Shield AI Grabs $200 Million Investment for Autonomous Aviation Technologies
New investment places the company's value at $2.7 billion...
Defense technology company Shield AI has raised $200 million in Series F led by U.S. Innovative Technology Fund (USIT) and co-led by Riot Ventures. The new investment puts the value of the company at $2.7 billion.
Besides billionaire Thomas Tull’s USIT investment, other investors include Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest and returning investors Disruptive and Snowpoint. The company said the new investment will be used to scale its V-BAT Teams product and increase integration with third-party unscrewed platforms.
V-BAT Teams are a drone-swarming technology that has been attractive to the U.S. Defense Department and other nations. Also attractive to DoD is the company’s products that operate in GPS-denied and jamming environments.
“This funding accelerates the scaling of Shield AI’s products, enabling the deployment of intelligent, affordable mass—the most important non-nuclear deterrent for the next 30 years,” said Brandon Tseng, Shield AI’s president, co-founder, and former Navy SEAL, in a statement.
Shield AI’s main product, called Hivemind, enables intelligent aircraft to operate autonomously in high-threat environments on the edge, the company said. This operation is without the need of GPS, remote operators or command inputs, the company said.
The company, which is integrating Hivemind into unscrewed fighter jets, said its technology approach is similar to the self-driving car industry as its software stack is aircraft agnostic.
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Porsche Expands Google Services
Porsche said this week that it plans to offer Google GOOG 0.00%↑services for navigation, speech and add an app ecosystem for its future car models. The premium automaker said it will integrate Google Maps, Google Assistant and apps available through the Google Play Store.
Porsche said its customers will continue to use the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system, which includes regular over-the-air updates. The company said that PCM will become a big part of a digital ecosystem with long-term Google integration.
According to published reports, Porsche wanted to adopt Google’s software for its infotainment system because its parent company, Volkswagen, was struggling with fixing software issues. Volkswagen this week said it was planning to cut 2,000 jobs at its software company Cariad, according to Reuters.
Volkswagen had been reluctant to work with Google because it believed the search giant shared too much data—and was talking with Apple $AAPL, Baidu, Tencent and Alibaba in China for automated driving and infotainment, according to Reuters.
Such automakers as Ford $F, General Motors $GM, Renault and Nissan use Google infotainment technology, including Maps, in their vehicles through the Google Automotive Services package.
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USDOT Opens $40 Million Grant Opportunity for Connected Vehicle Technologies
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is taking applications for a V2X program from companies developing road safety and mobility technologies. The program, is part of a $40 million Saving Lives with Connectivity: Accelerating V2X Deployment grant. Seeks to advance connected and interoperable vehicle technologies.
FHWA says that V2X can contribute to the Safe System Approach adopted by the USDOT’s National Roadway Safety Strategy, which was launched in January 2022 to address roadway deaths. ““V2X connectivity is a critical transformational technology that not only advances safety but also enhances mobility and efficiency,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt, in a statement. “Accelerating V2X deployment now is a crucial step toward saving lives with connectivity. We’re working to make sure that no matter where you drive -- truly reliable and seamless connectivity will be in place.”
The federal agency said the grant will promote the deployment of V2X technologies with the goal of advancing the full lifesaving potential of V2X communication, “while ensuring connected technologies communicate securely and without harmful interference across a variety of devices and platforms.”
The USDOT plans to share a draft V2X Deployment Plan for public comment in a few weeks. “Stakeholders will continue to provide input on the draft toward completion in early 2024,” USDOT said.
For more information, go to the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).
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Other Location News
News tip? Send them to kdennehy@driverlessreport.com. Go to www.locationbusinessnews.com for more news and an archive of stories.
Top News:
😐 Cruise, GM's Robotaxi Service, Suspends All Driverless Operations Nationwide. “Cruise is also being investigated by U.S. regulators after receiving reports of potential risks to pedestrians and passengers.”
💰 Wirepas Nabs $22 Million To Expand IoT Business. “The firm, spun-out of the University of Tampere, in Finland in 2010, has notable support from chipmakers and module makers including Silicon Labs, u-blox, Nordic Semiconductor and others.”
☹ Could Hamas Be Jamming GPS In and Around Gaza? “While a number of reports describe Israeli jamming of GPS signals to thwart Hamas drones, there have been suggestions that Hamas itself is jamming satnav signals.”
🤷♂️ Is India's NavIC Better Than GPS? “NavIC consists of a constellation of seven satellites and a network of ground stations and is touted to be more accurate than GPS.”
😮 The Russians Installed A GPS-Jammer In Ukraine. The Ukrainians Blew It Up—With A GPS-Guided Bomb. “Russian forces in southern Ukraine installed a powerful radio-jammer designed to interfere with the signals that help to direct GPS-guided munitions and drones.”
🤨 Are We Over-Dependent on GNSS?
🤔 Huawei Completes Verification of Key 5G Cellular Low-Power High-Precision Positioning Technology. “The verification reveals that Huawei surpasses the 3GPP requirements for indoor positioning accuracy.”
Maps:
😉 12 Map Happenings That Rocked Our World: Part 6.
👍 Top App Launches on Android Auto With Google Maps and Waze Integration. “Fastned, the company that owns one of the biggest EV charging stations in Europe, released an update for its Android app to enable Android Auto support”
🚗 Vinfast Electric Car Virtual Assistant Is Integrated With what3words Precise Positioning Technology.
🙂 Addresscloud Becomes OMF Contributor Member. “Global location intelligence platform Addresscloud has joined the Overture Maps Foundation as a Contributor Member.”
🗺 60 Global Cities With 3D Landmarks in Mapbox Standard. “The Mapbox Standard style offers an immersive urban experience with detailed 3D landmarks for 60 cities, and more being added each month. New landmarks are now available for Houston and Phoenix.”
🤞 Tesla Adds Detailed Navigation Views for Complex Intersections in Korea. “Software update 2023.32 now showcases a detailed preview of intricate highway intersections and urban crossroads to facilitate smoother navigation.”
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Connected and Autonomous Vehicles:
🚘 Robotaxis Remain a Pipe Dream and Greedy Companies Have Only Themselves To Blame. “Setback at Cruise shows that, contrary to statements over the last year by Elon Musk and others, driverless cars are not around the corner.”
📌 Israel's Mobileye CEO Urges That Netanyahu Be Replaced Immediately.
😒 Two of California's Biggest Robotaxi Opponents Join Forces. Teamsters 856, and Rideshare Drivers United are joining forces to oppose expansion of autonomous vehicles.
Legal:
😐 Quectel Sends Cease and Desist Letters to Competitors.
🏛 U-blox Moves Court Venue Against InterDigital to Delaware.
Financial:
💲 Trimble's Transportation Revenue Jumps 35% In Q3. “Despite a challenging freight market, Trimble TRMB 0.00%↑said its transportation segment performed well during the most recent quarter but could face “adverse” results in the next fiscal period. Trimble posted third-quarter total revenue of $957.3 million, an 8% y/y increase. The company’s third-quarter revenue fell short of Wall Street forecasts, which predicted revenue of $964.4 million.”
✔ TomTom Initiates €50 Million Share Buyback Program.
💰 French Startup Wheere Bags €11M to Advance Indoor & Outdoor Geolocation Technology. “Montpellier, France-based Wheere, a startup that specializes in developing indoor and outdoor location systems, announced that it has secured 11 million euros in a fresh round of funding.”
✔ Powerfleet and MiX Telematics to Host Joint Investor Day on November 16
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Location Industry Briefs
Send your news releases to kdennehy@driverlessreport.com. Go to www.locationbusinessnews.com for more news and an archive of stories.
Swift Navigation Adds Unicore to Partner Program
Swift Navigation has announced the addition of Unicore Communications, a GNSS integrated circuit design manufacturer, to its new Partner Program. Unicore’s GNSS platform now uses Swift Navigation’s Skylark Precise Positioning Service for autonomous driving, robotics, precision agriculture, GIS surveying and mapping, drones, machine control, and more, the company said.
The first Unicore modules to interoperate with Skylark include the triple band UM960 and quad band UM980 series, the company said.
Contact: Swift Navigation, www.swiftnav.com.
Trucking's Annual Congestion Costs Top $94.6 Billion
Traffic congestion on U.S. highways soared to $94.6 billion in added costs to the trucking industry in 2021, according to the latest Cost of Congestion study published by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI). The organization said this is the highest level recorded through this research initiative. To calculate trucking delay impacts on U.S. roadways from 2017 to 2021, ATRI used several data sources including its truck GPS database.
Contact: American Transportation Research Institute, www.truckingresearch.org/2023/10/cost-of-congestion-to-the-trucking-industry-2023-update.
U-blox Rolls Out Bluetooth Modules
Thalwil, Switzerland-based u-blox [UBXN] has launched its MAYA-W3 series of compact dual-mode Bluetooth LE 5.4 modules with LE Audio. The modules also support Wi-Fi 6/6E.
The modules are designed for such industrial applications as healthcare, industrial automation and monitoring, asset tracking and management, and smart home applications. All module variants hold global certifications for both Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth, the company said.
Contact: Natacha Seitz, u-blox, 41 76 436 0788, natacha.seitz@u-blox.com, www.u-blox.com.
HERE Announces 2023 Partner Award Recipients
HERE Technologies has announced the recipients of the HERE Partner Awards for 2023. The Global Strategic Alliance Award went to Esri. Other company awards went to RouteSmart Technologies, Lalamove, ORTEC, Korem, NAVIGATE and Local Eyes.
Contact: Sebastian Kurme, HERE, 49 173 515 3549, sebastian.kurme@here.com.
Meinberg Launches GNSS Receiver
Meinberg has launched the IMS-GXL183 multi-band GNSS receiver and clock module solution. The unit uses the Septentrio mosaic-T GNSS receiver module that has internal anti-spoofing features.
The unit also support the AtomiChron service from Fugro for the external validation and authentication of incoming GNSS messages, the company said.
Contact: Meinberg, 49 (0) 52 81 93 09-0, sales@meinberg.de.
Pebblebee Trackers Now Available at Costco
Pebblebee has announced that its next-generation item trackers are now available at Costco stores nationwide. The trackers come in a package that includes two Pebblebee Clip devices and one Card device.
Pebblebee trackers work with both iOS and Android, and offer more than a year’s battery life on a single charge, the company said. Pebblebee Clip tracks keys, bags and other items. The Pepplebee Card fits in wallets, and other narrow spaces, as a tracker.
Contact: Donna Loughlin Michaels, for Pebblebee, (408) 393-5575, donna@lmgpr.com, www.pebblebee.com.
Insign Solutions Joins Viasat ELEVATE Program
Viasat VSAT 0.00%↑ has announced that Insign Solutions has joined its ELEVATE program. As an ELEVATE partner, Insign Solutions will provide customers with an IoT-enabled monitoring solution to mitigate the environmental threats of wildfires, the company said. Insign will use Viasat’s L-band network and GPS in its Forest Capsule wildfire detection system.
Contact: Viasat, www.viasat.com.
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Rosco and NEORide Partner
Rosco and NEORide, a Council of Governments representing 29 transits agencies across seven states, have partnered to allow NEORide’s members to have access to collision avoidance systems supplied by Rosco Collision Avoidance. Rosco will provide Mobileye Shield+ as a collision avoidance system for NEORide members through a national purchase agreement, the company said. Mobileye Shield+ uses telematics data to identify hot spots and high alert areas, the company said.
Contact: Amy Ahn-You, Rosco Vision, (718) 526-2601, amy.ahn@roscovision.com, www.roscovision.com.
Adtran launches Satellite Time and Location Solution
Adtran has launched synchronization solutions featuring Satellite Time and Location (STL) technology to address the growing vulnerabilities of GPS and other GNSS systems to jamming and spoofing attacks, the company said. The OSA 5405-S PTP grandmaster clock can now receive STL signals.
Markets for the solutions include such industries as 5G, data centers, smart grids and defense. The OSA 5405-S supports both LEO time services and multi-constellation GNSS.
Contact: Gareth Spence, 44 1904 699 358, public-relations@adva.com, www.adtran.com.
Phunware Partners With Wailea Beach Resort
Phunware PHUN 0.00%↑ has announced that Wailea Beach Resort is deploying its enhanced Smart Hospitality Solution as part of a three-year-long contract. The updated version of the platform guides guests through the 22-acre property and drives them to the many amenities and dining options available, the company said. Phunware’s solution features blue-dot navigation, hotel guest engagement, interactive real-time mapping, wayfinding and indoor positioning
Contact: Phunware, (512) 693-4199, press@phunware.com, www.phunware.com.
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Trimble TRMB 0.00%↑ announced that CFO David Barnes will retire from the company in May 2024. The company has named Phil Sawarynski, vice president of treasury, corporate development and co-lead of Trimble Ventures, its new CFO effective May 2024.
BlackBerry: CEO John Chen out at BlackBerry as Company Prepares to Divide Business.
Maxar Intelligence announced that Dan Smoot, former Cisco CSCO 0.00%↑ and Salesforce CRM 0.00%↑ executive, is replacing Daniel Jablonsky as CEO.
HERE Technologies has named Jason Jameson as chief customer officer.
Phunware PHUN 0.00%↑ has named Mike Snavely as CEO.
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