Business & Economy

Toyota buys US startup for next-gen driverless navigation system

Tokyo, July 15 (EFE).- Toyota Motor announced Thursday that it acquired America-based Carmera that provides the next-gen navigation system for driverless vehicles.

The Japanese carmaker acquired the artificial intelligence and maps firm through the newly created subsidiary Woven Planet dedicated to automated mobility.

The purchase for an undisclosed sum is the second major acquisition of the Toyota subsidiary in the United States this year.

It follows the acquisition of ride-hailing service Lyft’s self-driving technology unit.

The carmaker said the Carmera team would report to the Automated Mapping Platform of Woven Alpha after the deal.

“The AMP is a connected crowdsourced software platform that supports the creation, development and distribution of high definition maps ? a key enabler for smart and safe automated mobility,” Toyota said in a statement.

The statement noted that the Toyota subsidiary planned to transform into a globally comprehensive road and lane network HD map platform for high-precision localization support to automated vehicles.

“The acquisition of Carmera will accelerate AMP’s shift from the R&D stage to the next phase of commercialization by bolstering the platform’s engineering team with top experts in the development of HD maps.”

The carmaker said Carmera could “successfully update HD maps from crowdsourced, camera-based inputs – a significantly cheaper and faster approach than traditional methods.” EFE

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