The following content was part of our original TTTech Newsletter sent in September 2023.
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Imagining an
autonomous future
Humanity is facing a once-in-a-lifetime shift: Since the first industrial revolution, no technological development has had as much disruptive potential as the shift from automation to autonomy.
From autonomous mobility to production and agriculture – no industry will remain untouched. We sat down with TTTech CEO Georg Kopetz and Dirk Linzmeier, CEO of TTTech Auto, for an exclusive cross-industry perspective:
Experts speak of an “autonomy tipping point” when virtually all vehicles will become autonomous. What will this mean for our society, our economy, and our cities?
Georg: I think this will happen gradually rather than abruptly and it will happen according to the respective operational domain. (…) However, for our economy and for businesses, there will be a world (markets, business models) before autonomy and a world after. It will be a transformational shift for societies and economies, like the shift brought about by the combustion engine or even the steam engine in the Industrial Revolution. That’s why it’s so exciting to work in this area because you can be part of a defining period in human history.
Dirk: I see it the same way, one example is the highway pilot in your car. At some point, you’ll be able to enter a highway and take your hands off the wheel and your eyes off the road until you leave the highway. The highway is called the “Operational Design Domain” ODD, and autonomous operation will be possible as long as you’re on the highway. The ODD will gradually increase which means more and more use cases will be covered.
The age of autonomous machines
Today, many machines can already be automated to a large extent. In the future, they will increasingly operate without human intervention. Having reached autonomy, they will learn, adapt, and even evolve in line with their changing environment. Autonomous driving takes the brunt of public attention. However, the automation/autonomy megatrend has far-reaching implications for almost every area in which technology plays a role. Find out how.
On the rise: Delivery drones and air taxis
The UAV market is one of the fastest-growing market segments in the aerospace industry. UAV (uncrewed aerial vehicles) are aircraft that fly without a pilot on board, either remotely controlled or fully autonomously for dedicated purposes and application fields e.g. cargo, monitoring, surveillance, service, or other recreational applications. Companies are looking to bring air taxis to the market until the middle of this decade.
Farmers harness AI and automation to feed a changing world
Agriculture is set to transform dramatically in the coming years, as technologies such as automation, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and edge computing unlock game-changing opportunities for new tools and ways of working in the business of feeding the world. There’s a seismic shift underway in agritech, one that may very well determine the health and stability of the global food chain as it faces unprecedented challenges, including climate change, exploding population growth, and urbanization.
Automating online retail from customer to factory and back
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically accelerated the automation of the retail process. In Switzerland, an experimental facility is investigating a fully automated shopping experience. The products are customizable via an online interface and are made to order in an autonomous production facility, then packaged and shipped on demand. The result is a connected, collaborative, and sustainable business process that benefits everyone involved.
Be part of “The Autonomous”
Join us in Vienna on September 14, 2023 for “The Autonomous” Main Event. Discover the latest autonomous mobility developments, business models, safety challenges and solutions. Move beyond the hype & join us to unlock the potential of AV technology.
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