Japanese SB Drive announces a collaboration with Finnish Sensible 4 on self-driving technology integration for autonomous shuttles.
SoftBank’s self-driving subsidiary, SB Drive, has started a collaboration with Finnish autonomous driving technology company Sensible 4. The primary purpose of the cooperation is to accelerate the implementation of autonomous shuttles in Europe and Japan and bring them faster to mainstream adoption.
The collaboration takes first place in Finland, where SB Drive has started as a supplier for Sensible 4 within the EU funded FABULOS project. SB Drive’s Dispatcher will be tested with Sensible 4’s self-driving shuttle bus GACHA – addressing key challenges and opportunities related to autonomous driving. During the FABULOS project, GACHA, as well as other autonomous vehicles from Sensible 4, will be tested on public roads. Mobility services will also be provided to address local transportation needs.
Sensible 4 CEO, Harri Santamala: “For Sensible 4, the Japanese market is very exciting. We are building partnerships to provide solutions to the automotive industry and consequently improve the mobility of our societies. Our approach has been to focus on our core technologies and partnering with companies such as SB Drive, to jointly offer more than each partner could do separately. We decided together to have a pragmatic approach to this collaboration, and hence started it by integrating SB Drive’s Dispatcher to our full-stack solution to utilize it with our ongoing GACHA pilots in Finland.”
SB Drive’s autonomous vehicle platform was integrated last year with Sensible 4’s self-driving vehicle system. The two companies are also looking into other use cases for cooperation – aiming to work towards an OEM partnership in the future with concrete self-driving operations in both EU and Japan.
SB Drive’s Dispatcher is a fleet management system able to remotely operate multiple autonomous vehicles, providing passenger monitoring and vehicle overwatch. The platform also features AI technology, capable of detecting movement within the vehicle. The system can warn passengers to prevent in-vehicle accidents as well as remotely controlling vehicles based on the operator’s needs.
GACHA developed by Sensible 4 is the world’s first autonomous shuttle bus capable of driving in all weather conditions and environments. The unique driverless vehicle has won multiple awards both for its design and outstanding driving capabilities.
Sensible 4 develop full-stack software solutions for autonomous vehicles and focuses on self-driving in difficult weather conditions – a crucial problem for driverless vehicles up to date.
Sensible 4 is one of the few companies in the world that provides full-stack solutions for self-driving cars. The entirely in-house developed software allows complete automation of vehicles. Sensible 4’s unique combination of LiDAR-based software and sensor fusion makes self-driving cars able to operate in even the most challenging weather conditions.