Self-driving factory workers

Clearpath Robotics, based in Ontario, has managed to raise $30 million in a Series B round of venture funding to further develop its range of autonomous vehicles. The OTTO self-driving vehicle is already at work in automotive factories, where the vehicles bring the correct part to personnel at their workstations.

Safety and security are high priorities, utilising LiDAR and other types of sensors to avoid collisions with either people or machinery and other objects that could be highly dangerous in a factory. The company's firewall also extends to their OTTO systems, to ensure that they are well secured and it is also programmed to complete its existing tasks safely and then await new instructions, should the controlling network ever go down.

When compared to other types of autonomous vehicles, the OTTO has a benefit of not being utilised in a "real world scenario". Self-driving cars and their integration into the existing US highways are under intense scrutiny from regulators. The use of Clearpath's self-driving vehicles indoors, in controlled environments, has allowed them to secure large clients already such as John Deere and GE.