Oxbotica, an autonomous vehicle software spinout from Oxford University, has signed an MoU with ZF to integrate its autonomous driving software with ZF’s automotive-grade ProAI compute platform and sensor sets. (Earlier post.)

Oxbotica provides a full suite of Universal Autonomy software that is fully modular, has low compute power requirements and uses best-in-class laser vision and radar for localization and perception for redundancy and safety purposes. The suite is also self contained, requiring no external infrastructure or third-party maps, works in fully GPS-denied environments and is fully integrated with a cloud management service.

As a first milestone, Oxbotica has completed integration and demonstration of its autonomous vehicle software with ZF’s ProAI, AI capable automotive-grade compute platform and ZF’s Full-Range Radar. Following testing, the integrated system is running on Oxbotica’s test vehicles on public roads in and around Oxford.

The two companies share a joint vision on the future of mobility and how autonomy will transform all industries where people and goods move. As part of the collaboration agreement, both companies will work closer together on validation and verification of integrated self-driving vehicle systems.

ZF and Oxbotica will combine expertise to create self-driving systems which can be industrialized and deployed across different applications. Oxbotica’s autonomous driving software has been deployed in many different environments including cities, mines, airports, quarries and ports, while ZF is a supplier to some of the largest automotive OEMs in the world.