Specialized Solution for Commercial Autonomy

Companies developing and deploying autonomous vehicle software for passenger taxi services.

Developers and fleet owner-operators of full stack and retrofit kits for long-haul trucks in cargo transportation.

Fleet operators and software/hardware developers of last-mile delivery robots and supporting services.

Automated transit developers, operators, and managers serving municipalities across different locations.

Autonomous construction equipment such as bulldozers, tractors, excavators, CTLs, and other automated construction machinery used across different construction sites.

Autonomous mining applications such as haulage, dozing, blasting, loading, spotting, watercarts, and light vehicles.

Companies developing self-driving software for different use cases that integrate their AV stacks with base vehicle manufacturers (OEMs) and produce their own proprietary hardware.

Companies that own or operate autonomy fleets such as trucks, robotaxis, drones, shuttles, and more where safety and efficiency are critical to their day-to-day operations of transporting passengers and cargo. The fleet owner-operator model is expected to be the dominant model for most (if not all) of the autonomy use cases.

Suppliers of base vehicles (OEMs), sensors, or other hardware or software required for autonomy. In hardware, manufacturers supply vehicles that get retrofitted with sensors and redundancies necessary for autonomous deployment and operations. Some manufacturers integrate AV hardware at the point of assembly. In software, vendors supply products for simulation, machine learning, and more.

Network providers, teleoperations, fleet managers, repair shops, maintenance companies, safety assessors, and others are an important part of the autonomous technology ecosystem. Each service provider can have operations-critical functions that can fail and lead to business interruption resulting in considerable losses. Protection from service provider mistakes is essential to ensure smooth autonomy operations.

From early-stage ventures to well-funded enterprises, we work across the whole spectrum of R&D clients in autonomy and robotics space. These companies need to protect their assets from third-party liability, damages, cyberattacks, and intellectual property theft while also protecting their employees from workplace injuries, especially in industrial robotics development and testing. These organizations fall under a variety of industry verticals and are usually on the software/hardware development and deployment side.

Developers and operators performing limited trials in controlled environments to test their technology for its intended use. Different scales of pilot programs require different protection levels. Some pilots have simpler operating domains such as warehouses while other programs run on public streets with human passengers. Deployments without proper risk management practices can lead to accidents, resulting in general liability and property damage that deter technology testing and subsequent rollouts.

With sufficiently proven technology and necessary permissions, developers turn into operators and open their intended service to private customers or public users. At this stage, companies start generating real-world performance and safety data that gives a more in-depth view into risks than simulation and pilot testing. The highest level of protection is recommended at this stage to minimize third-party liability, vehicle damage, or business interruption as clients continue commercializing autonomy.

Scale happens when companies start experiencing rapid adoption of autonomous technologies and robotics across their use cases. With increased utilization, exposure goes up compared to traditional vehicles. Outstanding risk mitigation protocols must be in place to protect developers, owner-operators, and service providers alike.

Third-party liability arises from autonomous deployments with passengers or cargo on public roads in cities or highways. Autonomous technologies can be involved in at-fault or no-fault accidents due to software issues, hardware malfunctions, or operating domain circumstances. Protecting developers and operators from liability is a top priority for a safe rollout of autonomy.

While autonomy ultimately requires low to no human intervention, passengers and safety drivers are risk exposures for operators and developers. A sudden vehicle maneuver due to misperception might result in a passenger or safety driver's bodily injury, leading to medical consequences. At scale, this could be a significant exposure item that would require thorough coverage.

Any use case at any stage is prone to unforeseen events, resulting in lost development time, force-stopped pilots, and missed revenue. Prolonged business interruptions could result in permanent damage to engineering and deployment plans. Fleet owner-operators as well as developers must accept this uncertainty with due protection and risk management practices.

Any autonomous operation relies on sensory data for perception, prediction, and motion planning. Even minor damage to sensor equipment can lead to undesired outcomes. Protecting such a mission-critical piece of hardware is very important in autonomy.

Risk exposure grows as owner-operators start adopting autonomy across different use cases. With exposure, vehicles might get into different kinds of accidents. Covering vehicles equipped with costly sensors, redundancies, and computing units can help operators avoid substantial financial losses.

Though autonomous vehicles can "see" everything happening around them and assure safety and transparency of operations, they are not excluded from cargo theft performed by sophisticated groups or cargo damage due to unfavorable operating domain conditions. To mitigate this risk, it is in the fleet owner-operators' best interest to ensure the transported goods' safety, whether it is in trucking, delivery, aerial, or marine.