ISEE Launches Autonomous Driving System for Yard Trucks in Logistics Hubs

Maersk and Lazer Spot are using ISEE self-driving vehicles to optimize throughput and improve predictability and efficiency.

ISEE


ISEE said its AI can safely operate yard trucks in dynamic environments including human workers.
ISEE, which has developed AI that it said can anticipate behavior in dynamic environments, is working with Maersk and Lazer Spot on projects involving autonomous yard trucks.

ISEE this week announced the launch of its autonomous driving system, which applies artificial intelligence to enhance performance and safety in transportation and logistics hubs. The Cambridge, Mass.-based company also announced active, real-world implementations at Lazer Spot and Maersk, an investor in ISEE.

“Unlike other autonomous vehicle solutions, ISEE AI anticipates unexpected behavior, flexibly adapts to any environment, and works alongside human driven vehicles without disruption,” stated Yibiao Zhao, co-founder and CEO of ISEE. “Our solution understands its surroundings and intuitively predicts other drivers’ behavior, enabling smooth vehicle-vehicle and human-vehicle coordination, keeping equipment and drivers safe.”

“Our launch marks the beginning of our mission to build towards a future where autonomous machines can thrive alongside humans and easily and safely integrate into any environment,” said Zhao.

ISEE systems work alongside people

A growing shortage of skilled and qualified drivers, as well as ongoing safety and efficiency challenges, has led warehouse and logistics companies to consider automation, said ISEE. While mobile robots have been entering facilities for several years, yard trucks are just beginning to benefit from investments in autonomous vehicles.

Founded in 2017, ISEE was developed on AI research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The startup asserted that its AI can anticipate unexpected behaviors better than any other system on the market.

ISEE said its system provides flexible autonomy so machines can understand human decision making and deliver the versatility needed to automate operations seamlessly. It works alongside human distribution workers to enhance driving capacity, optimize throughput, and improve predictability, said the company.

As a result, operators can benefit from safer and more efficient trailer load, unload, and transportation, getting products where they need to go faster, on time, and at a lower cost, claimed ISEE. The company added that one customer saw wait times to accept jobs decrease and overall efficiency in space utilization increase by 30%.

ISEE expects the unexpected

ISEE said its AI can expect the unexpected. Source: ISEE

Partners expect efficiency gains

Not only has Maersk Growth invested in ISEE, but the world’s biggest logistics company is also collaborating with it on a number of projects.

“Through their humanistic AI approach, ISEE has in just a few years achieved very strong performance and proof points for use cases in logistics,” said Peter V. Jorgensen, partner at Maersk Growth. “Our joint warehousing pilots have validated how ISEE’s platform enhances efficiency and safety, and we look forward to implementing these improvements to enhance our competitiveness globally.”

ISEE also announced a joint project with Lazer Spot, which said it is the largest yard operator of distribution centers in North America. The two companies will collaborate to deploy ISEE’s autonomous driving technology to increase driver health and safety.

Another goal is to improve transportation efficiency across Lazer Spot’s 400 international locations, where it operates more than 1,300 trucks for Fortune 500 and top consumer packaged goods brands.

“The logistics industry needs to add supply chain resiliency and predictability,” said Adam Newsome, CEO of Lazer Spot. “Compounded by the pandemic, there is urgency in our industry to find solutions that help enhance our warehouse employees’ safety and wellness.”

“By launching our pilot program with ISEE, we expect to gain the knowledge necessary to dramatically improve our throughput, avoid on-the-job accidents, and free up our skilled workforce to provide the management and oversight needed to increase effectiveness of our operations and maximize output,” he said.

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ISEE

ISEE said its AI can safely operate yard trucks in dynamic environments including human workers.


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