Autonomous driving was once considered a far-fetched dream, but now the technology is within reach. As the race to develop the technology intensifies, cutting-edge projects are emerging worldwide. This blog series explores the innovations driving the technology forward and reveals how TIER IV is harnessing open-source software to accelerate the rollout of autonomous vehicles.
Autonomous driving is categorized into five levels. Currently the focus is on Level 4, where the system handles all driving tasks under specific conditions. Several companies, including Alphabet subsidiary Waymo, have already commercialized Level 4 technology. Unmanned autonomous vehicles are now navigating in several U.S. cities, bringing us steadily closer to full automation.
At TIER IV, we’re developing the core software platform for autonomous driving systems. What sets us apart is Autoware, the world’s first open-source software for autonomous driving. Autoware was developed by TIER IV founder Shinpei Kato while he was an associate professor at Nagoya University. Since its release in 2015, it has gained worldwide recognition and established itself as the go-to software for autonomous driving engineers.
An autonomous taxi
In those early days, many engineers, including myself, were intrigued by Autoware’s potential. While working for a Japanese automotive parts manufacturer, I downloaded the source code and began experimenting with it. Running the software, I could see how it processed sensor data and controlled the vehicle, simulating its movement through a virtual city on my computer. I was involved in developing advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) at the time and was amazed that everything from the operating system to the middleware was open source. With clear instructions, anyone could run autonomous driving software.
I spent my weekends analyzing the code I had executed, reviewing the source, and hunting for bugs. As I reported these issues, I gradually became more involved in the open-source development process. Although I was familiar with open-source software, this was my first time actively participating in it.
I reported bugs through GitHub, a platform for collaborative software development. GitHub uses a tool called Git, which helps manage code changes made by multiple contributors. Experiencing the benefits of this tool and the potential of open-source development ultimately led me to TIER IV.
TIER IV was founded by Shinpei just four months after the software's release. It started with a small team of mostly engineers but quickly grew. The company currently has more than 300 employees. The development base has moved from Nagoya to Tokyo, and TIER IV has established itself as a unique force in the autonomous driving software industry.
TIER IV’s vision is clear: we’re committed to making autonomous driving accessible to all through the power of open-source software. In the next installment, I’ll delve deeper into how open source is set to revolutionize the autonomous driving sector.
Toshihide Ando | TIER IV Fellow
Toshihide joined TIER IV in 2019, where he has served in roles including vice president of technology before assuming his current position as fellow. Previous experience includes software development and R&D at a major Japanese automotive parts manufacturer.
TIER IV is always on the lookout for passionate individuals to join our journey. If you share our vision of making autonomous driving accessible to all, get in touch.
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