Cars are getting smarter, safer and eventually won’t need humans at the helm to navigate busy city streets.
At least that's what these Boston tech startups will tell you.
From ClearMotion’s software-enabled shock absorbers to TrueMotion’s safe driving app, local car tech is rapidly transforming driving into a smoother and more secure experience.
Neurala sees the brain as the perfect model for intelligence, with eyes and ears functioning as ideal models for sensors, so the company mimics this biology in its software, cameras and microphones. Today, Neurala builds the brains for everything from toys to robots to self-driving cars, using AI to serve customers like NASA, the U.S. Air Force, Motorola Solutions and Teal Drones, among others. The startup’s technology allows autonomous machines to function without a human at the helm, so they can see their environment, make decisions and even navigate obstacles.
TrueMotion’s platform marries data with technology, enabling insurance companies to distinguish between safe and risky drivers and reward safe drivers with discounts on their insurance. TrueMotion’s safe driving app (available for Apple and Android smartphones) automatically detects when you’re driving and tells you how you’re doing with a 0 to 100 score. TrueMotion sells this data and its analysis software to some of the country's biggest auto insurers, including Progressive Corp. and two other top-10 insurance companies.
ClearMotion is building an alternative chassis for vehicle makers that replaces traditional physical shock absorbers with digital, software-driven adaptive actuators. The Woburn-based tech company, which raised over $100 million in funding in February 2017, hopes that its non-traditional shock absorbers will eventually make for a much smoother driving experience.
Founded in 2013, nuTonomy is an MIT spin-off that’s tackling one of the most difficult challenges for self-driving cars: urban driving. nuTonomy builds state-of-the-art self-driving cars and autonomous mobile robots, working with major automotive manufacturers and small, disruptive startups to reinvent mobility for the twenty-first century.
JAZE equips drivers with an easy-to-install, custom Bluetooth device that syncs to a mobile app that tells drivers what the check engine light means in their car, approximate costs of repairs and directions to a mechanic in their area. The app will even eventually be able to predict repairs, and if you're ever in an accident, JAZE instantly alerts family, friends and emergency medical services with your GPS location and the time of the accident.
Photos via social media
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