User:TelemachusRex/sandbox

= Autonomous Solutions, Inc. =

Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (also known by the acronym ASI) is an American multinational technology company that specializes in industrial, OEM agnostic, vehicle automation. ASI's vehicle autonomy solution is accomplished through a combination of hardware and software components that work together to provide autonomous control of vehicle capabilities e.g. steering, brake, throttle, hoist beds, PTO, etc. and location awareness via GPS, radar, lidar, cameras and other sensors. Proximity to map destinations, boundaries, other vehicles and personnel, as well as obstacle detection/avoidance are integral parts of ASI's solution.

ASI serves clients across the world in the mining, agriculture, automotive, logistics, construction, government, and manufacturing industries with remote control, teleoperation, and fully automated solutions from its headquarters and 100-acre proving ground in northern Utah, USA. By bringing all the necessary building blocks together, ASI helps organizations optimize their operations, optimize the testing & development of future technology, and help organizations reach their potential as market leaders through innovative robotic solutions.

History

 * November 2000, ASI is founded by seven members (Mel Torrie, Raeghn Torrie, Paul Lewis,...) of the Utah State University (USU) Center for Self Organizing and Intelligent Systems (CSOIS). The group's first contract was with John Deere to develop precision agriculture technologies.


 * April 2003, Mobius v.1 is released as ASI's command and control software for autonomous vehicles.
 * October 2003, Chaos™ v.1, a high mobility quad track robot released as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) solution.
 * July 2005, ASI works with Nellis Air Force Base to develop automated target vehicles.
 * 2006, ASI automated CAT 777 haul trucks for the Phelps Dodge mine site in Arizona, US.
 * Feb 2007, ASI is named as MEP Utah Manufacturer of the Year for 2006.
 * March 2007, ASI moves to new location in Mendon Utah.
 * November 2007, ASI participates in DARPA Grand Challenge (Urban). ▶ See YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjJotrPcdP4
 * October 2008, ASI introduces autonomous options for mining.
 * 2009, ASI was contracted with Israeli government to outfit a number of security backhoes for automation.
 * 2011, ASI automated Komatsu and Volvo ADTs for Anglo American in South Africa.
 * April 2011, ASI provides remote control capability to LAPD's BatCat, California, US.
 * November 2011, ASI enters the automotive industry with robot drivers for proving ground misuse and durability testing.
 * February 2012, USPTO grants ASI patent for Guideline™ Robotic Convoy System (sees action in the US/Afghanistan war). ▶ See YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pKeCxd04Aw
 * April 2013, ASI receives Bronze Edison Award in Safety category for Guideline™.
 * 15 June 2013, Ford Motor Company partners with ASI for autonomous durability testing. ▶ See YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFlgVtbrlS8
 * July 2013, ASI provides 6 remote excavators to Rio Tinto to help clean up the unstable material left from the Bingham Canyon Mine landslide in Utah, US.
 * October 2013, Robotics Business Review awards ASI with Game Changer award for Forge™.
 * January 2014, USPTO grants dispatch patents to ASI.
 * March 2014, Robotics Business Review names ASI in list of 50 most notable businesses in the robotics world.
 * May 2014, USPTO grants patent to ASI for Forecast™.
 * November 2014, Anglo American partners with ASI to develop autonomous haulage.
 * August 2015, Inc. 5000 ranks ASI as #1716 of all companies in the US, #19 for engineering.
 * September 2015, ASI expands test tracks onsite to accommodate urban testing environments.
 * 2016, Mobius v.7 released, new user interface, many additional features included.
 * 30 August 2016, ASI and CNHi reveal the autonomous tractor concept. ▶ See YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7Os5Okf3OQ&t=26s
 * Nov 2017, ASI works with Enaex to provide semi autonomous ANFO (explosive mixture) and stemming operations (blast hole capping) for Enaex blast trucks in Chile, South America.
 * 2017, ASI collaborated with Liebherr to make the T284 compatible with the Mobius platform, in Pennsylvania, US.
 * 2017, TARDAC (US Army) collaborated with ASI on Smart Convoy (autonomous trucks behaving as a convoy).
 * March 2018, ASI collaborates with FireFly on an autonomous turf mower.
 * April 2018, ASI receives Gold Edison Award in Transportation & Logistics category for the autonomous concept tractor with CNHi.
 * June 2018, ASI automated a fleet Komatsu 930E-2 haul trucks for Nevada Gold Mines (formed as a joint venture between Barrick Gold and Newmont Corp), in Nevada, US.
 * 2018, CNHi and ASI partner to automate a variety of CNH tractor models.
 * 14 March 2018, ASI and Toyota partner to provide the Toyota proving ground in Ann Arbor, Michigan, US, with ASI robotic drivers.
 * 30 October 2018, ASI enters partnership with Epiroc.
 * 2019, ASI contracts to automate a fleet of CAT 793D haul trucks for the Ferrexpo Yeristovo mine in the Ukraine.
 * November 2019, ASI begins automating yard shifting using Terberg yard trucks, and Fanuc robotic arm.
 * 3 March 2020, ASI begins automation of mixed fleet of 77 haul trucks in Western Australia comprised of CAT793F, CAT793 Command Ready, Hitachi EH5000. Also includes tracking of 250 assets (such as light trucks, dozers and other mine equipment and personnel).
 * 13 January 2022, Epiroc announces the release Mobius for Drills.

Bingham Canyon Mine
In April 2013, a massive landslide rocked the Bingham Canyon Mine (Kennecott Utah Copper/Rio Tinto Group). Between 135-165 million tons of earth shifted, collapsing one side of the world's largest open pit mine. ASI was contacted to assist in the cleanup efforts by providing remote control automation for 6 excavators (four CAT 375D and two CAT 390D). The excavators were used to safely move millions of tons of material from the most unstable areas at the top of the slide area.

▶ See YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYPQfaUvJ_U

FORD Motor Company
On June 15, 2013, Ford Motor Company issued a press release detailing their robotic durability testing program. This program allows vehicles to be tested on the most punishing test tracks without the risk previously experienced with human drivers. Using ASI's vehicle automation products testing can run 24/7 without compromising test quality. Ford has been using ASI's robotic drivers on the Michigan proving ground ever since.

▶ See YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHoqm7AiYls&t=3s

TOYOTA

14 March 2018, Toyota partners with ASI to provide a number of ASI's robotic drivers to the Toyota proving ground in Ann Arbor, Michigan, US. Using ASI's vehicle automation products testing can run 24/7 without compromising test quality. Toyota has been using ASI's robotic drivers on their US proving ground ever since.

▶ See YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHoqm7AiYls&t=3s

LAPD BatCat
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) contracted ASI to provide teleoperation capabilities to a CAT telehandler. The telehandler, named the BatCat, has seen action in several high profile situations involving bomb threats and active shooters.

▶ See YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUo9m8b9mz0

Barrick
2018, Barrick Gold Corporation (now Nevada Gold Mines) contracted with ASI to convert a fleet of haul trucks to be autonomous. By Dec 2018, autonomous haulage had began within the mine.

Ferrexpo
Ferrexpo is a Swiss headquartered iron ore company with assets in Ukraine. This open pit mine in Yeristovo is the first major autonomous haulage deployment in Eastern Europe. In 2018, Ferrexpo contracted with ASI to convert 15 haul trucks to be autonomous. Progress was exciting until the end of Feb 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine.

▶ See YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As09nwyhVCU

Roy Hill
3 March 2020 ASI signed subcontract with Epiroc to supply 77 autonomous haul truck conversions for Roy Hill iron ore mine in Western Australia. In late 2021, ASI's autonomous haulage program achieved 100% of manned operation.

Company Structure
ASI utilizes a divisional business structure with ASI corporate as the mother company to a number of divisional/daughter companies each division servicing different markets. As of March 2022, the daughter companies had grown to include: Agriculture, Automotive, Construction, Logistics, Mining, Research, and Security.

Each division is lead by a single Product Manager (PM), however depending on the size of the division, additional PMs may be needed to oversee major aspects such as safety or program development. Each division will also have a team of developers, testers and sales staff. ASI also includes a number of product support teams that provide engineering expertise, marketing and technology assistance as the autonomous solution is produced.

ASI Agriculture
The Ag division of ASI is lead by Brett Turpin as PM. The Ag team services agricultural and similar industries, automating a diverse assortment of tractors--mostly from Case, New Holland as well as their combination of CNH, and some tractor models from John Deere. ASI Ag began in 2001 automating an orchard tractor for John Deere, but quickly grew to include lawn mowers and then a major partnership with CNHi to automate durability on a bump track. This soon lead to further joint autonomous developments with CNH culminating in the cabless tractor concept in 2016.

ASI Automotive
The Automotive division is lead by Jed Judd as PM. The Automotive team services most of the major auto manufacturers in the US, helping automakers automate the durability and misuse testing of automobiles. Ford, Toyota, GM, Chrysler, Hyundai and Volvo utilize ASI's robot driver system on proving grounds to do the most punishing vehicle durability tests so that human drivers are spared injury.

ASI Construction
The Construction division is led by Bret Turpin as PM. The Construction team has been working on automating front-end wheel loaders, Articulated Dump Trucks (ADTs), dozers and other industrial equipment to bring innovation and autonomy to the modern construction site.

ASI Logistics
The Logistics division is led by Doug Taylor as PM. The Logistics team is working to bring autonomy to distribution centers and intermodal sites by deploying autonomous yard trucks that drive, connect to trailers, make the glad hand connection (for airbrakes), moves the trailer and backs it up to a dock door or stall without a human aboard. The solution from ASI Logistics interfaces with a site's Yard Management System (YMS) and greatly increases productivity and safety.

ASI Mining
The Mining division is led by Patrick Hald as PM. Mining is currently the biggest division at ASI and so has multiple PMs that function under Mr. Hald's leadership. The Mining team is

ASI Research
The Research division of ASI is led by Nate Bunderson. The Research group is made up of a number of engineers and technology specialists that perform tests on the latest sensor technology, AI, and Machine Learning and gauge the utility of such for various autonomous solutions. Impact from environmental conditions such as weather, water, dust, heat, cold, static charge, GPS availability, vibration, etc. all must be considered since ASI's solutions are deployed in many different places around the world. The sensors, communication, localization and AI that ASI uses must be able to perform appropriately in the intended environment.

ASI Security
The Security division is

Corporate Identity
Logo

Daughter-company logos

ASI Ag

ASI Automotive

ASI Construction

ASI Logistics

ASI Mining

ASI Research

ASI Security

MOBIUS®
Mobius is ASI proprietary command and control software for autonomous vehicles. Mobius began in 2001, and as of March 2022, Mobius was in its 7th release. Mobius allows users to interface with and control multiple vehicles of different types all from one location. Mobius is a server/client application that communicates with what ASI calls the Vehicle Control Unit (VCU), a small device that is installed on each autonomous vehicle. The VCU interfaces with the vehicle's onboard computer systems in charge of steering, brakes, throttle, transmission and accessories. Mobius then instructs the VCU to have the vehicle do work. The VCU receives vehicle feedback about speed, direction, location, condition of accessories, etc. and relays that back to Mobius which analyzes and logs the information to the server every few seconds. The vehicle may, depending on need, be equipped with obstacle detection & avoidance systems which also keep Mobius appraised of any unplanned obstacles that might appear in a vehicle's path, such as a fallen rock, animal, vehicle, etc.

Vehicle Automation Kit (VAK)
The VAK is a series of hardware and software components that work in harmony and enable a vehicle to drive autonomously. The VAK will differ depending on vehicle type, e.g. lawn mowers have much different automation requirements than haul trucks, so the kit for each will not be the same. However, the base components of a VAK will include: Mobius, VCU, safety switches, strobe lights and communications equipment. Additional components may include an augmented VCU & communications array, actuators, obstacle detection components, and more.

Executive Management
as of 21 March 2022, the management of ASI includes the following:


 * Chief Executive Officer: Mel Torrie
 * Chief Financial Officer: Raeghn Torrie
 * Director of Operations: Devin Stewart
 * Chief Technology Officer: Jeff Ferrin
 * Chief Strategic Advisor: Mike Schaefer
 * Director of Human Resources: Dalynn Jones
 * Director of Business Development: Shawn Ballard
 * Director of Engineering: Brian Stewart

Partnerships & Investments of Note
30 October 2018, Epiroc, a world leader in mining equipment and drill automation acquired a 34% share of ASI Mining.

FANUC

Terberg

AutoCar

Softbank Robotics

Charitable Causes
Wayne-Julien Foundation

ASI Gives Back

Patents
All patents listed are issued by the USPTO except where otherwise noted.


 * 24 June 2003, Autonomous Vehicle, orchard tractor
 * 14 June 2005, Method and System for Efficiently Traversing an Area with a Work Vehicle
 * 23 August 2005, Method and System for Determining an Efficient Vehicle Path
 * 22 November 2005, Method and System for Controlling a Mechanical Arm
 * 7 Mar 2006, Path Planer and a Method for Planning a Path of a Work Vehicle.
 * 18 July 2006, Point-to-Point Path Planning
 * 19 September 2006, Modular Path Planner
 * 3 October 2006, Height-of-Cut Adjustment System for Reel Mower
 * 17 October 2006, Cutting Reel Adjusting System
 * 5 June 2007, Spiral Path Planner & Method
 * 8 May 2007, Contour Path Planning
 * 27 May 2008, Cutting Reel Adjusting System
 * 14 February 2012, Follower Vehicle Control System and Method for Forward and Reverse Convoy Movement.
 * 8 October 2013, Vantage™ -- Computer software and hardware for obstacle detection and avoidance in autonomous vehicles
 * 8 October 2013, TruSpective™ -- Computer application software for navigating and manipulating small robot platforms
 * 22 April 2014, Guideline™, Robotic Convoy -- hardware and software system for use in leader/follower convoy movement.
 * 6 May 2014, Forecast™, 3D Laser System -- hardware and software systems for 3D obstacle detection and 3D mapping for use with autonomous vehicles
 * 23 June 2015, Follower Vehicle Control System and Method for Forward and Reverse Convoy Movement (issued by Canadian Intellectual Property Office)