Oxa

Oxa (formerly Oxbotica) is an autonomous vehicle software company, headquartered in Oxfordshire, England, and founded by Paul Newman and Ingmar Posner.[1]

Oxa (formerly Oxbotica)
TypeScale-up
IndustrySoftware, automotive
Founded2014
Founder
Headquarters
Oxford
,
England
Area served
UK, Europe, US, Asia
Key people
Gavin Jackson (CEO)
ProductsSelf-driving cars, autonomy
Number of employees
200-300 (2023)
Websiteoxa.tech

History

In 2013, Newman and Posner led the RobotCar UK project as part of Oxford University's Department of Engineering Science Mobile Robotics Group.[2] RobotCar became the first autonomous vehicle on UK roads.[3]

In 2014, the pair used the newly developed technology to found Oxbotica.[4]

Oxbotica has raised over $18 million to date and is backed by the IP Group, Parkwalk Advisors and AXA XL.[5] In 2018, Uber's former Head of Business EMEA Fraser Robinson was appointed to the board of directors.[6]

In May 2019, Ozgur Tohumcu replaced Dr Graeme Smith as Oxbotica's CEO.[7] Also in 2019, the company opened an office in Toronto, Canada.[8]

In January 2021, Oxbotica announced it had raised $47 million in a Series B round.[9]

In August 2021, the company achieved a safety landmark as the first company to have its autonomy safety case assessed by BSI (British Standards Institution) against the requirements of the UK Code of Practice 2019, PAS 1881:2020 and PAS 1883:2020, certifying the safety conformity of its autonomous vehicle trials and testing.[10] The assessment was completed as part of Project Endeavour, the UK's first multi-city demonstration of autonomous vehicle services and capability.[11]

In December 2021, Gavin Jackson was named CEO.[12]

In January 2023, the company raised $140 million in a Series C round.[13]

In May 2023, the company changed its name to Oxa.[14]

Technology

Oxbotica's full stack, end-to-end Universal Autonomy software is both vehicle and platform-agnostic, with no dependence on external infrastructure such as GPS.[15] It can be deployed in any environment and on any terrain.[16] In addition to underground uses, the technology is also useful in natural canyons and forests, where GPS signals are weak or non-existent, but also in "urban canyons" - cities with tall buildings that obstruct GPS signals for proper navigation.[17]

Public deployments

The LUTZ Pathfinder pod had its first public demonstration in February 2015 in Milton Keynes.[18] The Government-funded project was designed to ensure that autonomous vehicles could comply with the Highway Code.[19] The pod featured autonomous control software from Oxbotica, including 19 sensors, cameras, radar and Lidar.[20]

As part of the GATEway Project in 2017, Oxbotica trialled seven autonomous shuttle buses in Greenwich, navigating a two-mile riverside path near London's O2 Arena on a route also used by pedestrians and cyclists.[21] Oxbotica ran the UK's first trial of autonomous grocery deliveries with British online supermarket Ocado in London as the next evolution of the GATEway Project.[22]

In 2018, Oxbotica deployed its autonomous vehicle software at London's Gatwick Airport, which subsequently became the first airport in the world to trial an autonomous shuttle service.[23] The electric-powered autonomous vehicles transported staff via airside roads between the airport's North and South terminals.[24] An airside trial of Oxbotica's technology was then successfully completed at Heathrow Airport in partnership with IAG Cargo, the first airside trial of an autonomous vehicle at a UK airport.[25] The Oxbotica-designed CargoPod ran autonomously along a cargo route around the airside perimeter for three weeks.[26]

As part of the UK Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles-funded DRIVEN project, Oxbotica is developing and deploying a fleet of Ford Fusion autonomous vehicles running in both London and Oxford on public roads, and in conjunction with its consortium partners, running real-time insurance.[27] AXA XL is partnering with Oxbotica on the development of smart insurance products using Oxbotica's autonomy technology to improve road safety.[28]

In 2018, Oxbotica announced a partnership with London taxi firm Addison Lee to develop and deploy autonomous taxis in the city of London by 2021.[29] A 3D street mapping exercise is already being conducted in London's Canary Wharf.[30]

In 2019, Oxbotica deployed a fleet of their autonomous technology within Ford Mondeo cars on public roads in Stratford, London to test their use in city environments.[31] This £13.2m project is in collaboration with The DRIVEN Project to develop self-driving cars.[32]

Awards
Oxbotica won the Financial Times Boldness in Business Award in 2017

2019

2017

2016

References
  1. Newman, Paul. "Paul Newman". Oxford Robotics Institute. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  2. "Professor Paul Newman | University of Oxford". www.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  3. "RobotCar". Oxford Robotics Institute. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  4. "About Us". Oxbotica. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  5. "Oxbotica raises £14m to accelerate deployment of self-driving vehicles - Oxa" (Press release). Oxa. 19 September 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  6. "Former Uber Exec Joins Board of Self-Driving Startup". Bloomberg.com. 9 October 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  7. Smith, Adrian (20 May 2019). "UK Autonomous Driving Group Oxbotica Announces New CEO". Auto Futures. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  8. Ingram, Katie. "Oxbotica expanding Toronto team to tackle North America's autonomous vehicle software market". Electric Autonomy. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  9. "Oxbotica raises $47M to deploy its autonomous vehicle software in industrial applications". ca.style.yahoo.com. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  10. O'Halloran, Joe. "Project Endeavour concludes with autonomous vehicle passenger rides in London". Computer Weekly. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  11. "Driving standards for autonomous vehicles with Project Endeavour". www.bsigroup.com/. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  12. Spencer, Ben. "Oxbotica names Gavin Jackson CEO". ITS International. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  13. Carey, Nick (11 January 2023). "Oxbotica raises $140 mln to deploy self-driving commercial vehicles". Reuters. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  14. "Oxbotica Unveils New Brand, as Company Scales Globally". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  15. "Innovate UK: Oxbotica develops AI-based brain for self driving cars". Science|Business. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  16. "Oxbotica appoints new CEO; marks next stage of international growth". Global Mining Review. 24 May 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  17. Shah, Sooraj (14 July 2020). "How Autonomous Cars Are Overcoming GPS Signal Loss With Radar". Forbes. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  18. rosemary. "LUTZ Pathfinder". Oxford Robotics Institute. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  19. Davies, Rob (11 October 2016). "Self-driving car tested for first time in UK in Milton Keynes". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  20. "Driverless pods". Catapult. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  21. Balch, Oliver (13 April 2017). "Driverless cars will make our roads safer, says Oxbotica co-founder". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  22. "Ocado's driverless delivery van is a glimpse of the future". Engadget. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  23. Schofield, Jack. "Gatwick Airport to trial British self-driving car system from Oxbotica". ZDNet. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  24. "Gatwick to be first airport in the world to trial autonomous vehicles to shuttle staff across the airfield". www.mediacentre.gatwickairport.com. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  25. "Heathrow Airport Conducts First Trail of Newest Autonomous Airside Vehicles". interestingengineering.com. 29 March 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  26. "IAG Cargo trials UK's first autonomous airport vehicle - Lloyd's Loading List". www.lloydsloadinglist.com. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  27. "Oxbotica: AI firm develops 'brain' for autonomous vehicles". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  28. "XL Catlin Signs Landmark Agreement With Oxbotica". Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  29. correspondent, Gwyn Topham Transport (22 October 2018). "Addison Lee aims to deploy self-driving cars in London by 2021". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  30. "Addison Lee Group and Oxbotica begin mapping Canary Wharf for autonomous vehicle services". Addison Lee. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  31. correspondent, Gwyn Topham Transport (3 October 2019). "'It's going to be a revolution': driverless cars in new London trial". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  32. "DRIVEN project demonstrates how driverless cars can operate safely in London". TRL. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  33. "Royal Academy of Engineering Silver Medal for 'pioneering engineer' Professor Paul Newman — Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division". www.mpls.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  34. "Boldness in Business awards 2017: FT editor Lionel Barber's view". Financial Times. 24 April 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  35. "DRIVERLESS VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY WINS THIS YEAR'S AWARD FOR INNOVATION". The Oxford Trust. 3 July 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  36. "Oxbotica scoops robotics award". Insurance Business Mag. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2017.

Official website

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