Jennifer Reardon, Associate Vice President, Transportation Integration & Ops Support, Canadian Tire.
The government of Canada’s Ontario Province is contributing one-third of the cost to test attended-autonomous semi-tractor trucks in short-haul service among rail terminals, warehouses and local distribution centers.
Backed by a $1 million matching grant from the Ontario government through the province’s Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network (AVIN), national retailer Canadian Tire and Toronto-based startup NuPort Robotics, Inc., are each contributing $1 million toward a two-year project to apply proprietary AI (artificial intelligence) technology from NuPort Robotics to retrofit two conventional semi-tractor trailers with sensors and controls, a touchscreen navigation system and other advanced features such as obstacle and collision avoidance. The trucks will be attended-autonomous, meaning that there will be a driver in the cab.
$3 million investment in first-of-its-kind technology will enable safer, greener and more efficient transport of goods by semi-tractor trailers TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 11, 2021 / National retailer Canadian Tire Corporation (TSX:CTC.A)(TSX:CTC) and Toronto-based start-up NuPort Robotics Inc.
Technically, no matter what the claims from certain manufacturers, current semi-autonomous vehicles require that a driver keep their hands on the wheel at all times. Even most experimental vehicles for instance, the ill-fated Uber-ized Volvo that was involved in a fatality in Phoenix are supposed to have an “emergency driver” who is supposed to remain alert at all times just in case of computer failure.
That said, our inclement weather not so apparent as I write this on a record-setting warm March 11 does provide us with an opportunity to become a “global hub” of autonomous research. Raed Kadri, head of Ontario’s Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network, claims that, with “our existing strengths in automotive and IT, coupled with our strong entrepreneurial cluster and our innovative startups,” we have everything necessary to remain leaders in the autonomous and mobility sectors. In other words, if we play our cards right, Ontario’s frozen winters and our abund