TIER IV launches starter kit for autonomous vehicles

TIER IV has launched a starter kit for developing autonomous technologies and vehicles, featuring a drivable test vehicle.

The DTV Kit was designed to lower the barrier to entry in the autonomous driving sector, offering a ready-to-use platform for development and validation.

Developed in collaboration with Whale Dynamic, a start-up specialising in unmanned delivery vehicles, the kit is compatible with Autoware, open-source software for autonomous driving by TIER IV.

Training to support the development of autonomous driving technologies and vehicles is available through the TIER IV Autoware Partner Program.

Developers that complete the program can put test their skills in real-world environments by utilising the DTV Kit and Web.Auto, TIER IV’s cloud-native DevOps platform.

This aims to reduce the time, effort and resources required for vehicle preparation and system setup, hoping to enable partners to efficiently build and deploy development and testing environments.

The kit can also be used for Autoware users seeking hands-on experience operating Autoware with a real vehicle, or validating autonomous driving systems built on Autoware in real-world driving environments.

Key features of the kit include: pre-synchronized ECU and sensors, eliminating the need for calibration; DevOps with Autoware and Web.Auto, enabling immediate validation of simulation results in real-world conditions; reusable hardware and software, allowing for customised configurations or standalone use; hardware from TIER IV’s Edge.Auto platform; and scalable development environment, supporting modifications to the sensor configuration.