Torc Robotics
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Autonomous trucking, Robotics |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder | Michael Fleming and others |
| Headquarters | Blacksburg, Virginia , United States |
Area served | United States, China, France (via partnerships) |
| Products | Autonomous trucking solutions, self-driving trucks |
| Owner | Daimler Truck |
| Parent | Daimler Truck |
Torc Robotics (commonly known as Torc) operates as an independent subsidiary under Daimler Truck and is a U.S.-based company specializing in autonomous trucking solutions. Headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia, Torc maintains additional facilities in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Austin, Texas; and Stuttgart, Germany. The company employs a focused business model aimed at commercializing self-driving trucks, initially concentrating on the Daimler Freightliner Cascadia platform within the United States.
Prior to its acquisition by Daimler, Torc concentrated on developing unmanned vehicle technology designed to retrofit existing machinery across various sectors including military, mining, agriculture, and automotive industries. Its products and software have been utilized by clients such as the United States Department of Defense, U.S. Marines, Air Force Research Labs, Caterpillar, and DCD Protected Mobility. Until 2014, defense contracts represented half of the company’s revenue, with the remainder coming from commercial enterprises.
Founding
Established in 2005 by a group of graduate students from Virginia Tech, including founder Michael Fleming,[1] Torc collaborated with Virginia Tech to enter the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge. This contest required teams to develop fully autonomous vehicles capable of completing a 60-mile course through urban and off-road environments within a six-hour timeframe.
Torc’s autonomous Ford Escape, named Odin, achieved third place out of 35 competitors and was awarded $500,000.[2] Other prominent participants included Carnegie Mellon University’s Tartan Racing and Stanford Racing Team.
In 2010, Torc joined forces again with Virginia Tech for the National Federation of the Blind's Blind Driver Challenge. This initiative earned National Instruments' Application of the Year award for its innovative drive-by-wire technology.[3] The project incorporated Torc’s ByWire conversion modules, Safestop wireless emergency stop system, and PowerHub power distribution units installed on a Ford Escape.
On January 29, 2011, a visually impaired individual successfully operated Torc’s vehicle autonomously at Daytona Speedway.[4]
In 2012, Torc took part in the DARPA Robotics Challenge as part of Team ViGIR (Virginia-Germany Interdisciplinary Robotics Team), reaching the final round by developing robotic hardware and software tailored for first responder scenarios.[5]
Defense and heavy equipment
Torc has contributed advanced technology for military applications worldwide, including the creation of GUSS (Ground Unmanned Support Surrogate), an autonomous vehicle designed for use by the Marines. The company engineered a sophisticated sensor fusion system for the Department of Defense to improve obstacle detection and prediction at high speeds.
In 2012, an autonomous vehicle developed by Torc for Air Force Research Labs (AFRL) showcased its abilities in tasks such as runway inspection, soil hardness assessment, terrain data gathering, and hazard identification. Additionally, Torc designed a remote-control interface that replicates the cab environment of a 240-ton haul truck to enable safe teleoperation in hazardous mining conditions.
On-road autonomous vehicles
In 2015, Torc took part in a successful test involving a platoon of five vehicles alongside the U.S. Federal Highway Administration at a decommissioned naval air station in Pennsylvania.
By mid-2017, Torc had become the inaugural company to register under Washington state's Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Program, enabling it to perform officially sanctioned self-driving vehicle trials. That same month, one of Torc's autonomous cars completed a 4,300-mile coast-to-coast journey, finishing in Richmond, Virginia, where it received commendation from Governor Terry McAuliffe.
In 2018, Torc announced significant collaborations: teaming up with Bordrin Motor Corporation to create autonomous electric vehicles tailored for the Chinese market and joining forces with Transdev to introduce self-driving electric shuttles in France.
Autonomous Trucking
On March 29, 2019, Daimler Trucks North America acquired a controlling interest in Torc Robotics. Subsequently, that year, Torc and Daimler initiated public road trials of Level 4 autonomous trucks in Virginia and engineered chassis equipped with redundant safety systems. In 2020, testing operations expanded to highways in New Mexico and Texas.
Throughout 2021, Torc forged key technology alliances, selecting Amazon Web Services as its primary cloud platform provider, partnering with Luminar Technologies for lidar solutions, and collaborating with Applied Intuition to enhance simulation capabilities.
In 2022, Torc inaugurated engineering centers in Austin, Texas, and Stuttgart, Germany. Additionally, Penske Truck Leasing was appointed as the maintenance service provider for its autonomous testing fleet.
In February 2023, Torc strengthened its expertise in computer vision and machine learning by acquiring Montreal-based Algolux along with its intellectual property assets.
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