The future of driving is bright. While we’re not all sitting in self-driving cars yet, the following four local companies are working on technologies to bring about the next generation of smarter, better vehicles.
Agero + Swoop aims to transform roadside assistance by integrating cutting-edge technologies like machine learning and automation that can deliver help to drivers more quickly and effectively. Their comprehensive roadside assistance suite includes accident and dispatch management, connected vehicle services, tow management software, and a variety of other products designed to help make roads safer.
WiTricity wants to make charging your electric vehicle easier than refueling. By using patented magnetic resonance technology, they create solutions that transfer wireless power at a distance, so electric vehicle owners don’t have to worry about wires anymore. The technology could help accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, and eventually lead to a future where vehicles can park and charge wirelessly and autonomously.
MIT spin-off Optimus Ride is making self-driving car technologies for the future. With backgrounds ranging from robotics to urban planning, the Optimus team was approved in the summer of 2017 to begin testing its autonomous vehicles on Massachusetts roads. Optimus Ride secured $18 million in funding in November 2017 to grow its vehicle fleet and expand its team. Total funding for the company is over $23 million. According to the company, its hardware and software can be integrated into any vehicle type.
Woburn-based ClearMotion is building an alternative chassis for vehicle makers that replaces traditional physical shock absorbers with digital, software-driven adaptive actuators. The company, which has raised over $168 million in funding to date, says that its non-traditional shock absorbers will eventually make for a much smoother driving experience across any type of terrain.
