Top 10 Innovative Companies in Autonomous & Unmanned Vehicles, 2021

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VOL 11 ISSUE 02 2021

1 T o p

Innovative Companies in Autonomous & Unmanned Vehicles, 2021

Autonomous Future Light on the Advancements in Automotive Industry

Speculative Approach Moving Forward Autonomously

R 2C Inc.

Supporting the Warfighter by Providing the Highest Quality, Responsive Solutions

EDITOR’S NOTE Shaping the Future of Autonomous Vehicles Industry

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ince the last few years, the autonomous vehicle industry has been evolving rapidly due to research, development, and innovative technologies. Information-driven technologies are playing a vital role in shaping the industry. It is adopting new technological innovations in its operations significantly. Some mind-bending technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics, Blockchain Technology, Connectivity, Internet of Things, and Shared mobility are driving the autonomous vehicle industry to bigger disruptions.

Companies in this industry are tapping the potential of these technologies for sustaining their competency in the market. They are contributing to the enhancement of the sector by creating intelligent, autonomous, and unmanned systems that carry the potential to revolutionize the industry. Such systems are created by combining different technologies related to the computer, communication, control, mechanics, and materials.

Artificial Intelligence is undoubtedly the most prominent technology used by most companies in the autonomous vehicle industry to develop unmanned autonomous systems. Moreover, many companies are investing heavily in enhancing the autonomy and intelligence of the systems to create better autonomous vehicles. Developing the capacity of intelligent decision-making using AI technologies in these systems is the most focused area of research and development teams in these companies. Creating a system that can make intelligent and situational decisions is the most significant part of the automotive industry.

The companies in the autonomous vehicle industry focus on improving the functionality of autonomous vehicles. These

companies endeavor to add additional features in the autonomous systems to enhance the effectiveness and endurance of autonomous vehicles and increase the safety and comfort of the people inside the vehicles. The focus of the companies is on creating a lightweight and faster enough autonomous vehicles for enhancing the human experience. Automating all the vehicles' processes as much as they can is their primary focus.

Autonomous and unmanned vehicles companies are transforming everyday transportation and are making public transportation relatively easy, safer, efficient, and time-saving. The development of autonomous and unmanned vehicles by these companies is improving the safety and efficiency of present transportation systems. The investment, research, and development efforts by these companies for enhancing the awareness like that of real-time environments, building intelligent decision-making, control of speed and direction, and improving the reliability of the unmanned autonomous systems is certainly revolutionary. It is going to be a more sustainable norm in the future.

In this edition of Top 10 Innovative Companies in Autonomous & Unmanned Vehicles, 2021, we present the companies that are providing safe, profitable, and efficient mobility solutions.

Let’s have a look!

Sharad Chitalkar

COVER STORY

08 R2C Inc.

Supporting the Warfighter

by Providing the Highest Quality, Responsive Solutions

C O N T E N T S ARTICLES

20 Autonomous Future

Light on the Advancements in Automotive Industry

28

Speculative Approach Moving Forward Autonomously

CxO

36 Leader’s Viewpoint How the Cloud is Helping to Drive Digital Transformation in Manufacturing?

16

24

Boeing

LeddarTech

32

40

Leading with Innovation and Shared Values

Making Mobility Safer and More E icient

Navya

RTSYS

Reshaping the Future of Businesses with a Safe, Profitable, and E icient Mobility

Enhancing Underwater Acoustic Field with Unique Technological Innovations

Hitesh Dhamani Editor-in-Chief CONTENT

Senior Editor Alan Swann Executive Editors Sharad Chitalkar Alex Spellman

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November, 2021

Company Name

Featuring Person

Brief

BAE Systems baesystems.com

Charles Woodburn Group Chief Executive Officer

BAE Systems help customers to stay a step ahead when protecting people and national security, critical infrastructure and vital information.

Boeing boeing.com

Steve Nordlund Vice President and General Manager of Phantom Works

Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company.

Freefly Systems freeflysystems.com

Tabb Firchau President

Freefly Systems is a rapidly growing tech and cinema company representing the intersection of art and technology.

LeddarTech leddartech.com

Charles Boulanger CEO

LeddarTech is a leader in environmental sensing solutions for autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems.

Milanion Group milaniongroup.com

Davinder Dogra CEO

Milanion is a leader in the design, development, and manufacture of autonomous, unmanned land and maritime platforms.

Navya navya.tech

Pierre Lahutte CEO

Navya empowers businesses and communities, reshaping their future with a safe, profitable, and efficient mobility.

Otonomo otonomo.io

Ben Volkow CEO & Founder

Otonomo is a provider of a pioneering vehicle data platform and marketplace.

Paramount Group paramountgroup.com

Ivor Ichikowitz Chairman

Paramount Group is a global aerospace and technology company.

R2C, Inc. r2c-inc.com

Robert R. Wilson President and Chief Executive Officer

R2C, Inc is a full service Aerospace & Defense Company.

RTSYS rtsys.eu

Pierre-Alexandre Business Director

RTSYS is a specialist in underwater acoustics and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles.

Robert Wilson Chief Execu ve Officer and President

R2C, Inc.

Inc.

Supporting the Warfighter by Providing the Highest Quality, Responsive Solutions

‘‘

R2C is dedicated to contributing and having a positive impact within our community. We believe that by reinvesting in the community, we create and foster a better place to work and live.

‘‘

An Accountable Leader at the Helm The company’s Chief Executive Officer and President, Mr. Robert Wilson, is a disabled U.S. Army veteran. He is extraordinarily passionate about supporting the American Warfighters in defense of their families, friends, community, nation, and allies. This passion developed into action as R2C came to fruition through relationships with employees, business partners, and customers that gave Mr. Wilson an opportunity to truly understand the needs of the Warfighter. Mr. Wilson strives to recruit, retain, and develop a skilled workforce to meet those needs. By continuing to provide excellent products and services to its customers, the ideas and concepts of R2C continue to flourish beyond even Mr. Wilson’s own expectations.

With his 27 years of experience in the aviation field, Mr. Wilson provides strategic leadership and oversight for all aspects of the business, ensuring all laws, regulations, and other applicable obligations are observed wherever and whenever business is conducted on behalf of the company. He formulates and determines the company’s values, mission, vision, and short-term and long-term goals.

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assion combined with purpose and service can achieve transformative results. R2C, Inc. is a result of that passion and purpose for Mr. Robert Wilson, President and Chief Executive Officer. R2C provides the highest quality products and services to ensure our Warfighters receive the most advanced, technologically superior tools to perform their mission by which they defend our freedom and our way of life.

With headquarters in Huntsville, AL, R2C is a fullservice aerospace and defense company that truly focuses on service through their employees, business partners, and customers personal and professional lives.

R2C is defined by its seven core values: Service, Professional Competence, Integrity, Trustworthy, Attitude, Loyalty, and Family. The company seeks out opportunities through its diverse personal and professional roles, and its core values are the foundation it builds on. It is ready, reliable, and capable to meet and exceed all customers’ expectations.

Let’s have a look at how it all started.

Mr. Wilson holds a bachelor’s degree in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and is recognized by The International Society of Logistics as a Demonstrated Master Logistician. Additionally, Mr. Wilson is a member of the DoD Acquisition Corp. and is Level III Certified in Project Management and Life-Cycle Logistics. Mr. Wilson is a member and supporter of multiple industry and professional societies and groups.

Meeting the Call of Duty R2C’s offerings include but are not limited to engineering, logistics, manufacturing, and technical services. They have been shaped and continue to evolve over the years based on customer requirements.

R2C provides an ever-evolving opportunity to provide the highest quality products and services to its clients to ensure that Warfighters receive the most advanced, technologically superior tools to perform their mission.

Technology rapidly changes and is critical in the field.

The team at R2C understands that and walks alongside its customers to ensure the company goes above and beyond to meet this call to duty.

Moreover, R2C implemented superior engineering and logistics practices and processes to seamlessly ensure low-risk, best-value solutions with a high degree of collaboration with government customers. It continues to upgrade hardware and software tools to provide better processes that drive more efficient workflows.

During the past three years, its innovative solutions have saved the United States Government and Taxpayers over $107M. This has been accomplished due to the excellent personnel the company locates, hires, trains, and brings their talents to bear at the right place at the right time.

The Courageous Services R2C is a company on the move expanding capabilities to include construction management services and building information modeling. Great pricing, superior service, great people, integrated quality and productivity performance tracking and reporting are just the beginning. R2C’s total service package will keep them growing in this space for a long time.

Going Forth and Rising R2C faces the same challenge as other companies face in today’s fast-paced, competitive business environment – keeping pace with and staying one step ahead of technical capabilities. It is through those challenges in the initial days the company began to identify risks and develop solutions to overcome them.

The company continues to envision and create innovative approaches that increase efficiencies and optimize technical capabilities that set it apart from the competitors.

Staying Committed is the Key

Stating the significance of the aviation industry, Mr. Wilson asserts, “The aviation industry is critical to the defense of our nation and support of our warfighter. R2C is essential, as are our employees and the jobs they do daily to support the defense of our nation. We were capable of strategic business planning and operations to continue

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R2C is a People Centric Company that truly focuses on SERVICE.

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Mr. Wilson mentions that the pandemic created a requirement to think outside of the box. Vendors had challenges with timely supplies due to the impact on their workforce and turnaround time shipping materials.

‘‘

‘‘

R2C Support Services provides direct on-site support to the USG.

meeting customer demands and our employees’ commitment during this crisis.”

A Unique Characteristic Mr. Wilson further opines that an essential feature for an aviation vehicle service provider to thrive in this industry is a workforce with the knowledge and sincere authenticity for the Warfighters and their friends and families. R2C’s employees understand, and many have personally experienced the critical amount of detail and effort that goes into every component of aviation vehicle. They know the literal difference between life and death in the field. This unique characteristic is the key to success in the aviation vehicle service industry.

Building a Strong Bond that Lasts Lifetime Mr. Wilson mentions that R2C places tremendous value in the creation and maintenance of positive work culture. The company implements a positive work culture through its core value of family, as its employees spend almost half of their waking time at work. Employees at R2C celebrate victories, mourn losses, and build trust and commitment with each other to form a team that focuses on supporting America's Warfighters. This forms a strong bond that lasts a lifetime.

Serving to the Community When it comes to giving back to the community, R2C contributes greatly by providing mentor protégé to other aviation companies, internships to high school and college students, resources to charitable causes,

and partnerships to a veteran, minority, and women serving institutions. Service being one of its core values, the company seeks out opportunities to serve God, the nation, and communities through the different roles of its personal and professional lives. The fact is that the team at R2C constantly supports the community including other aviation companies.

What Lies Ahead?

"If we are so blessed by our creator to continue to support America’s Heroes, I have no doubt that R2C will continue to provide unparalleled solutions and support to America’s Warfighter around the World,” says Mr. Wilson.

R2C’s strategy in achieving this goal is to work alongside its customers to gain a greater understanding of necessities to support the defense of the nation, friends, families, and allies and turn those necessities into deliverable, high-quality products.

In his advice to upcoming entrepreneurs in aviation industry, Mr. Wilson says, “Success is being able to provide on-time delivery of high-quality products to our customers in support of defending our nation and warfighters. The formula to success is humility and genuine care for our people. In that, all things are possible.”

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Steve Nordlund

Vice President and General Manager of Phantom Works The Boeing Company

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Leading with Innovation and Shared Values

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deas come into fruition when assisted with innovation that can disrupt the niche with its relative productivity and performance. Newer technologies are introduced to the world with each passing day, and a few of these technologies break the barrier in the autonomous and unmanned vehicle industry with their pioneering approach. With the inclusion of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, renowned organizations are intertwining cognitive potentials to develop vehicles capable of performing tasks that were once just a mere thought.

Exploring such possibilities, Boeing is creating history and rooting itself as an early innovative adapter in the autonomous industry.

As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures, and services commercial airplanes, defense products, and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As a top U.S. exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability, and community impact. Boeing's diverse team is committed to innovating for the future and living the company's core values of safety, quality, and integrity.

Describe your top-notch offerings that address the need of your customers.

With near-peer threats and budget constraints, customers are looking for affordable solutions that are effective in increasingly contested environments. The modular, multi-mission autonomous systems Boeing has developed provide seabed to space capability for our customers – with connected sensors and systems undersea, on the surface, and in the air.

In the air, we have a full range of autonomous systems offering intelligent, persistent, and efficient solutions

Boeing's rich history in aerospace continues to lead in technology and innovation, deliver for its customers, and invest in its people and future growth. As an experienced executive in the aerospace and tech industry, Steve Nordlund, the Vice President and General Manager of Phantom Works, oversees advanced research and development organizations, developing new businesses, and entering new markets.

We at CIO LOOK came across Boeing in our expedition to find " Top 10 Innovative Companies in Autonomous & Unmanned Vehicles." We got into an insightful conversation with Steve to know his experience and methodologies that contribute to making Boeing the world's largest aerospace company and leading provider of commercial airplanes, defense, space and security systems, and global services.

Below are the highlights of the interview: Give us a brief overview of your company, its mission, and the key aspects of its strong foothold in the aviation industry. www.ciolook.com

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for a range of customers and missions worldwide. For example, the MQ-25 unmanned/uncrewed aerial refueler will be the U.S. Navy's first operational, carrierbased unmanned aircraft – offering robust refueling capability and potential for growth as a digitally designed and developed aircraft.

On the sea, long-endurance, autonomous maritime vehicles offer new ways to gather data and conduct missions in the ocean and communicate across domains to deliver actionable intelligence. Our offerings include products such as Wave Glider, an autonomous surface platform, and Echo Voyager, a fully autonomous extralarge unmanned undersea vehicle.

The Boeing Airpower Teaming System (ATS) is a new uncrewed aircraft that will be a force multiplier, using artificial intelligence as part of a smart human-machine team with other platforms. With next-gen affordable stealth capability, ATS can fly with advanced fighters to see and shoot first. This is true "air power" for 75% less cost to buy and 90% lower cost to fly. Also, longer range and more efficient ground attack operations are enabled with ATS because of a combination of artificial intelligence and autonomy. An all-digital design and advanced autonomy allowed us to quickly progress from firm configuration to first flight in record time. The result is modularity and flexibility, so we can also outpace the threats.

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What makes your company a preferred choice among your clientele over other competitors?

Boeing's autonomous offerings are the digitally advanced, simply, and efficiently produced, and intelligently supported products customers need now.

And there's a convergence where these systems aren't solely used for military missions but could be used for commercial applications like freight/logistics. We're building them, testing them under real-world conditions, and working with our customers to integrate them into their operations across all domains now. By using digital engineering, modeling, and

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“Boeing has a long tradition of aerospace leadership and innovation, and it continues to expand its product line and services to meet emerging customer needs.” simulation, our autonomous solutions can be designed, assembled, and tested virtually thousands of times before any metal is ever cut – creating new paradigms in affordability, efficiency, and quality. As we continue delivering cutting-edge autonomous technologies and capabilities, digital engineering ensures we stay ahead of challenges and take advantage of new opportunities.

In what ways have you or your company contributed to the community?

Through purposeful investments, employee engagement, and advocacy efforts, Boeing supports community partnerships and programs that align with our business, create value and help build better communities worldwide. Boeing charitable programs drive positive, lasting change in the communities where our employees and their families live and work. We work to create opportunities that inspire our future, empower our heroes, and strengthen our homes, with a focus on advancing racial equity and combating systemic racism.

From a business leadership perspective, what is your opinion on the impact of the current pandemic on the aviation sector and the related market?

The pandemic has impacted the aviation sector, including reduced demand for products and services and increased supply chain instability. As an industry, we have faced these challenges head-on and continue to work closely with our partners and suppliers.

What are your future aspirations? Where do you see your company in the next five years?

Autonomy is at the heart of the future in aerospace and defense because it expands human capability – through smarter systems, more efficient operations, and enhanced safety for our customers. With digital designs and advanced manufacturing techniques, the sky is no longer a limit as we continue to grow our portfolio and capabilities through autonomy. There's also a convergence where these systems and the technology behind them aren't limited to military use but could also be used for commercial applications in certain scenarios.

In your opinion, what could be the future of the aviation market post the COVID-19 pandemic? And how are you strategizing your company's operations for that future?

While we still have a way to go before we see a full rebound, it is encouraging to see the commercial market improving, enabled by continued vaccine distribution and an increase in travel demand. Going forward, we are continuing to monitor case rates, vaccine distribution, travel protocols, and global trade as key indicators for recovery.

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Light on the ADVANCEMENTS in AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

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vehicles, which will increase continuously in the future.

The advancements in AV technologies are integrated with the combination of electrical engineering, transportation science, evolved software, and robust hardware. The autonomous and unmanned vehicles industry companies endeavor to maximize safety and minimize fuel consumption, road pricing of vehicles, and minimum land use for parking. Connected vehicle technology is an essential part of autonomous vehicles.

Real-time communication data result in increased collaboration for efficient and intelligent path-finding that saves time and avoids traffic due to choosing the best possible route. Vehicle navigation is optimal, sophisticated, and reliable with advanced connectedvehicle technology. This vehicle navigation model minimizes the total travel time.

he acceleration in research, development, and innovative efforts in the automotive industry in the past few decades has brought the idea of driverless vehicles to fruition. The gradual advancements in the automotive industry are paving the way for many people to avail autonomous vehicles with advanced facilities. Autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies play a significant role in decreasing transportation costs and increasing accessibility and affordability to moderately earning families and especially people with mobility issues. Companies in the AV industry create vehicles that increase the safety and comfort of people. The advancements and innovations in the automotive industry are remarkable and are easing the lives of people.

Innovative Autonomous vehicle technologies reduce crashes, accidents, save energy, minimize pollution and congestion on the road, and increase transport accessibility. To meet the needs of the aging population, especially in developed countries, autonomous vehicles today are a necessity and an important business. More and more people wanting to avail themselves of time for their personal tasks are looking positively at the option of autonomous vehicles as it gives them an opportunity to do what they want to do instead of doing what they have to do. Many people like to save their precious time on repetitive tasks such as driving so they like to avail autonomous vehicles. Therefore, there is an increasing shift towards autonomous

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Developed automated highway systems pave the way for connecting autonomous vehicles to highway infrastructure. Therefore, having developed automated highway systems are essential for the smooth functioning of autonomous vehicles. The level of automation in autonomous vehicles can vary from zero percent to complete automation. Autonomous vehicles are equipped with front and reverse cameras, radars variety of sensors etc., that obtains information and data from the surrounding environment. This information and data serve as an input to the software, which then suggests a proper course of action and facilitates key decision-making. Completely automated

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Autonomous Future

vehicles are intelligently designed to observe the roadway conditions and perform driving functions based on input from various sensors.

which can be overall beneficial for the industry and the nation.

The companies in the autonomous vehicle industry are investing heavily in innovative technologies for enhancing the features they can provide for improving the functionality of autonomous vehicles and increasing their accessibility and affordability to the maximum number of people. Autonomous vehicles using the latest and advanced technologies can provide mobility to those who cannot physically drive and are highly beneficial to children and older people.

Autonomous vehicle technologies will cause more evolution in the transportation systems in the coming times. With good transportation systems, autonomous vehicles can become the norm in the future. This will be a significant step in mitigating climate change as autonomous vehicles significantly reduce emission of carbon dioxide, minimize pollution, and minimize energy consumption. The advent of unmanned vehicles is both labor-saving as well as accident-reducing. Such saved labor can be used in more constructive work,

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Considering the benefits of autonomous vehicles, the future of transportation looks promising.

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Charles Boulanger CEO LeddarTech Inc www.ciolook.com

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LeddarTech Making Mobility Safer and More Efficient

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t was a mission to improve safety and quality of life for travelers, commuters, workers, and mobility industry professionals that led to the inception of LeddarTech Inc. The company is doing this by enabling applications that reduce traffic congestion, minimize the risk of road accidents, and improve the overall efficiency of road transport.

LeddarVision™ is a raw-data sensor fusion and perception platform that generates a comprehensive 3D environmental model with cost-effective, multisensor support for camera, radar and LiDAR configurations and that is scalable to support all vehicle automation levels. LeddarVision solves object-level fusion deficiencies of camera & radar in ADAS systems (autonomy levels 2 and 2+) and enables optimized perception performance for further autonomy (levels 3 to 5) with the fusion of camera, radar & LiDAR sensors.

Today, LeddarTech is a global leader in environmental sensing platforms for autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). It has evolved to become a comprehensive end-to-end environmental sensing company that enables its customers to solve critical sensing and perception challenges across the entire value chain of the automotive and mobility market segments. The company allows Tier-1/2 automotive system manufacturers and integrators to develop full-stack sensing solutions for autonomy level 1 to 5, enhancing ADAS and autonomous driving (AD) capabilities.

Our second key offering is a versatile LiDAR development platform based on the LeddarEngine™, comprised of LiDAR SoCs and signal processing software, and LeddarSteer™, a game-changing solidstate digital beam steering technology. This platform provides components, software and tools that enable LiDAR developers and Tier-1/2 manufacturers to develop automotive-grade LiDAR sensors to the specific requirements of vehicle OEMs. These LeddarTech platforms are being deployed beyond just the automotive market: for example, we recently announced the integration of our data sensor fusion and perception platform with Trimble's existing industry-leading machine control technology to enable intelligent automation in complex work environments.

Together, our two companies expect to provide an innovative hardware and software portfolio, improving autonomous machine performance for a variety of industries such as agriculture, construction and mining.

At CIO Look, we got into conversation with Charles Boulanger, the Chief Executive Officer of LeddarTech, to know more about the company and how its sensing solutions are enabling the future of autonomous driving.

Below are the highlights of the interview: Describe your core offerings that address the need of your customers.

What makes your company a preferred choice among your clientele over other competitors?

LeddarTech is responsible for several innovations in cutting-edge automotive and mobility remote sensing applications, with over 100 patented technologies (granted or pending) that are enhancing ADAS and autonomous driving capabilities. Our sensing and perception solutions are best represented by our two core platforms. www.ciolook.com

Several years ago LeddarTech established the Leddar™ Ecosystem, which is comprised of a select group of world-class partners, suppliers and collaborators that support our customers in their development of

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Society has become more sensitive to these factors, and mobility is at the center of it all. People want more flexibility and freedom, and these requirements influence the way they buy a car. This will be a big incentive for automotive OEMs to offer new, more advanced features as people become more receptive to new paradigms towards more efficient, autonomous vehicles. Today we are seeing trends in technology that, in the end, will have positive impacts on the industry despite the pandemic.

“We wish to contribute to society by improving mobility and quality of life.”

In your opinion, what could be the future of the automotive market post the COVID-19 pandemic?

And how are you strategizing your company’s operations for that future?

The automotive industry has entered its most significant evolution of the last 100 years due to innovations in technology and software. Cars today are essentially “data on wheels”, increasingly softwaredefined and silicone-intensive, with features that evolve rapidly to integrate advances in technology.

LeddarTech is very well positioned for this phase because we enable unique software-based sensing and perception solutions that provide the necessary flexibility to scale and adapt the hardware for the evolution of ADAS and for the gradual progression towards autonomous vehicles.

automotive sensing solutions for ADAS and AD applications. In tandem with LeddarTech, the Ecosystem provides additional technical expertise, components, software and services leveraging a hardware-agnostic platform that is open and scalable.

Its members are prequalified for integration with LeddarTech’s LeddarEngine™ and LeddarVision™ platforms. This Ecosystem maximizes design agility and reduces development cycle time and costs, leading to a faster time-to-market for our customers.

From a business leadership perspective, what is your opinion on the impact of the current pandemic on the automotive sector and the related market?

In what ways have you or your company contributed to the community?

The pandemic initially slowed things down on the autonomous vehicle initiatives side and slightly affected some aspects of ADAS development. However, it rapidly became clear that consumers are prepared to pay more for vehicles with advanced features that increase safety and efficiency, add comfort and improve their quality of life.

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LeddarTech’s mission is to improve the safety and quality of life for travelers, commuters, workers and mobility industry professionals by enabling applications that reduce traffic congestion, which leads to lower CO2 emissions, minimizes the risk of road accidents and improves the overall efficiency of transport.

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Each LeddarTech employee is aware of this higher purpose and comes to work every day with the motivation to develop and enable new technologies that will ultimately benefit their community and the world at large.

Our company and our employees are also involved more directly in helping our local communities. For example, LeddarTech has a long-standing commitment with the United Way (called “Centraide” in Quebec). We have raised tens of thousands of dollars to help support local community agencies and organizations that fight poverty and social inequities. The global pandemic shed new light on the critical work accomplished by such local organizations and we are proud of our continued commitment as we enter 2022.

What are your future aspirations? Where do you see your company in the next five years?

We have positioned ourselves in a particular leadership role in enabling mass deployment of ADAS and AD by enabling LiDAR makers, Tier 1s and OEMs to reduce the complexity, time and cost of implementing such solutions that meet both customers and regulatory requirements. We intend to relentlessly pursue this endeavor in line with our corporate mission.

Exemplifying Excellence as this are a critical part of how we will bring added value to our customers in all levels of autonomy.” -Finlay Wood, business area director for Trimble's Autonomous Solutions Division

“Early in 2017, OSRAM recognized LeddarTech’s promising technological LiDAR approach based on unique software and hardware components and therefore invested $70 million to become a major shareholder. Since then, we have committed over $70 million more on developing LiDAR products, which has allowed OSRAM to offer LiDAR solutions to Tier 1s and OEMs that meet their cost and performance requirements for mass deployment.”

-Dr Olaf Berlien, CEO of OSRAM Licht AG

“Omni Design is delivering high-performance data converters in advanced process nodes to enable the next generation of products in automotive, 5G and AI markets.

We are pleased to be collaborating with LeddarTech on their next-generation LiDAR SoC to enable mass deployment of solid-state LiDAR in the automotive market by automotive Tier 1s and other LiDAR makers.”- Dr. Kush Gulati, President and CEO of Omni Design Technologies

"Trimble has been connecting the physical and digital worlds with our best-in-class automation technologies for more than 20 years—whether it is in agriculture, construction or mining. We see the demand for operator assistance, autonomous machines and workflow optimization accelerating dramatically and alliances such

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Speculative Approach

Moving Forward Autonomously S

ometimes I get up wondering how fascinating it is the way we as the human race have progressed.

That’s the power of innovation and technology; it has kept us moving forward in all the stages of life. In fact, today, it has become the reason to survive in this competitive world. There are a lot of examples proving this fact. From manual labor to innovative and costeffective solutions, today, everything is connected with technology. The autonomous industry is another good example of it. With the invention of autonomous vehicles, life has become much easier because of its driverless driving option and many more.

The main goal of the human race is to continuously improve the quality of life, and autonomous vehicles are the perfect fit to achieve that goal. The autonomous vehicle industry is positioned to improve the safety and quality of life for everyone, along with improving the effectiveness of the transport industry.

Moreover, the solutions offered by companies in the industry are environment-friendly. All the things combined together take us to the autonomous way.

With a proper understanding of the autonomous sector, companies can bring the transformation the world needs today.

There is no industry where autonomous solutions have not impacted, be it agriculture, retail, manufacturing, logistics, or mining; they are at the forefront of the technology. But exactly how, autonomous vehicles will be a game-changer in the coming years? Let us see through this article.

Be on Your Side These are reasons enough to prove that how autonomous industry and its solutions will be a gamechanger in the future. It is very much possible to use this autonomous technology as it ticks every industry box, making it possible to develop innovative solutions.

Survival of the Fittest There are complex problems where autonomous solutions are proving helpful with unmanned aerial vehicles, service robots, space and marine robots, and agriculture and mining. With its sensing technology, it provides real-time information having a good understanding of the scenario. The range of autonomous vehicles is designed for moving goods, including cargo vans.

These systems offer a wide range of solutions, which means it has the answer to all the possible challenges of the industry. However, there is still a long way to go to connect us with the autonomous world. And, the industry looks excited to see what the autonomous industry has to offer. It will change the face of the automobile sector.

Some critics say that in the near future, autonomous vehicles might surpass human abilities. However, the benefits it offers are much more than the flaws. This is the platform that will ultimately serve a lot of people and bring a bigger change to the world.

Recently we saw the impact of the coronavirus all over the world, and autonomous vehicles proved to be useful in the transportation of medical supplies, reducing the spread of coronavirus. This shows that the automation solutions are built future-ready to deal with such unprecedented challenges.

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Pierre Lahu e Chief Execu ve Officer

NAVYA

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Reshaping the Future of Businesses with a Safe, Profitable, and Efficient Mobility

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oday, cities, airports, and industrial sites are facing challenges in traffic conditions, costs, safety, and productivity. In addition, private sites are also facing mobility difficulties and are confronted with urban transport ecosystem and economic, social, and environmental challenges. It has become crucial to find solutions to all these challenges.

associated services. With 280 employees in France, the United States, and Singapore, Navya aims to become the leading player in level 4 autonomous driving systems for passenger and goods transport.

Since 2015, Navya autonomous mobility solutions have been first to market and first to on-road service. The Autonom® Shuttle, the main development platform, is dedicated to passenger transport. Since its launch, more than 180 units have been sold in 23 countries, as of 31 December 2020. The Autonom® Tract is designed for goods transport.

A shift from personal vehicles to self-driving vehicles seems to solve these dilemmas, as they optimize transport time and traveling conditions. Self-driving vehicles can reduce carbon footprint, parking problems, and labor-intensive tasks, enhance company image, productivity, and site safety, and explores logistics models for tomorrow.

Describe your top-notch offerings that address the need of your customers.

Making self-driving solutions a reality- Navya is reinventing the transportation systems of tomorrow.

Navya is the leading name in the supply of autonomous driving systems and associated services. The company is reshaping the transportation systems, for passengers and goods.

For passengers’ transportation, we provide: The Autonom® shuttle launched in 2015. It is our main company product. It is Electric, Shared, and Autonomous. It carries up to 15 passengers and drives at a maximum of 18km/h in operation. It has a 9 hours average run time, and no heavy infrastructure is needed. It improves the transportation systems for cities and private sites. Ÿ The Autonom® shuttle EVO launched in 2020. EVO is for the Evolution of our Autonom® Shuttle, the outcome of six years of experimentation and nearly 200 Navya deployments around the world. Ÿ

We, at CIO Look, caught up with Pierre Lahutte, Chief Executive Officer of Navya to know more about the company and how it is empowering businesses and communities with its self-driving solutions Below are the highlights of the interview:

For Goods transport, we provide the Autonom® Tract.

Navya has partnered with Charlatte Manutention, Group Fayat’s subsidiary dedicated to electric and fuel handling equipment for airports and industry, to create an autonomous tractor solution in order to improve logistics flows for airports and industrial sites. First proof of concepts in 2020-21. Commercialization in

Give us a brief overview of your company, its mission, and the key aspects of its strong foothold in the automotive industry.

Created in 2014, Navya is a leading name specialized in the supply of autonomous driving systems and www.ciolook.com

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2022. These 3 platforms work the same way thanks to: Ÿ Navya’s in-house advanced intelligent software: Navya Drive® Ÿ Combined with our specific multi-sensors architecture.

also adapt the Navya Drive® on any drive-by-wire vehicle platform manufactured by a third-party. Finally, we also offer a full range of value-added services: Ÿ Commissioning and mapping Ÿ Supervision and fleet monitoring platform Ÿ Technical support Ÿ Maintenance Ÿ Training

Navya’s solutions are actually Level3 on the SAE scale.

Our ambition is to reach level4 for all our platforms. We

What makes your company a preferred choice among your clientele over other competitors?

With dozens of thousand kilometers driven every month worldwide in different use cases, a specific environment, constraints, and regulation frameworks enable Navya to progress constantly and quickly.

These signs of progress are regularly injected in our Navya Drive® software, and enable our customers worldwide to also demonstrate constant progress in their operations.

Besides, Navya has won the "Best Endurance & Reliability" and "Best Consumer Experience", two out of three of the best awards at the Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport organized by the Dubai Road and Transport Authority (RTA) (October 2019).

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What are the achievements you are proud of?

In your opinion, what could be the future of the automotive market post the COVID-19 pandemic?

And how are you strategizing your company’s operations for that future?

NAVYA won the "Best Endurance & Reliability" and "Best Consumer Experience" awards at the Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport organized by the Dubai Road and Transport Authority (RTA) (October 2019). Ÿ We took a new step in autonomous mobility with the first fully autonomous level 4 operation on a closed site in Châteauroux, France (June 2020). Ÿ World first: an autonomous luggage vehicle, named Autonom® Tract, transports goods in real conditions (2019). Ÿ 7.5 million euros of subsidies will be received within the framework of the France Reliance program, for four of Navya’s technological projects.

The future of the automotive market will be electric, shared, autonomous; solutions that Navya is already providing through its shuttles and keeps working on improving it.

In what ways have you or your company contributed to the community?

The autonomous vehicle has several advantages: reduction in pollution, lower transport cost for operators and municipalities, greater services, reduction of accidents, inclusive transport for communities not well served by public transportation, reduction of parking spaces in the city centre, etc. The VA also makes it possible to fluidify traffic, to relieve congestion in cities by reducing traffic jams.

From a business leadership perspective, what is your opinion on the impact of the current pandemic on the automotive sector and the related market?

The Covid-19 pandemic has hampered the mobility sector, especially on long-distance journeys with a strong local rebound and a focus even more important on CO2 and gas emissions.

What are your future aspirations? Where do you see your company in the next five years?

By being shared, electric, self-driving, and on-demand, our solutions are an answer to mobility decarbonization. They are also a solution for first and last-mile distances.

All studies tend to demonstrate that the first use cases for large AV fleets deployments will be for shared transportation on sites with simple Level 4 driving cases and a stable environment at limited speed. With that in mind, we firmly believe that Navya will be a key player in the future of transportation.

www.ciolook.com

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The focus needs to be put on environmental preservation, decongestion of cities, reduction of pollution, optimization of spaces, etc.

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Sung Kim CTO iBASEt

www.ciolook.com

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Leader’s Viewpoint

How the Cloud Is Helping to Drive Digital Transformation in Manufacturing?

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At the same time, there has been a huge upswing in people working remotely. This trend was already underway before the pandemic, and it has only accelerated in the last two years. Across all industries, including manufacturing, we are now becoming accustomed to “work anywhere” operations.

loud technology is helping to drive Industry 4.0 transformation in many ways. It can offload data center costs, ease systems integration, and provide a cost-effective approach to scaling resources and infrastructure requirements. Interestingly, there has been a new benefit that is gaining more attention as we emerge to a “post-COVID” world. When some or all of your company’s workforce is working remotely supporting customers working from anywhere, the importance of your software being hosted in a local datacenter matters less – keeping everything else at par.

The Cloud is a key technology enabler behind these trends. It augments human processes so that people can get more done with less effort. It helps manufacturers maintain--or even improve--their productivity when faced with a long-term staffing shortage.

Of course, maintaining application updates, managing role-based access, and maintaining data integrity remain of utmost importance. Provided these maintenance tasks can continue to be provided acceptably, the concept of what it means to “locally” host your systems infrastructure becomes less of a concern. The definition of “local” has forever changed.

Empowering Remote Workers Gartner has forecast that 51% of global knowledge workers will be remote by the end of 2021 – or more than half! This ranges from individual professionals working in their home offices to administrative teams from different locations monitoring servers and responding to increases and decreases in bandwidth and usage.

The New World of Anywhere Working This shift in defining local work could be classified as one of the unexpected outcomes of going through a global pandemic. Industry research supports this shift, showing that 94% of all enterprises already use a Cloud service in some form. New investment in this technology only further reinforces this trend is not slowing down.

The trend is not limited to classic white-collar workers, either. It’s estimated that 32% of all employees worldwide will soon be working remotely, and this will include work that traditionally has required an on-site presence. For example, a forklift driver with Cloudenabled technology such as a VR headset and remote controls can now operate at multiple warehouses while working from home or a regional office. One skilled driver could work the morning in Asia and the afternoon in North America as the company requires, or even change locations several times an hour.

But it’s not all about technology. Cloud solutions are also addressing the most traditional of concerns: staffing and workers. Today, there are millions of manufacturing jobs that cannot be filled, and many of those positions will likely remain unfilled. A recent study of 800 U.S.-based manufacturers concluded that these missing jobs could cost manufacturers $1 trillion by 2030.

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The Cloud has emerged as a great option to support this kind of systems infrastructure to provide this kind of global accessibility. It allows everyone with an

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internet connection to participate in this new work environment. Applications can be readily accessed from anywhere while scaling quickly and easily, whenever needed. The pandemic has shown us that you never know what your business’s needs will look like a year from now, so the ability to quickly adapt to change is imperative.

The fact is, Cloud solutions are often more reliable and secure than traditional in-house settings.

However, manufacturers should still vet their Cloud provider to ensure that robust security systems and procedures are in place. And critically, each enterprise must secure its networks and systems, especially in an organization with remote and far-flung operations.

Your Cloud provider can only protect the data it receives; it is no replacement for internal, end-to-end security.

Attracting the Best Talent Throughout the next decade, it will be harder than ever for manufacturers to find skilled people at all levels. It may be especially hard to find the workforce you need to successfully implement your digital transformation strategy.

The New Workplace By 2025, it’s predicted that manufacturers will have reduced their operational costs by 25%, combining automation technologies with redesigned operational processes enabled by the Cloud. Much of this will have to do with making people more productive. It won’t only be about improving the way people work now, which is how we tend to think of technology. It will also be about changing the relationship between the organization and the people who work for it, and what it even means to work.

How do you attract the people you want? Supporting remote workers is one way, and is fast becoming a requirement. What about on-site workers? No amount of automation will ever fully eliminate the need for some people to be on-site, so the cloud is just as important here, too. For example, Augmented Reality (AR) is best deployed in multiple factories via the Cloud because the application is so data-intensive. A private network with central storage will struggle to support the kind of bandwidth required. An edge computing environment that leverages the Cloud can easily support AR anywhere, along with providing local processing and data availability in real-time to both remote and on-site employees.

Many factors are driving digital transformation, but in the coming years, a lot will depend on how well manufacturers can create a new kind of workplace that is more mobile, more agile, and more productive than ever before. And they’ll need to make extensive use of the Cloud to do it.

Those entering the workforce today were born into a technological world. They’re going to expect the best technology when they go to work, wherever that work is.

About the Author Sung is an experienced technology architect and a published computer scientist. During his tenure at iBASEt, Sung played a key role in enhancing Solumina’s technology and exploring architecture experiments for future product directions. As the Chief Technology Officer, Sung leads iBASEt’s long-term technology vision and is responsible for the overall product architecture and infrastructure deployment profiles, focusing on open standards and integration technologies

Cloud Security One reason that Cloud usage is growing so rapidly is the acceptance by companies that it is a secure platform for enterprise applications, even for manufacturers operating in highly regulated and compliance-driven industries. The top Cloud providers have advanced and layered security procedures that are continuously updated to prevent, detect, and respond to security threats. Furthermore, systems based in the Cloud are unlikely to be affected, at least for long, by physical threats such as natural disasters.

www.ciolook.com

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Pierre-Alexandre CAUX Business Director Rtsys

Enhancing Underwater Acoustic Field with Unique Technological Innovations www.ciolook.com

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ounded in 2010, RTSYS is a French company specializing in underwater acoustics (passive and active) and autonomous underwater vehicles.

The company is part of the SEAFIN group, which has more than 30 years of experience in supplying equipment for the maritime and naval industry.

scientific applications to perform a wide range of missions, from bathymetry and seabed surveys to Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) detection. Ÿ ASW: Anti-Submarine Warfare RTsys is a world leader in the design and manufacture of autonomous targets dedicated to sonar operator training, multi ASW asset training, and torpedo firing exercises.

Located near the ocean, RTSYS has a sea trial base and two boats, allowing complete independence for in-situ tests and customer demonstrations. Focused on technology, the company employs forty (40) people, including more than twenty (20) qualified engineers and PhD.

RTsys expertise is also well known for its capabilities in acoustic system performance’s Check & Measurement.

With its network of distributors and a permanent office based in Singapore, RTsys’ international presence now represents more than 80% of its turnover.

Ÿ MCM: Mine-Counter Measures

We at CIO Look caught up with Pierre-Alexandre CAUX , the Business Director of RTsys, to learn more about the company and its contribution to enhancing the underwater acoustic field.

The Prime Business Sectors RTsys is continuously enhancing the underwater acoustic field because of its unique technological innovations and constant R&D investments. This high level of expertise is now recognized in the four following sectors of innovation: PAM (Passive Acoustic Monitoring), Underwater Exploration with AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicles), ASW (AntiSubmarine Warfare), and MCM (Mine-Counter Measures).

RTSYS is growing steadily and now relies on these four business sectors. Ÿ PAM: Passive Acoustic Monitoring RTSYS is a world leader in underwater multiparameters buoys and acoustic recorders dedicated mainly to science and renewable industry.

RTSYS PAM solutions obtain valuable data on underwater areas, either by real-time assessment or post-processing analysis in both acoustics and multi parameters monitoring. Ÿ AUV: Autonomous Underwater Vehicles RTsys Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are the best turnkey solutions for military, commercial and www.ciolook.com

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RTSYS provides to EOD Divers and Special Forces a complete range of AUVs and diver-held navigation and sonar systems for mine localization, detection, classification, and neutralization.

“RTSYS is a specialist in underwater

The RTSYS range has been upgrading divers’efficiency and safety during MCM Operations worldwide.

acoustics and

Developing Innovative Solutions Pierre-Alexandre Caux mentions that acoustic monitoring devices have been an important activity since the company's creation (buoys, recorders), however a decade of R&D linked to a close collaboration continuously maintained with the French Navy have also enabled the development of innovative solutions for operator’s training in anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and handheld sonar systems for EOD divers and special forces (MCM).

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV). Our products are based on RTsys innovation and

Finally, a complete range of light AUVs, easy to deploy by one or two people complete the range and have been successfully used worldwide for both applications: civil (universities, EMR, and offshore O&G) and Defense.

partnership with renowned research

These high added value products offered new opportunities and markets. Nowadays, RTsys products are field-proven equipment validated by a significant number of leading Navies internationally.

laboratories.”

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Providing Trustworthy Technology-based Solutions According to Pierre-Alexandre, customers trust RTsys’ technology-based solutions on real-time tracking and live repositioning, giving its AUVs accuracy at less than 5m constant, independent of the distance covered.

Recognition Target), Swarm capabilities, and more compact vehicles, with controlled costs of investment.

Also to notice that RTsys is really proud because some of its employees working in its engineering team have helped in the design and manufacture of a respirator dedicated to the treatment of COVID-19 and adapted to the needs of resuscitators !

Dealing with Challenges with Forethought Talking about the impact of the pandemic, PierreAlexandre states that it is significant on the automotive sector and related market as most of the end-users (both in civil and defense) want to see a live demonstration before investing in AUVs. And the global lockdown put on hold many actions in process for almost two years. Hopefully the wide network of RTsys’ distributors assisted very much to stay in contact locally with each prospects and customers.

Being in Capacity of Absorbing the Growth RTsys is a fast-growing company, with a turnover increase of more than 20% every year. With its own investments and willingness to strengthen its position as one of the world leaders in underwater acoustics and drones, the company expects to continue its growth within the next 5 years.

In terms of current supplies, RTsys sees a major issue to get electronic supplies mainly. Hopefully, RTsys anticipated as much as possible by having stock.

The move to a new facility of 1350m² confirms the willingness of RTsys to be in capacity of absorbing the growth, in terms of both, increase in manufacture and number of employees.

As far as Pierre-Alexandre is concerned, the future of automotive does not seem to be in link with the Covid19 pandemic. In his opinion, important technological milestones are not related to the pandemic, but mainly on AUV data enhancement like ATR (Automatic www.ciolook.com

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