Ford has announced the acquisition of robotics and software developer Quantum Signal to accelerate its self-driving vehicle business.
“Quantum Signal will play a crucial role in advancing Ford’s self-driving vehicle development, while also representing the company’s commitment to nurturing the talent needed to successfully deploy this technology.”
“Quantum Signal will play a crucial role in advancing Ford’s self-driving vehicle development, while also representing the company’s commitment to nurturing the talent needed to successfully deploy this technology,” Randy Visintainer, Ford Autonomous Vehicle CTO, explained in a blog post announcing the acquisition.
While autonomous driving has picked up momentum in recent years, Quantum Signal’s history stretches back to 1999, when it was founded in Saline, Michigan. The company made a name for itself by helping the military develop remotely controlled robotic vehicles.
Quantum Signal also created a simulation environment prime for autonomous vehicle testing that is still in use today. Its ANVEL modeling and simulation environment has become a standard in military robotics to measure performance of unmanned remote and autonomous systems.
Visintainer revealed that as part of the deal, Ford will leverage Quantum Signal’s “extensive experience” in real-time simulation and algorithm development in addition to its control systems to develop its Transportation as a Service (TaaS) platform.
The automaker cites the breadth of Quantum Signal’s portfolio as another selling point, given the company’s ambitions to develop vehicles and transportation as a service business.
