rules and driving customs of different places.”
“As we continue to refine our self-driving car technology, we want to test our system in many different situations,” said Torc CEO Michael Fleming. “We are continually seeking ways to make self-driving cars as safe as possible.”
Torc is partnering with AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah (NCNU) to develop safety criteria for self-driving cars through a testing program. The partners collected data in Las Vegas earlier this year and plan to test in California. The experience and information gathered will help inform safety for the developing industry.
The partnership combines Torc’s self-driving technology expertise with AAA’s experience as the country’s oldest traffic safety organization.
“Working with Torc has given us the opportunity to observe the autonomous vehicle testing process firsthand,” said Tim Condon, President & CEO of AAA NCNU. “Industry collaboration and strong partnerships are key to the successful, safe implementation of this developing technology, and Torc has been committed to that vision since they were founded more than a decade ago.”
About Torc Robotics
Torc Robotics, headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia, provides end-to-end self-driving solutions across multiple industries, including automotive, mining, and defense. Founded in 2005, Torc has integrated its components and systems on ground vehicles ranging from consumer SUVs to 300-ton mining trucks—in safety-critical environments. Torc first gained notice when it developed the self-driving software stack for Virginia Tech in the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge. As one of three winners of the DARPA Urban Challenge, Torc has commercialized this technology through partnerships with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and their Tier 1 suppliers.
About AAA NCNU
AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah offers a wide array of automotive, travel, insurance, DMV, financial services and discounts to more than 5.8 million members.
Those who live in Blacksburg, Virginia, know that winter weather often happens in waves and there are a handful of significant snowfalls per year. While the snow might not accumulate here as much as in northern states, the area’s mountain roads add an additional challenge for those willing to drive in the conditions.
Our Asimov team took advantage of the winter weather by jumping to the task of taking the self-driving car system out on public roads during all hours of the day and night.
The weather provided challenges such as snow-covered road markings, tracks from previous vehicles that weren’t centered in the lane, frozen precipitation obscuring the roof-mounted cameras, and falling snow that needed to be distinguished from actual objects in the road by the car’s sensor system.
The team overcame these obstacles and autonomously navigated the wintery conditions, driving multiple routes on everything from highways to downtown streets to smaller country roads.
As the self-driving system successfully performed through the complex weather, the team filmed the milestone along the way. This video is compiled from the team’s cameras, cell phones, and Asimov’s roof-mounted camera footage.
Early adopters cite time, convenience, and traffic hassles as the biggest reasons for wanting a self-driving car, according to a Torc Robotics survey taken at CES 2018.
“While the auto and tech industries are working to ensure the safety of this technology, it’s important to understand the problems that consumers hope it will solve,” said Torc Robotics founder Michael Fleming. “It’s good to explore the motivations and promise of the technology, especially as we celebrate National Robotics Week,” he added.
Consumers visit the Torc booth at CES 2018 in Las Vegas.
Torc surveyed more than 200 early adopters who wanted a ride in its Asimov self-driving car during CES. When asked why they would buy a self-driving car, respondents revealed three primary motivations: their desire to reclaim travel and commuting time, general convenience, and a way to reduce the stress and fatigue of driving. Improving traffic safety and increasing access to travel were also popular answers to this open-ended question.
The early adopters targeted by Torc’s survey will be critical to the pattern of consumer adoption of self-driving technology. “Our respondents were highly motivated to visit our booth and ask for a ride with a firm most had no previous experience with,” Fleming explained. “Many of these early adopters have been following the development of autonomous systems for the last decade.”
Since its founding in 2005, Torc has been dedicated to increasing safety through robotics. The firm has commercialized its autonomous technology in defense and mining, and is now adapting its technology for self-driving consumer vehicles. Torc is also developing safety criteria for self-driving cars through a partnership with AAA.
“Autonomous systems have proven to be more reliable and consistent than human drivers,” said Fleming, “but it won’t matter if the public doesn’t trust the tech. That’s why we’re working with the leader in auto safety, and value the consumer feedback we collected at CES.”
The survey showed that 64 percent of people say they would feel safer if others were also using self-driving cars. Additionally, those given rides in Torc’s self-driving car felt more comfortable after experiencing the technology.
“Before the ride people reported feeling extremely nervous, but afterwards said they weren’t nervous at all,” said Fleming. “While our post-ride numbers are not statistically significant, they do confirm what we’ve seen time and time again; people are more trusting of the technology after experiencing it first-hand.”
Torc offered consumers private rides on the streets of Las Vegas during CES 2018. The rides marked the start of the consumer-testing phase for commercializing Torc’s Asimov self-driving car system.
“We’ve got big plans for 2018, including a new look for our Asimov self-driving cars,” said Fleming. “Public input and collaboration within the industry will continue to play a critical role in the commercialization of safe, trustworthy, self-driving systems.”
About Torc Robotics
Torc Robotics, headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia, provides end-to-end self-driving solutions across multiple industries, including automotive, mining, and defense. Founded in 2005, Torc has integrated its components and systems on ground vehicles ranging from consumer SUVs to 300-ton mining trucks—in safety-critical environments. Torc first gained notice when it developed the self-driving software stack for Virginia Tech in the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge. As one of three winners of the DARPA Urban Challenge, Torc has commercialized this technology through partnerships with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and their Tier 1 suppliers.
Originally published in 2018, this article offers a recap of Torc Robotics’ 2018 presentation at CES. In 2018, we were highlighting our team’s accomplishments in creating Asimov, our self-driving car system. Since then, we’ve shifted our autonomous focus to automated trucks: 18-wheelers that can drive from coast-to-coast without needing a driver in the cab. With our OEM partner, Daimler Truck, at our side, we’re pushing the future of freight forward.
We made a big splash at CES 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada, showcasing our Asimov self-driving car system. Here’s a quick recap of the week’s events:
Rain or shine, we offered demonstrations of our technology throughout the week to consumers, press, and industry partners on the streets of Vegas. From accelerating to braking to changing lanes, Asimov performed beautifully across countless demos.
Torc Founder Michael Fleming was a panelist on the Robotics Trends discussion about “The Roadmap for Self-driving Cars” as part of its Artificial Intelligence conference.
Engadget: “Torc Robotics, meanwhile, is one of the early pioneers of self-driving, having placed third in DARPA’S 2007 Urban Challenge — back when self-driving cars were a bit more bulky.”
TechCrunch: “Its latest partner in that effort is Torc Robotics, a self-driving technology company with loads of experience in automating heavy machinery and commercial equipment that’s now applying its expertise to the consumer market.”
AutoWeek: “To see just how much progress autonomous driving systems have made, have a look at Torc Robotics’ Asimov Level 4 self-driving system…it’s among the closest to being worthy of the once-shunned ‘self-driving’ label in development today.”
Torc Robotics, a Virginia-based autonomous vehicle technology company, will partner with America’s oldest traffic safety organization on public roads to develop safety criteria for self-driving cars.
LAS VEGAS, NV – Torc Robotics and AAA Northern California Nevada & Utah (NCNU) today announced their partnership to develop safety criteria for self-driving cars through a testing program on public streets.
Using Torc’s self-driving system, called Asimov, the partners will collect data from various urban safety cases they observe while driving. In addition to data collected by Torc during previous testing, the partners will collect data in Las Vegas this year and in additional cities in the near future. The experience and information gathered will help inform safety for the developing industry.
“Self-driving vehicles have the potential to dramatically reduce traffic fatalities on our roadways, most of which are caused by human error,” said Tim Condon, President & CEO of AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah. “By creating a blueprint for automakers to follow, we hope to build public trust in technology that could save and enrich millions of lives.”
“Autonomous technology will only bring a transportation revolution once it is safe enough and widely adopted,” said Torc Robotics CEO Michael Fleming. “We continue to refine our proven technology and are now working on helping to integrate self-driving cars into society.
The new program is part of AAA NCNU’s larger effort to study and test autonomous vehicles. In October, it announced a partnership with GoMentum Station, the largest testing facility for self-driving cars in the U.S. AAA NCNU also partnered with the City of Las Vegas to launch the nation’s first public self-driving shuttle in downtown Las Vegas.
Torc’s Asimov system is the product of 10 years of autonomous system experience following its third-place win in the historic 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge. The Asimov system has been tested on public roads in more than 20 states, including a cross-country drive in July 2017. Torc recently released a list of Asimov capabilities and is testing consumer reactions this week with private demos at CES 2018.
“As one of the most experienced self-driving technology companies, we are excited to be pioneering self-driving safety standards for the 21st century with the country’s oldest auto safety organization,” Fleming said. “We believe that a partnership model is the best way to commercialize this technology.”
He emphasized that exposure to the technology with a trusted brand and frequent interaction are key to increasing confidence. According to a recent AAA survey, 75 percent of Americans confess to being skeptical of riding in and sharing the road with self-driving cars.
In addition to expanding its autonomous vehicle research in 2017, AAA NCNU launched the Bay Area’s first one-way car share service, GIG Car Share, in Oakland and Berkeley.
“From launching the public’s first self-driving shuttle, to launching a one-way car share in the Bay Area, we’re acknowledging that transportation habits are changing,” Condon said. “AAA is over a hundred years old, and we remain committed to continuously innovating in the area of traffic safety.”
