Partially autonomous vehicles have been a part of the off-highway world for several decades, seeing higher adoption rates than those of passenger vehicles. However, just like the automotive industry, off-highway supplier partnerships and alliances will be key to accelerating the development of intelligent and safe next-generation autonomous vehicle technology.
Trimble and VayaVision, a LeddarTech company, have created an alliance designed to bring more advanced perception technology to the agriculture, construction, and mining markets. The integration of VayaVision’s raw data sensor fusion and perception software platform with Trimble’s existing machine-control technology will enable intelligent automation in complex work environments such as farms or large mining sites.
The alliance is focused on advancing data fusion for multi-sensor systems having LiDAR, camera, and GNSS (global navigation satellite systems). These sensors are used to produce reliable environmental mapping, which is critical for autonomous solutions. The result is expected to enable improvements in the performance of autonomous machines operating in challenging work environments or when supporting safety-critical applications.
Trimble and VayaVision will collaborate to advance autonomous development and adoption of a customizable portfolio by improving operational efficiency and decreasing labor costs. OEM equipment customers will also benefit through scalable automation efforts like driver assistance features, reduced development costs, and faster time-to-market with machine automation.
“Our business model is to collaborate with strategic partners to integrate our core technologies into their platform products which, in turn, can be used across multiple end applications,” said Youval Nehmadi, Director of Perception Engineering, LeddarTech. “The alliance positions Trimble to deliver a highly capable path-planning and autonomous system for the agriculture, construction, and mining industries. Our LeddarVision perception software delivers advanced, flexible, and robust 3D environmental solutions for off-road and passenger car applications today.”
“Trimble has been connecting the physical and digital worlds with our best-in-class automation technologies for more than 20 years—whether it is in agriculture, construction, or mining,” said Finlay Wood, Business Area Director for Trimble’s Autonomous Solutions Division. “We see the demand for operator assistance, autonomous machines, and workflow optimization accelerating dramatically and alliances such as this are a critical part of how we will bring added value to our customers in all levels of autonomy.”
Sunnyvale, CA-based Trimble provides positioning, modeling, connectivity, and data analytics technology to several markets, including agriculture, construction, transportation, forestry, rail, and governments. It established Trimble Autonomy to enable the next generation of autonomous functionality to improve productivity and safety by leveraging its positioning innovations. It provides automated and autonomous solutions for off-road machines such as tractors and haulers through a suite of solutions including GPS/GNSS, truthing, inertial, dead-reckoning, machine control, and sensor fusion.
Israel-based VayaVision was founded in 2016 by two friends who were fascinated by the potential of autonomous driving. Today, the company employs more than 30 engineers and developers with expertise varying from AI and Computer Vision to Deep Learning and Systems Engineering. The company was acquired by LeddarTech in 2020.
Supporting this alliance is the BIRD Foundation, a bi-national research and industrial development fund that promotes cooperation between U.S. and Israeli companies. The foundation’s commitment recognizes the value of combining Trimble’s more than 20 years of advanced machine control technology with VayaVision’s leading perception software to advance industrial autonomy.
In the same announcement for VayaVision, the fund also supported mobility-related connections of Aeronautics Defense Systems of Yavne, Israel, and PreVision of Edgewood, NM, to develop a WAMI (wide-area motion imagery) sensor with an automated interface for an electro-optics payload on a UAS (unmanned aerial system) platform, and Redler Technologies of Netanya, Israel, and Martin Technologies of Hudson, MI, to develop an advanced automotive electronic power distribution module.
Kevin Jost contributed to this article.
