An Icon Reborn

Welcome back to The Stack, a monthly newsletter from Argo AI covering our latest autonomous vehicle news, explainers, and job opportunities. Subscribe here.

Know someone who would be interested in learning more about autonomous vehicles or working in the industry? Feel free to send this newsletter to them!

What's Got Us Buzzing?

Last year, Argo AI and Volkswagen sent the auto and tech worlds buzzing (pun very much intended) with the news that the two companies were collaborating on an autonomous driving version of the iconic Volkswagen “bus” called the ID. BUZZ AD.?

Earlier, this year, VW shared that it would officially unveil the new ID. BUZZ design on March 9, 2022. And just in the last few weeks, Argo AI hosted our partners at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, who we’re working with on an upcoming autonomous ride-pooling service, at our test track in Munich.

True Story

“Ground Truth” is the name of Argo’s online publication about self-driving technology, but it’s also a term unto itself that describes the underlying data, values, or facts that someone can use to orient themselves in the world.?

Does that sound heady to you? It is, which is why we asked Argo co-founder and president Dr. Peter Rander to explain just what “ground truth” means for self-driving.?

Part philosophical essay and part explainer of Argo’s approach to developing autonomous vehicle tech, you’re going to want to turn your phone onto Focus mode to read this.

The Man Behind the Machines

“We are at this new moment where there’s just a tidal wave of new applications for robotics,” says Matt Johnson-Roberson, the newly announced Director of Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute, a division that trains future roboticists and has been called the “world’s best robotics research facility” (also home to Argo AI’s Center for Autonomous Vehicle Research).?

Read our exclusive interview with him in Ground Truth to find out more about his background, how he became interested in robots and tech, and why he doesn’t drive much.?

The autonomous vehicle (AV) industry has been described numerous times in the press as a “race” — the analogy is just too perfect to resist.?

Or is it? As Ground Truth columnist Alex Roy persuasively argues in a new essay — part one of a two-part series — there’s actually a much more fitting way of describing the competition between the players working to bring self-driving tech to the masses: that of a board game.?

Read his take to discover how smartphones, elevators, commercial airplanes and more all help us understand what’s happening now with AVs. And try your best to guess which game he’s thinking of before we publish part two…?

Open Seats

Ready to work in the autonomous vehicle industry? We’re expanding and have many openings with no STEM experience required. Apply now to one of our many open roles in the U.S., Germany, and remote opportunities.?

• Autonomous Vehicle Test Specialist (Miami)
• Autonomous Vehicle Operator (Munich)
• Senior Software Engineer, Machine Learning Platform
• Senior Project Manager, IT
• Public Policy & Government Relations Manager
• Communications Manager

Full job list here.

On Our Radar (and Lidar)

• What does?the?future of?the?auto industry look like? Hear from Argo CEO Bryan Salesky and other leaders of auto and auto tech companies in their own words in an?excellent interview roundup?from?The?Verge's Decoder podcast
• Introducing?the?Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association (AVIA),?a name change to strengthen?the?clarity in difference between companies developing advanced driver assistance technology (ADAS) and autonomous driving technology
• Missed this year’s annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES)? Catch up on?all?the?biggest autonomous tech announcements here
• A bipartisan group of Pennsylvania State Senators?advanced a bill?to allow?the?driverless testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles on?the?state's public roads, which is critical for?the?future of?the?technology in Pennsylvania
• Have you ever done?the?“robot” dance? Dr. Merritt Moore takes this idea to a whole new level:?the?trained ballerina, quantum physicist and programmer dances alongside industrial robots she’s coded to be her partner. If you’re not?following her on Instagram, you should be.
• Another recommended Instagram follow:?Bionic Pets. Caution: extreme cuteness ahead!
• Have autonomy links you want to recommend? Send them over to [email protected]. We may include your recommendations in a future edition.?

Have autonomy links you want to recommend? Send them over to [email protected]. We may include your recommendations in a future edition.?

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