E1110 The Next Unicorns E18 Ghost Locomotion CEO John Hayes builds self-driving kits for consumers

TL;DR

Ghost Locomotion is a startup that aims to enable self-driving capabilities in existing cars by retrofitting them with add-on hardware and software. They focus on solving the software challenges that have been the cause of most self-driving accidents, such as correctly identifying objects on the road and navigation in various driving conditions.

Transcript

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Key Insights

• 😨 Ghost Locomotion aims to retrofit existing cars with add-on hardware and software for self-driving capabilities.
• 😨 They prioritize solving software challenges to improve safety and reliability in self-driving cars.
• 🌱 The company plans to begin trial customers in 2021 and aims to provide level 3 autonomy on highways by 2022.
• 😒 Ghost Locomotion uses cameras instead of lidar for object recognition and focuses on simplifying the software to navigate various driving conditions.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does Ghost Locomotion retrofit cars for self-driving capabilities?

Ghost Locomotion adds a computer in the trunk of the car and installs cameras on the front and sides. These cameras are connected to the car controls, enabling the transformation of an ordinary car into a self-driving one.

Q: How does Ghost Locomotion distinguish its approach from other self-driving companies?

Ghost Locomotion focuses on solving the software challenges that have been the cause of most self-driving accidents. They use cameras instead of lidar and analyze video footage to detect expanding objects and make control decisions. Their objective is to simplify the software and make it capable of navigating various driving conditions.

Q: What challenges does Ghost Locomotion face in achieving self-driving capabilities?

One challenge is the identification of objects on the road, especially in complex scenarios like identifying stationary objects accurately. Additionally, they are working on addressing the impacts of adverse weather conditions like snow and ice. However, they believe that with focused engineering and data collection, these challenges can be overcome.

Q: How does Ghost Locomotion plan to ensure safety in self-driving cars?

Ghost Locomotion is focused on engineering process and data collection. They collect original sensor data from every road the car drives on, enabling them to iterate and improve their models. They also prioritize safety by ensuring that the system comes to a safe state if there are any failures or if it cannot continue to the destination.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Ghost Locomotion is retrofitting existing cars with hardware and software to enable self-driving capabilities.

• They use cameras instead of lidar for object recognition and focus on solving software challenges that have caused accidents in the self-driving industry.

• The company plans to begin trial customers in 2021 and aims to provide level 3 autonomy on highways by 2022.