Oxbotica, an autonomous driving software startup split between Oxford and Toronto, has partnered with German mobility firm Goggo to test out delivery services in Europe.
The initial trial involves food deliveries to retail partners in Spain, with the companies later planning to expand to a wider network across the continent. Each vehicle will be manned by a safety driver ready to take over at any time.
Yasmin Fage, Co-founder and COO of Goggo, said: “Our collaboration will enable Goggo to provide an unparalleled experience for autonomous deliveries throughout Europe.
“We were impressed by Oxbotica’s system for autonomy and its outstanding safety standard, and we are excited to see how this collaboration can have a positive impact in the logistics industry, helping some of the critical challenges it faces today.”
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Deployment of autonomous driving technology in the real world has been slow despite significant financial support for research and development. Safety and regulatory obstacles often prove just as great a challenge as getting the technology itself working to a level where vehicles can navigate roads consistently and effectively, particularly for last-mile deliveries.
Even so, a project from San Francisco-based Starship has already been successful in bringing delivery robots to various locations in the UK, including Milton Keynes and Greater Manchester. Oxbotica is now looking to replicate such success following its £115 million Series C funding round in January.
CEO Gavin Jackson said: “We are thrilled to be working with Goggo to enable businesses in Europe to deploy autonomous vehicle technology sooner for safer and more efficient operations.
“We look forward to deploying our unique autonomy solution into their mobility network. From Goggo benefitting their fleets being driven by Oxbotica to our ground-breaking virtual testing environment and suite of cloud-based management tools.”