Joining us on board the good ship SS Tomorrow is Noah Gedrimas from GPR.

Noah Gedrimas, Vice President of Strategy at GPR, discusses developing and adopting autonomous vehicles, focusing on their various applications in industries such as seaports, mining, and agriculture. He highlights the need for a better understanding of how these vehicles operate and the trust that needs to be built in the technology. The conversation also touches on the potential risks and accidents associated with automated cars, emphasizing the need for significant scrutiny and careful consideration.

The automotive industry has seen examples of companies that have capitalized on early investments in automated technologies, such as Google's Waymo project. GPR's research focus is on making autonomous driving cheaper and applicable in more domains, with the goal of broadening operational design domains for business cases.

The challenges of automated driving in edge cases, such as flooded roads, are discussed, along with the future of autonomous vehicles and the reliance on drivers for certain operations. The robotic space is growing rapidly, offering many interesting opportunities, and collaboration is key in this field. Youngsters interested in robotics can participate in projects like SAE mini-baja, which allows them to build and race off-road cars against other universities.

Noah emphasizes the importance of hands-on experience in robotics and engineering, emphasizing the value of building and designing something that works in the real world. He encourages students to get involved in robotics programs like FIRST Robotics and VEX Robotics.

Key Takeaways:

Autonomous vehicles rely on sensors like lidars, cameras, and radars to understand their environment

• Autonomous technology is applied in various industries, including mining, logistics, and long-haul trucking.

• Autonomous driving involves three main stages: sensing, planning, and acting.

• The goal is to simplify the operation of autonomous vehicles and make it safer.

• Concerns about the public's fear of autonomous vehicles and the limitations of their applications need to be addressed.

• Companies that develop a product first often make more money than fast followers.

• Examples of successful companies in the blue ocean development space include Waymo, Google's self-driving car project, and GPR.

• Ground-penetrating radar is used to detect the car's position on an HD map.

• Autonomous technology is being applied in various industries beyond automobiles, including ports, mining, and farming.

• Automation is being explored in harsh or rural regions, particularly in Australia.

• The future of automated vehicles may involve advanced ADAS features.

• AI can excel at complex calculations and problem-solving, but simple tasks can be challenging for robots.

• The robotic space is a rapidly growing field that requires collaboration, hands-on experience, and industry sponsors and competitions.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

02:09 Transitioning to Robotics

04:18 Sense: Understanding the Environment

06:59 Applications of Autonomous Technology

09:31 Readiness to Take Control

11:50 Introduction to GPR and its Impact on Autonomous Driving

13:59 Importance of Broadening Operational Design Domains

16:06 Automation in Agriculture

21:21 The Wozniak Coffee Test

23:12 Exploring the Differences in Human and AI Capabilities

23:18 The Growing Robotic Space

24:11 The Importance of Collaboration in Robotics

24:46 Getting Involved in Robotics Projects

25:24 Designing for a Competitive Environment

25:24 Hands-on Experience in Robotics

26:19 Building and Designing for the Real World

26:53 Opportunities with Industry Sponsors and Competitions

27:06 Getting Involved in Robotics Programs