A smart report has renew rumor about Apple ’s tiptop - secretive independent railway car unit bang as Project Titan .
Citing three sources familiar with the matter , Reutersreported Wednesday that the fellowship ’s self - driving car unit is exploring choice for a “ revolutionary invention ” in lidar sensor . The ship’s company has spoken with at least four unnamed caller , the news military service account , looking specifically to identify a new generation of sensor that is “ small , cheaper and more easily mass produced . ”
Lidar ( light catching and ranging ) sensors can be used to assist autonomous fomite navigate their surroundings using a kind of 3D mapping system . Aside from explore a blueprint better fit for big - scale production than those presently used on autonomous vehicles , Apple is also reportedly seeking a sensing element with the power to observe objects hundred of metre away .
In addition to meeting with other company in lookup of a groundbreaking lidar sensor , Reuters reported , Apple is developing on its own in - house as well .
The report would come out to indicate that Apple ’s ego - driving car project focusing is n’t solely onsoftware , as was antecedently speculate ( though no one knows for certain , thanks to the tight - lipped nature of both this project as well as Apple development at prominent ) .
According to one source who spoke with Reuters , the caller may be concerned in ascertain the sensors and software program that help govern self - driving vehicles , even if the car itself is n’t manufacture by Apple . Indeed , Apple presently usesLexus SUVsequipped with lidar sensor to test self-governing technology on public road , which it ’s been doingsince 2017 .
For year , rumour have swirled around the company ’s ambitions for ego - push technology . Apple was ab initio thought to bedevelopingits own veritable iCar ( for the record , we do n’t know what it would have been call ) . report in more recent year appeared to indicate that the fellowship had shifted its stress tosoftware , though rumors and speculation still persist that a self - drive car from Apple couldarrive by 2025 .
In 2017 , Apple CEO Tim Cookconfirmedto Bloomberg that the caller was “ focusing on independent systems , ” nickname it “ the mother of all AI projects . ” Back in August , Apple bring in on former Tesla executive Doug Field to help go Project Titan with Bob Mansfield .
Arestructuringthat touch some 200 employees of that squad occurred in January . An Apple spokespersontold CNBCat the prison term that the fellowship “ continue[s ] to consider there is a huge opportunity with autonomous systems , that Apple has unique capabilities to add , and that this is the most challenging simple machine learning project ever . ”
[ Reuters ]
AppleLidarSelf - driving carsTim Cook
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