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Seattle's Overland AI opens Bay Area outpost, flipping the regional tech talent script

Silicon Valley companies have spent decades coming to Seattle for engineering talent. Now Seattle-based Overland AI is returning the favor. The autonomous ground vehicle maker announced Wednesday that it’s opening an office in Burlingame, Calif., to tap into what it calls a world-leading AI and robotics talent pool in the Bay Area. Located on the San Francisco Peninsula, the new facility will serve as a hub for software engineering and robot operations. The space includes a dedicated command center where operators can remotely task and control Overland’s autonomous ground vehicles across the globe. The startup touted the location for its proximity to top universities and transit options and said it plans to double its Bay Area headcount over the next six months as it expands development of its off-road navigation software. “Establishing a physical presence in the Bay gives us direct access to the deepest pool of AI talent in the world,” Jon Fink, CTO at Overland AI, said in a statement. The move flips the long-standing dynamic between Silicon Valley and the Pacific Northwest. For years, Bay Area tech giants like Google, Meta, and Apple have built engineering outposts across Seattle to tap into the region’s cloud computing and systems talent. Just look at GeekWire’s list of such engineering centers. But as autonomy and robotics race forward, Overland AI is reversing the talent migration, establishing its own Northern California beachhead to recruit engineers right in Silicon Valley’s backyard. Founded in 2022 as a spinout from the University of Washington, Overland AI builds software and hardware for uncrewed military land vehicles designed to navigate complex, off-road terrain without GPS. The startup has raised over $140 million in venture funding, including a $100 million Series A led by 8VC in February. It recently secured a $19.7 million U.S. Marine Corps contract

<b>Automated</b> parking garage hopes to park first <b>car</b> in downtown Raleigh by New Year's Eve

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Earlier this week, we told you about the new “City Gateway” development coming to downtown Raleigh. It’ll have a hotel, housing, retail, and a parking garage. However, that garage won’t be like any other in North Carolina. Many people take an elevator every day and soon, your car could too. A new automated parking garage is coming to downtown Raleigh. You can order your car on any IOS or Android phone and it can park 98% of all passenger vehicles sold in the US. “It will take it down, put it on to a shuttle, run it back through the building,” Dasher Lawless AUTOParkit President and CEO Christopher Alan said. According to AUTOParkit’s parent company Dasher Lawless, the garage will have multiple “load bays” where you can get your vehicle. “When you want it back, you touch your iPhone and the car comes back to you in approximately 180 seconds,” Alan said. If a customer doesn’t grab their vehicle within three minutes, it’s reparked. “Our goal is to park our first car by Dec. 31,” Alan said. The automated parking garage will be a part of the City Gateway development, which will also include housing, a hotel, and retail. While the ‘AUTOParkit’ garage will be completed first, it’s not the first of its kind. Alan told CBS 17 Investigates their first garage was built in 2010. “It was the prototype, the pilot project for automated parking for the city of Los Angeles,” he said. “We helped write codes for the city of L.A. that got adopted across the United States for the most part.” Now, there are more than two-dozen across the country, with the nearest one in Detroit. Alan told CBS 17 the garage will use less concrete than a typical garage and instead use

Uber's AV Ambitions in London Receive a Boost: Here's How

Uber's AV Ambitions in London Receive a Boost: Here's How Uber Technologies UBER and Wayve have moved closer to introducing autonomous rides in London after Transport for London (TfL) awarded Private Hire Vehicle licenses to several of Wayve’s self-driving, all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles. Equipped with the Wayve AI Driver as well as surrounding cameras and radar, the vehicles underwent inspections to verify compliance with TfL’s safety and policy requirements. The approvals satisfy the vehicle component of the “triple-lock” requirement for Private Hire journeys, under which the operator, driver and vehicle must be licensed by the same authority. The rides will operate in accordance with the U.K. Government’s AV Trialing Code of Practice and Uber’s TfL Private Hire Operator license. Although Wayve’s technology will handle the driving, a trained, TfL-licensed private hire driver will remain onboard to supervise each journey, provide assistance and assume control when necessary. Interest among London residents has been significant, with more than 100,000 people joining Uber’s Interest List over the past eight weeks for an opportunity to be matched with a Wayve autonomous ride when the service launches. Later this summer, selected participants will be offered rides and asked to provide feedback, helping the companies refine the experience ahead of a broader public rollout. Wayve views the license as an important step toward allowing Londoners to experience autonomous driving while supporting the longer-term potential for safer, cleaner and quieter streets. Uber similarly considers the approval a key milestone in introducing autonomous rides in the capital, with the strong response to its Interest List demonstrating considerable public interest in Wayve’s U.K.-developed technology. Wayve’s AI-first AV2.0 system differs from conventional autonomous-driving technologies that depend on high-definition maps, predefined rules or tightly geofenced operating areas. The AI Driver instead learns from experience, allowing it to adjust to different

<b>Automated</b> parking garage hopes to park first <b>car</b> in downtown Raleigh by New Year's Eve

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Earlier this week, we told you about the new “City Gateway” development coming to downtown Raleigh. It’ll have a hotel, housing, retail, and a parking garage. However, that garage won’t be like any other in North Carolina. Many people take an elevator every day and soon, your car could too. A new automated parking garage is coming to downtown Raleigh. You can order your car on any IOS or Android phone and it can park 98% of all passenger vehicles sold in the US. “It will take it down, put it on to a shuttle, run it back through the building,” Dasher Lawless AUTOParkit President and CEO Christopher Alan said. According to AUTOParkit’s parent company Dasher Lawless, the garage will have multiple “load bays” where you can get your vehicle. “When you want it back, you touch your iPhone and the car comes back to you in approximately 180 seconds,” Alan said. If a customer doesn’t grab their vehicle within three minutes, it’s reparked. “Our goal is to park our first car by Dec. 31,” Alan said. The automated parking garage will be a part of the City Gateway development, which will also include housing, a hotel, and retail. While the ‘AUTOParkit’ garage will be completed first, it’s not the first of its kind. Alan told CBS 17 Investigates their first garage was built in 2010. “It was the prototype, the pilot project for automated parking for the city of Los Angeles,” he said. “We helped write codes for the city of L.A. that got adopted across the United States for the most part.” Now, there are more than two-dozen across the country, with the nearest one in Detroit. Alan told CBS 17 the garage will use less concrete than a typical garage and instead use

India's Yulu raises $93M as quick-commerce boom fuels e-bike demand | TechCrunch

As India’s quick-commerce platforms race to deliver everything from groceries to smartphones in minutes, electric mobility startup Yulu has seized the boom, raising $93 million in fresh funding. The Bengaluru‑based startup offers electric two‑wheelers on weekly subscription plans, so delivery drivers can jump straight into the gig economy without buying their own vehicles. With around 50,000 vehicles in its fleet, Yulu reports that it logs about 1.6 million zero‑emission miles each week and powers more than 750,000 deliveries a day. The new funding will let Yulu grow that fleet to 200,000 bikes over the next two years and launch faster electric two-wheelers aimed at new logistics use cases. The Series C round comprised $63 million in equity led by GEF Capital Partners and $30 million in debt financing. About $5.5 million of the equity component was used to buy shares from seed investors whose funds were nearing the end of their investment life, co-founder and CEO Amit Gupta said in an interview. The deal valued Yulu at about $170 million post-money, people familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. Gupta declined to comment when asked about the valuation and did not dispute the figure. Existing investors Bajaj Auto and Magna International did not participate in the round after waiving their pre-emptive rights, allowing GEF to acquire its target ownership stake, Gupta said. He added that the startup expects this to be its final equity fundraising before an eventual public listing, with future fleet expansion financed primarily through debt and lease financing. The business moves toward becoming profitable before interest and taxes next year, after achieving positive EBITDA last financial year, Gupta told TechCrunch. The startup also grew its revenue seven-fold between fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2026, he said, without sharing specifics. The COVID shift Founded as a bike-sharing startup for urban

Imagry, UNVI launch HD-mapless <b>autonomous</b> bus in Germany | <b>Automotive</b> World

Imagry and Spanish bus manufacturer Unvi have integrated Imagry’s HD-mapless autonomous driving software into a Unvi-made battery-electric bus, with the first vehicle already en-route to a deployment site in Germany ahead of a planned Q3 launch. Israeli firm Ubsi is handling procurement, homologation and fleet operations as the integration partner between the two companies. The vehicle in question is a 10.3-metre, M3-category e-bus, pre-certified for European Whole Vehicle Type Approval under the bloc’s GSR2 safety regulation. Imagry and UNVI say the software integration itself took just shy of three months, which is well below typical industry timelines. Neither company has disclosed the bus’s battery specifications or range, nor have they detailed the exact German deployment location. It is also unknown whether the HD-mapless service will operate fully autonomous from launch or initially run with a safety driver present. With that said, previous autonomous bus launches—even those with more established technologies than Imagry’s—usually begin with a safety driver present, if for no reason other than reassuring riders. It is certainly noteworthy that the service will go live without HD mapping, because conventional engineering wisdom actually favours the opposite approach for this kind of vehicle. Fixed bus routes are predictable and repeated, and that is precisely what HD maps exploit best: centimetre-level curb geometry that enables docking precision for wheelchair ramps, a pre-built world model that frees onboard compute for tracking pedestrians and traffic instead, and a stored spatial reference that keeps working even when heavy rain or snow obscures lane markings from cameras. Because transit authorities only need to survey a fixed set of routes rather than an entire city, HD mapping is also comparatively cheap to maintain in this specific use case. Imagry’s mapless approach inverts that logic on several practical grounds that matter specifically to transit operators. Skipping the

Videos show Tesla and Waymo ramping up new <b>vehicles</b> for their robotaxi fleets

The hustle never stops for Tesla and Waymo. As both companies race to roll out new vehicles for their respective robotaxi services, a bystander caught a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes scaling operations of Tesla and Waymo. David Moss, a Tesla fan who recently pivoted to content creation focused on autonomous vehicles, posted two videos on X — one of Waymo's Ojai fleet in Arizona and another of Tesla's Cybercab fleet in Dallas — both taken during his ongoing nationwide scavenger hunt for robotaxi operations. In Mesa, Arizona, Moss was scoping out Waymo's manufacturing and integration facility, where it retrofits the Jaguar I-PACE SUV and the Ojai with its proprietary sensors and driverless software. The Ojai is Waymo's latest and most spacious robotaxi platform. The vehicle's base comes from Zeekr, a Chinese EV company. Moss said he counted at least 500 retrofitted Ojais within his line of sight and that there were likely more when he visited the campus on August 6. That would be at least five times the about 100 Ojai robotaxis that Waymo initially launched in May. On the other side of the Waymo facility, Moss told Business Insider that there were more Ojais that weren't retrofitted with sensors. "It was the most impressive display of autonomous vehicles I've seen for sure to date," he said. A Waymo spokesperson declined to comment. On August 9, Moss went to Dallas, where he documented a large lot near Dallas Love Field Airport storing more than 100 Tesla Cybercabs at the time of his visit. The Cybercab is Tesla's two-door, purpose-built robotaxi that is intended to have no steering wheel or pedals. Moss said the Cybercabs he spotted had steering wheels, which could indicate that the vehicles are part of Tesla's validation and mapping fleet rather than a production fleet that's

Motion That Starts at the Wheels: The Future of the Automobile Transformed by InWheel Motors

Cars have been constantly evolving. With the advent of the engine, horse-drawn carriages were replaced by automobiles, and electrification technology is now replacing internal combustion engines with electric motors. Recently, autonomous driving and Software-Defined Vehicles (SDV) have been driving further changes. However, even amid these innovations, one thing remains unchanged: the way a car moves. We often discuss a car’s performance in terms of engine or motor output. But what actually propels a car is the system that transmits energy to the wheels. No matter how much power is generated, if it cannot be transmitted efficiently, the desired movement cannot be achieved. This is why, throughout the automotive industry’s more than 100-year history, transmission technology has been just as important as power generation technology. So where does a car’s power originate? And will cars continue to move the same way in the future? The in-wheel motor currently under development by Hyundai Mobis stems from these very questions. As the name suggests, this technology involves mounting the motor directly inside the wheel; at first glance, it might seem as though only the motor’s location has changed. However, the in-wheel motor is regarded not merely as a simple relocation of a component, but as a technology that transforms vehicle structure, control systems, and—ultimately—the very possibilities of future mobility. Although development is still underway to verify reliability and ensure market viability prior to mass production, it is gaining attention as a core technology for future mobility, with its applicability being validated across various sectors ranging from passenger cars to PBVs and multipurpose autonomous vehicles. Most cars share a similar structure. In internal combustion engine vehicles, the engine is located at the front or rear of the vehicle, and the power generated there is transmitted to the wheels via the transmission, drive shaft, and

Hong Kong issues pilot license for <b>autonomous vehicle</b> trial for inter-station passenger connection

Hong Kong issues pilot license for autonomous vehicle trial for inter-station passenger connection HONG KONG -- The Transport Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government announced on Tuesday that it has issued a pilot license for an autonomous vehicle trial connecting Hong Kong West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) and Kowloon Station of the Airport Express. The trial will involve four private cars operating in autonomous mode, each monitored by an on-board backup operator to take over control when necessary. A spokesperson for the Transport Department said that the HKSAR government has been actively supporting autonomous vehicle development through policy, regulation, and funding. This project aims to demonstrate the safety, stability and operational feasibility of autonomous vehicle technology in complex traffic conditions. Once the autonomous vehicles commence regular operation, a seamless autonomous link will be formed to enhance the travel experience and attract more travelers to use the XRL and the Hong Kong International Airport, the spokesperson added.

Zoox begins charging passengers for driverless robotaxi rides on Las Vegas Strip

‘Why are we being replaced with a robot?’ Las Vegas taxi driver says earnings cut in half by driverless rides As commercial driverless service starts on the Strip; one taxi driver says his earnings have dropped by half LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Zoox has begun charging passengers for rides in its driverless vehicles on the Las Vegas Strip, with permission from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The company has operated under interim authority from the Nevada Transportation Authority since May 2025, offering free rides. With federal approval now in place, Zoox says it is launching commercial service in Las Vegas and aims to price rides competitively with ride-hail services at a “comfort” level. Some rides may include location-based fees at destinations such as the airport, the Sphere and T-Mobile Arena. Zoox says it offers premier pickup and drop-off locations at those sites. MORE ON FOX5: Zoox issues software recall after robotaxi drives through heavy smoke in Las Vegas Driver says earnings cut in half Taxi and rideshare driver Sonny Goodman said he is already feeling the impact of driverless competition. He said on an average night he is now making about half of what he earned a few years ago and is working to transition to a more stable commercial truck driving job. “I’m considering going because now from us making, you know, $400 or $500 a day, now we’re, you know, you might be looking to make $200,” Goodman said. “The working men and women, you know, make the city so — why are we being replaced with a robot?” Goodman said. Goodman said he has noticed Zoox vehicles appearing at major resorts along the Strip, including changes to taxi pickup arrangements at one of the largest properties. “For a few weeks they made the taxis to pick

Tesla Cybercab Wins Endorsement From Florida Governor Desantis

Tesla Cybercab Wins Endorsement From Florida Governor Desantis — ‘Clearly These Things Could Be Very Beneficial’ - The Governor was touring the SunTrax testing facility in Auburndale. - The Cybercab is Tesla’s purpose-built robotaxi — a two-seat electric vehicle designed from the ground up for unsupervised autonomy. - Tesla has described the early ramp for Cybercab as a slow “S-curve” expected to accelerate later this year, with a long-term target of up to 2 million units annually. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis offered a clear endorsement of Tesla’s Cybercab while touring the SunTrax testing facility in Auburndale, highlighting the vehicle’s potential as autonomous technology advances in the state. DeSantis Praises Design Speaking at the high-speed test track, DeSantis pointed to a gold Cybercab on display and described the Tesla design in straightforward terms. “Cybercab comes out of Tesla. You go in there and you just sit. You have a screen. There’s no steering wheel, no pedals. Clearly these things could be very beneficial,” he said, as shown in the footage by Florida's Voice. “We took a ride on a robotaxi on the Suntrax course and it successfully navigated all hazards — a kid running into the street, a crash with police stopping traffic, a Model S cutting us off, etc. Impressive!,” DeSantis also said in a post on X. Safety Takes Center Stage The governor stressed that safety remains the top priority before any wider rollout. “You don’t want to be in an autonomous vehicle and it drives you into a ditch. That would not be good,” DeSantis added. He called SunTrax “the only high-speed autonomous vehicle test track in the United States,” adding that it can simulate interstate speeds, rain, crowded urban settings, pedestrian crossings, hills and other real-world conditions. Companies including Tesla, Waymo and Beep are actively testing there,

Florida will be actively testing 'flying <b>cars</b>' by the end of the year, DeSantis says

Florida will be actively testing 'flying cars' by the end of the year, DeSantis says By Meleah Lyden August 11, 2026 at 1:42 PM EDT The Advanced Air Mobility technology has the potential to be used as air taxis, cargo delivery, medical transportation and emergency response. After decades of viewing flying cars as a figment in movies like "Back to the Future," Gov. Ron DeSantis said the reality of it might not be too far out. This is because SunTrax AirGround in Polk County will be actively testing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) by the end of the year, DeSantis announced Monday at the Auburndale facility. "I can't promise we will ever be able to take you to the future or to the past, but I think we're going to be able to get you up in the air at some point in the not too distant future," DeSantis said, referring to a scene in the sci-fi classic starring Michael J. Fox. The testing will be throughout the Central Florida aerospace region. SunTrax is located along the I-4 corridor and is 775 acres. The facility was initially built to test connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) technologies. But last year, the governor announced the Florida Department of Transportation was building two vertiports there, which is like a heliport. According to a release, SunTrax is home to the country's first dedicated Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Aerial Test Track. This allows companies a "controlled environment" to test technology under real-world conditions. DeSantis explained how runways are not needed for these to take flight. Instead, the eVTOLs will lift straight up from a vertiport and go. https://x.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/2086865865195352484 How will this affect Florida? One of the goals of the Advanced Air Mobility technology is to relieve road congestion. "I think the one place

Governor DeSantis highlights test facility for 'flying cars' and <b>autonomous vehicles</b>

Governor DeSantis highlights test facility for ‘flying cars’ and autonomous vehicles Press release from the Office of Governor Ron DeSantis AUBURNDALE, Fla.— Yesterday, Governor Ron DeSantis highlighted SunTrax, Florida’s premier, nation-leading facility for research and development of emerging transportation technologies and innovations. Located along the Interstate 4 (I-4) corridor in Polk County, the 775-acre SunTrax campus, which was initially built to test connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) technologies, has now expanded to also include air technology. This new expansion was purpose-built to help with the safe and innovative development of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) technology, or “flying cars.” AAM will offer a brand-new transportation option to Florida’s communities that will relieve congestion and restore regional air services in the state. With this resource, Florida expects to host a series of AAM test flights by the end of the year. “Great to be at the SunTrax Testing Grounds in Auburndale today to highlight Florida’s leadership in the future of transportation,” said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. “By the end of this year, Florida will be actively testing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, while SunTrax Air Ground is actively testing and supporting the deployment of autonomous and connected vehicles. I was also proud to announce that FDOT is partnering with Embry-Riddle and Polk State to help Florida students prepare for exciting career opportunities in the next generation of transportation. Florida has the innovation-friendly policies, the universities and research institutions, the infrastructure and forthcoming infrastructure investments, and the talent needed to become the premier location for emerging transportation technology.” “SunTrax and Florida’s strategic plan to take highways to the sky are prime examples of why Florida remains a global leader in transportation,” said Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared W. Perdue, P.E. “As our state continues to grow and transportation needs increase,

HII/MetalCraft Marine <b>Autonomous</b> ROMULUS USV with HII Autonomy Successfully Passed ...

August 11, 2026 HII/MetalCraft Marine Autonomous ROMULUS USV with HII Autonomy Successfully Passed a Critical DoW Test MCLEAN, Va., August 11, 2026 – HII (NYSE: HII) announced that the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has officially recognized the successful completion of the company’s Production-Ready, Inexpensive, Maritime Expeditionary (PRIME) prototype project, featuring the Watcher small Unmanned Surface Vessel (sUSV), which is based on HII’s ROMULUS-25 Unmanned Surface Vessel and powered by HII’s Odyssey Autonomous Control System (ACS). The DIU recognition follows HII’s delivery and successful sea testing of two autonomous Watcher ROMULUS-25 vessels in December 2025 under a DIU contract to develop smaller-form-factor autonomous surface vessels for the U.S. Marine Corps. Developed in partnership with MetalCraft Marine, the Watcher sUSV successfully met the program’s technical objectives and is now positioned for a potential transition to production. HII’s Odyssey ACS modular open systems architecture (MOSA) enables intelligent navigation, mission planning, collaborative behaviors, and multi-domain autonomous operations while allowing operators to rapidly integrate autonomy across multiple vehicle types and increasingly complex missions in contested environments. Its service-based design enables seamless integration with other mission-enabling technologies, enhancing mission effectiveness through AI-enabled contact recognition, identification, and edge-based decision-making. In a memorandum to HII, DIU stated: "The HII Watcher sUSV has successfully demonstrated its appropriateness to address the Department of the Navy’s operational need for sUSV interceptors, capable of autonomously transiting hundreds of miles through contested waterspace, loitering in an assigned operating area while monitoring for maritime surface threats, and then sprinting to interdict a noncooperative, maneuvering vessel." The memorandum further concluded that HII achieved the prototype’s key technical goals and success metrics, supporting a potential transition to production under Other Transaction Authority (OTA) prototype agreements. "This milestone is another example of HII’s strategy to rapidly transition innovative technologies from concept to operational capability," said Duane

Tesla faces uphill battle for FSD entry as China rewrites <b>self-driving car</b> rules: analysts

Tesla faces uphill battle for FSD entry as China rewrites self-driving car rules: analysts Data regulation is a key issue facing the US electric vehicle giant in China, according to experts The likelihood that US electric vehicle (EV) giant Tesla will obtain Beijing’s approval for higher-level autonomous driving remains a distant prospect, according to analysts. Though Tesla recently hired people to test its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system in China, many obstacles remained, with data regulation a core issue, they said. Earlier this month, China outlined its first mandatory standards for autonomous driving systems, setting requirements for vehicles that feature level 3 (L3) and level 4 (L4) self-driving functions. The standards, set to come into effect on July 1, 2027, would hold carmakers accountable for accidents that happen when the system is active and require systems to leave at least 10 seconds for the drivers to take control of a car before a potential accident, which was stricter than the global standards set by the United Nations in June, according to China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. “The foundation [of the approval] would be the regulations over data,” said Xing Lei, an independent analyst and founder of automotive platform AutoXing. L3 capability refers to “hands-off” driving in a conditionally automated vehicle, while L4 is defined as technology where drivers can be “minds-off”, according to a set of standards published by SAE International.

Zoox CEO says <b>autonomous vehicles</b> need regulation after robotaxi drove into Las Vegas fire scene

Zoox CEO says autonomous vehicles need regulation after robotaxi drove into Las Vegas fire scene Amazon's driverless car subsidiary began charging Las Vegas customers for rides on Monday after three years of free drives Zoox CEO Aicha Evans agreed that autonomous vehicles should be regulated as the Amazon subsidiary’s fleet of autonomous vehicles launched its first paid service in the United States in Las Vegas Monday. In June, one of Zoox's robotaxis drove into heavy smoke at an active emergency scene in Las Vegas. Zoox issued a software recall following the incident and has since updated the technology to better detect and respond to fire and smoke. Evans told FOX Business host Liz Claman the company believes in transparency and taking responsibility. "These are rare edge cases," Evans told "The Claman Countdown" on Monday. "We learn and we continue to improve our processes along the way to make them better and better." THIEF USES WAYMO AS A GETAWAY CAR "Sometimes it's software, sometimes it is firmware, sometimes it is just using simulation," she added. "We throw the best at it, we root cause, we learn, we improve and we deploy." Evans’ remarks come as federal officials press autonomous vehicle (AV) developers to improve interactions with first responders and emergency personnel, warning that failures to do so could pose a serious risk to public safety. "To state it bluntly: an AV that cannot safely interact with first responders is a danger to the general public," National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator Jonathan Morrison wrote in July. Evans, who thanked Morrison for his partnership in advancing American innovation, said she believes autonomous vehicle regulation is necessary. 100 KODIAK DRIVERLESS TRUCKS ARE HEADED FOR PUBLIC ROADS "I want to unequivocally say we agree with the administrator and the administration and the regulatory

Florida researchers expect to take a flight fit for the future with eVTOL technology

Florida researchers expect to take a flight fit for the future with eVTOL technology Florida researchers at SunTrax are making new strides in eVTOL technology as they strive for a new milestone this year TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Central Florida researchers are thinking on ways to improve a new kind of aircraft that Governor Ron DeSantis described as a scene out of “Back to the Future ” or “The Jetsons.” Monday afternoon, DeSantis revealed that the SunTrax research team in Polk County is working on developing electric vertical aircraft takeoff and landing aircrafts (eVTOL) These are aircraft that don’t require a runway to takeoff. SunTrax is the first Advanced Air Mobility Aerial Test Track in the country, officials said Monday. They will also work on the first high seed autonomous vehicle test track. According to the governor, Central Florida will be the primary aerospace region in the state to test this technology by the end of the year. Governor DeSantis said that this research will bring forth technological advancements only dreamed of in movies before this point. “We are turning this somewhat dream into a reality. I can’t promise we’ll ever be able to take you to the future, to the past, but I think we’re going to be able to get you up in the air at some point in the not too distant future,” he said. The state plans for the eVTOL to be available for rideshare eventually, as well as for cargo and medical transportations. Florida is among several other states selected by the FAA to test eVTOL aircrafts. Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.

Solectrix brings SXIVE imaging to rFpro camera simulation

Solectrix’s SXIVE image-processing technology has been integrated into rFpro’s AV elevate platform, enabling virtual camera pipeline development for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and automated driving (AD). Engineers can now design, model and tune camera pipelines before hardware exists, helping Tier 1 suppliers meet OEM demand for digital twins. The integration supports tuning of image signal processing (ISP) and camera parameters against edge cases, training perception models with synthetic data, and testing vision pipelines under varied conditions. Engineers can tune steps such as debayering, colour correction, tone mapping and denoising in simulation. In a statement, Dr Roman Tzschoppe, R&D manager at Solectrix, said: ‘Our collaboration with rFpro enables engineers to run hundreds of thousands of test scenarios and generate highly specific training data for perception models.’ He added this would not be feasible using hardware alone. Matt Daley, technical director at rFpro, said camera-based perception is central to ADAS and autonomous vehicle performance, making ISP tuning a key competitive differentiator. He added the simulation offers a faster, safer way to tune systems than public-road testing. The technology also applies to camera-based human-vision systems, such as digital mirrors and surround-view systems in cars, buses and trucks, where low sun and bright headlights create tuning challenges. Solectrix said engineers can swap sensors in real time. Source: Solectrix

Florida officials highlight <b>autonomous vehicle</b>, air mobility testing at SunTrax

Updated: 21 hours ago Months after a $545,000 cyberscam targeted the town of Surfside Beach, town leaders are detailing the strict new protocols now in place to ensure a similar incident never happens again. Updated: 8 hours ago On a day with record-setting heat, a mountain biker suffered a mechanical failure on the Palisade Plunge Trail, which claimed the life of a Colorado Springs cyclist four years earlier. Updated: 44 minutes ago |The UFC has unveiled a revamped version of its Apex facility, now rebranded as the Meta Apex, featuring a larger event floor, increased seating capacity and plans for future campus expansion. Updated: 48 minutes ago |Several Las Vegas high schools added crossing guards to their campuses Monday as part of an expanded city program aimed at improving student pedestrian safety. Updated: 1 hour ago |Flock LPRs capture vehicle details that go into a searchable database and provide real-time alerts so law enforcement can track suspects. Updated: 1 hour ago |Pete Van Winkle and Tracy Hampton, convicted murderers currently on death row, are now accused of killing fellow death row inmate Kenneth Thompson.