MIT grads are fueling the self-driving car movement
Last week, a pair of software firms started by Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduates was acquired by two major auto manufacturers making an effort to develop self-driving cars.
Toyota announced last Wednesday that the 16-member software engineering team from Jaybridge Robotics would be joining the Toyota Research Institute. Jaybridge Robotics has focused on the development of autonomous vehicles since it was founded in 2008. It was started by 2002 MIT graduate Jeremy Brown, who is now CEO of Jaybridge.
In a statement, Toyota Research Institute CEO Gill Pratt said the Jaybridge team will “bridge the gap between research and product development.’’
“The 16-member Jaybridge team brings decades of experience developing, testing, and supporting autonomous vehicle products which perfectly complements the world-class research team at TRI,’’ said Pratt in a statement.
Meanwhile, General Motors announced it was acquiring Cruise Automation, Inc., a company that specializes in automated driving systems.
The company was founded by Kyle Vogt, a 2008 MIT graduate with a background in robotics.
“GM’s commitment to autonomous vehicles is inspiring, deliberate, and completely in line with our vision to make transportation safer and more accessible,’’ said Vogt in a statement.
“We are excited to be partnering with GM and believe this is a ground-breaking and necessary step toward rapidly commercializing autonomous vehicle technology,’’ he continued.
GM has ramped up its research into self-driving vehicle technology. Earlier this year, the automaker entered into a $500 million partnership with ridesharing service Lyft. Under the agreement, the two companies will collaborate on a fleet of on-demand self-driving vehicles.
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