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

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

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.

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