Latest news with #Motional
Boston Globe
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- Boston Globe
Hey, Waymo, have you tried the Fresh Pond rotary yet?
'Can I do the Dunks drive-thru in these? If so I'm sold,' a Reddit user named oots_oots asked. 'Boston traffic is proof self-driving cars are a pie in the sky dream,' user Boring_Pace5158 wrote. 'Jesus Christ himself cannot program a car to handle Boston traffic.' Advertisement Waymo, which offers limited ride hailing service in San Francisco and a few other cities, has yet to announce plans for Boston. The company did not respond to a Globe query this week. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Previously, Waymo said the trials here would include 'manual driving through the densest and most complex parts of each city, including downtown areas and freeways.' It could be a long wait before any self-driving ride service reaches our shores due to the unusual aspects of local roads, according to Ben Bauchwitz, a scientist at military AI software firm Charles River Analytics. At the area's many rotaries, for example, a driverless vehicle that strictly followed traffic rules for entering the rotary might wait far longer than human drivers. 'If you literally just yielded there until there was a gap, you might be sitting at the roundabout for two hours,' said Bauchwitz, who studies the self-driving care industry. 'Just go out to Fresh Pond and drive around there, and you'll see what I mean.' Advertisement Snowbanks can also be a problem because they can cause reflections and confuse car sensors, Bauchwitz said, as some Boston area The local startup scene has also confronted challenges developing successful self-driving vehicles. Perceptive Automata, trying to develop software to help autonomous cars understand human drivers better, closed in 2022 Lately, there's been some better news, however. In April, Cambridge-based ISEE struck a deal to Last month, Motional, In testing in Las Vegas and Pittsburgh, Motional's self-driving Hyundai Ioniq 5 cars have Advertisement Motional declined to comment on Tuesday, but said last month that it is on track to start offering a driverless ride hailing service next year. And this week, IndiGO chief executive Will Graylin declined to say how much he paid for Clevon, which was testing autonomous and remotely driven robots for delivering small items. 'We are looking for Clevon to help indiGO EVs,' Graylin said , allowing the company to offer vehicles driven either autonomously or by a remote operator. Clevon's technology doesn't include sensors to analyze roads conditions and potential obstacles, so IndiGO will have to obtain that technology elsewhere, Graylin said. For people who want rides around town, Waymo, Motional, or others could start offering a driverless service in Boston sooner or later, Charles River Analytics's Bauchwitz said. Waymo could eventually collect enough data for its cars to to accurately navigate the streets, he said, but dealing with other drivers remains tricky. 'You don't want a situation where the cars are becoming a nuisance,' Bauchwitz said, 'because they are too passive and getting taken advantage of by the other drivers around them.' Aaron Pressman can be reached at
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Motional names president and CEO
This story was originally published on Automotive Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Automotive Dive newsletter. Laura Major was appointed president and CEO of Motional, the autonomous technology joint venture of Hyundai Motor Group and automotive supplier Aptiv, the company announced on June 12. Major, who has been the company's chief technology officer since its launch in August 2020, will lead the firm as it works with Hyundai and Aptiv to launch its driverless commercial ride-hailing service in 2026. She has served as interim CEO since September. As Motional's CTO, Major led its engineering team in developing and creating its machine learning-driven software stack. Motional is equipping Hyundai Ioniq 5 EVs with its technology and testing the vehicles in various driving conditions in Pittsburgh and Las Vegas, per its website. 'Leveraging our deep expertise in building fully driverless systems and our agility in realizing the latest AI breakthroughs, we are strongly positioned to unlock a future where safe autonomous vehicles are a practical part of daily life,' Major said in the announcement. Major has worked in the autonomous and AI fields since 2005, including time with Draper Laboratory and Aria Insights, according to her LinkedIn profile. She also co-authored the book What to Expect When You're Expecting Robots: The Future of Human-Robot Collaboration. Recommended Reading NHTSA revises exemption process for vehicles without driver controls
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Hyundai's Motional names AI veteran Laura Major as CEO amid major US expansion drive
Hyundai Motor Group announced the official appointment of robotics and artificial intelligence expert Laura Major as President and CEO of Motional, its autonomous driving joint venture based in the United States. Major, who had been serving as interim CEO since September 2024, was unanimously confirmed by Motional's board, the South Korean automotive giant said Friday, reports IANS. The leadership update comes amid a sweeping investment push by Hyundai Motor Group in the US economy. The company recently pledged $21 billion in US investments through 2028, including $8.6 billion for the automotive sector and $6.3 billion in future technologies such as AI and energy, as part of a broader effort to localise manufacturing and innovation. Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung made the announcement earlier this month alongside US President Donald Trump and Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, underlining the strategic alignment of the company's American expansion with rising domestic manufacturing priorities. Motional said Major's appointment comes at a critical juncture, as the company ramps up AI development efforts ahead of its planned commercial launch of autonomous driving services in 2026. 'In partnership with Hyundai, we're bringing embodied AI to transportation and introducing significant societal benefits,' Major said in a statement. 'Leveraging our deep expertise in building fully driverless systems and our agility in realizing the latest AI breakthroughs, we are strongly positioned to unlock a future where safe autonomous vehicles are a practical part of daily life.' Past experience A founding executive at Motional, Major previously served as its Chief Technology Officer (CTO), where she spearheaded the development of the Ioniq 5 robotaxi. The fully driverless vehicle is among the first in the world to receive certification under US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), marking a significant milestone in the commercialisation of autonomous mobility. Before joining Motional, Major held senior leadership roles at Draper Laboratory and drone-tech firm Aria Insight, where she contributed to AI and autonomy projects for national security and spaceflight applications. With Major now at the helm, Motional is expected to play a central role in Hyundai's vision for next-generation mobility and AI-led transport infrastructure in North America.
Korea Herald
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Korea Herald
Hyundai names robotics, AI expert Laura Major as CEO of Motional
Hyundai Motor Group said Friday it has appointed Laura Major as new CEO of Motional, its Boston-based autonomous driving joint venture with Aptiv, to advance the future mobility business. Underscoring Major's previous position as chief technology officer of Motional, the automaker highlighted her new role in accelerating the company's artificial intelligence technology capabilities ahead of the commercial launch of its autonomous driving service next year. Since Motional's establishment in 2020, Major has served as CTO and has been acting as the interim CEO since September. Major previously led the team in charge of developing the Ioniq 5 robotaxi, one of the world's first driverless autonomous vehicles to receive US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards certification. She has also been instrumental in creating a machine learning-driven autonomous driving software stack. Before joining Motional, Laura Major worked at Draper Laboratory, a US-based nonprofit research and development organization, and drone specialist Aria Insights, drone manufacturer in the US, focusing on developing autonomous and AI solutions for astronauts and national security. She is also the co-author of the book 'What to Expect When You're Expecting Robots: The Future of Human-Robot Collaboration,' which explores the future of human and robot's coexistence. 'We are committed to working with Hyundai Motor Group to integrate 'Embodied AI' into transportation, delivering significant value to society,' stated Major. 'With our deep expertise in developing fully autonomous systems and our agility in rapidly implementing the latest AI technological innovations, we are dedicated to realizing a future where safe autonomous vehicles become a practical part of everyday life.'
Boston Globe
10-06-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Can Boston's innovation scene get its mojo back? The Globe's 2025 Tech Power Players say yes.
But the local tech scene has more than a chance to regain its buzz. And the road back to prominence goes through what investors say is the only area in technology that matters right now: artificial intelligence. How — and how quickly — the Boston, however, has an advantage, one captured by the Globe' s Tech Power Players, our annual list of the most consequential leaders in the region's innovation economy. In a word, it's diversity — an exceptional combination of academics, entrepreneurs, investors, and industries, ranging from software to clean energy to health care. Advertisement This diversity provides the talent and opportunity to not only advance foundational AI models that learn from vast troves of data, but also to develop applications that spread the benefits of AI to businesses and consumers — in ways that affect lives. Thanks to key leaders in the scene, that development is underway. Advertisement PathAI, a Boston company that has raised more than $250 million in VC funding, has trained AI models to help pathologists diagnose disease and pharmaceutical companies to develop treatments while improving laboratory workflows; the firm is led by physician-scientist-turned-CEO Andy Beck. Familiar Machines & Magic of Woburn, Boston firm Motional's IONIQ 5 robotaxi parked along the Boston Harbor. Motional The state's biggest industries, meanwhile, are looking to AI — and local tech firms — to make them more efficient, effective, and competitive. Boston Medical Center, for example, is experimenting with AI tools to schedule operating rooms, translate medical records into different languages, and take notes during doctor-patient conversations, allowing doctors to focus on care. 'When you put together health care with all the innovation in Boston,' says Joy Brown, BMC's chief digital information officer, 'you have the opportunity to change health care.' When it comes to emerging technologies, the race often goes to the early, not just the swift. The question is whether Boston, which famously missed the personal computer wave and the interactive, social internet known as Web 2.0 (so long, Facebook!), is embracing AI too late. The Advertisement The Bay Area accounted for 33 of the 50 companies on Mikey Shulman, CEO and cofounder of Suno, in the company's Cambridge office. Barry Chin/Globe Staff 'It's time for Boston to reinvent itself,' says Adrian Mendoza, founder and general partner of the Boston VC firm Mendoza Ventures. 'We've got to create an AI hub here.' Mendoza and others in the tech community say the state should support AI on the scale of the vaunted biotech initiative, which was launched in 2008 and solidified Boston and Cambridge as the premier life sciences cluster. Daniela Rus, director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT, says the key is creating compelling opportunities for local university graduates to stay here rather than take their smarts, ambitions, and startups to Silicon Valley and other places. One way to attract and keep talent here, she says, would be to provide startups low- or no-cost access to the massive — and expensive — computing power needed to build and train AI models. Most important, Rus says, the state needs to go big. 'The moment is now,' she says, 'not 10 years from now.' Rus is among those who say the Advertisement Sabrina Mansur, executive director of the Massachusetts AI Hub, the Healey administration's AI initiative, says the $100 million will be a catalyst to encourage partnerships between companies, industries, universities, and government. Massachusetts, she adds, can offer more than just money to AI entrepreneurs; the state presents the opportunity to work with industries such as robotics, clean energy, and biotech. 'This is where you come to change the world,' Mansur says. Just look at the region's clean energy and sustainability sectors, which have some of the world's leading companies. Form Energy, cofounded by MIT materials scientist A computer rendering of a commercial-scale fusion power plant that Commonwealth Fusion Systems plans to build in Virginia, not far from Washington D.C. Commonwealth Fusion Systems Is all this enough to change the trajectory of the local tech sector? Employment in Boston-area startups declined more than 4 percent last year, according to San Francisco VC firm SignalFire, while venture investment in local information technology companies fell to the lowest level in six years, according to PitchBook. Advertisement But local techsters say the region still has the key ingredients: talent and money. Universities, teaching hospitals, and growing companies continue to fight to attract the best and the brightest while venture capital remains a robust industry. Only California and New York have bigger VC sectors than Massachusetts, according to the National Venture Capital Association. What Boston needs to become a stronger innovation hub are more successful home-grown companies, along the lines of tech stars HubSpot ($32 billion stock market value), Toast ($25 billion market value), and Klaviyo ($10 billion market value), says Jeff Bussgang, cofounder and general partner of the Boston VC firm Flybridge. What it will take are determined founders, smart investors, and, ultimately, the approach of Red Sox slugger Rafael Devers. 'We just gotta keep swinging hard,' says Bussgang, 'and connect on one or two pitches.' Explore the list by sector Rob Gavin can be reached at
