TIER IVの自動運転ソリューションを解き明かす

Unraveling TIER IV’s autonomous driving solutions

With CES just around the corner, we look back at a presentation by the heads of TIER IV’s DevOps and vehicle development units from the 2023 Japan Mobility Show

By Shimon Iwashita and Mariko Tame

TIER IV is at the forefront of autonomous driving, offering a full-stack solution for the commercialization of intelligent vehicles. As the pioneering force behind Autoware, the world’s largest open-source autonomous driving project, our goal is to make the technology accessible to all. To achieve this, we’re building an inclusive ecosystem where various organizations and individuals are helping to shape the future of autonomous driving.

The journey began in August 2015, when our CEO Shinpei Kato released Autoware while serving as an associate professor at Nagoya University. TIER IV conducted the first autonomous driving test on public roads in Japan in 2017, and the following year the Autoware Foundation (AWF) was established to accelerate the development and deployment of the open-source platform. The foundation boasts over 60 member companies, including Foxconn, whose subsidiary MIH hosted our booth at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show.

Milee in action

In March 2019, we launched a pilot project in Moricoro Park in Aichi Prefecture, putting the micro-autonomous vehicle Milee through its paces. Meanwhile, we’ve been testing robotaxis in Tokyo’s Nishi-Shinjuku district since September 2020, and in January 2021 we started working with MIH.

TIER IV currently employs about 300 staff, with offices located in Tokyo, Nagoya, Silicon Valley, and Shanghai.

Clearing a path to the peak

Our three main products comprise the DevOps platform Web.Auto, Pilot.Auto, a scalable software package, and ADK, a hardware platform that includes LiDAR, cameras, and other key components.

These tools help companies speed up the deployment of autonomous vehicles and reduce development costs. While Autoware serves as a direct route to the fifth station of the mountain that is autonomous driving, our commercial products can help you get from there to the ninth. Our goal is to chart a path to the peak through collaboration with customers.

Reach the pinnacle of autonomous driving with TIER IV

In this article, we’ll be focusing on TIER IV’s DevOps and vehicle development solutions.

The Japanese government is firmly committed to advancing AD technologies. It wants autonomous vehicles on roads in 50 locations by 2025 and in more than 100 locations by fiscal 2027. Initially, the emphasis is on Level 4 commercial vehicles, where the automobile has full control in specific situations. After that, the focus will shift to passenger cars.

We’ve been working hard to secure Level 4 certification in alignment with the government’s push to roll out autonomous driving. A significant milestone was reached in October when certification was obtained for a shuttle bus operating at a site in Greater Tokyo. The vehicle’s software, sensors, and other components will be deployable in a range of models.

A level 4-certified bus undergoes tests in Greater Tokyo

The development of AD systems begins with decisions about the type of autonomy, the operational environment (ODD), the kind of vehicle, and the design of features tailored for the target use case. The next step is the actual development and integration, encompassing system testing with simulation tools. Before the vehicle hits the road, it’s crucial to conduct risk assessments of the driving environment to address potential safety issues as thoroughly as possible.

Once an autonomous vehicle is up and running, a certain level of human support is still required. Given the ever-evolving nature of autonomous driving software, we continuously roll out updates, incorporating new features to enhance performance. We’re running, testing, and refining the software in an iterative process that involves an element of trial and error. Our DevOps platform supports this process, enabling the swift deployment of software and the collection of data that we use to further improve the technology.

Solid foundations

Before delving into our DevOps tools, it’s worth clarifying the part Autoware plays.

Built on ROS in Linux, Autoware is the world’s first open-source application for autonomous driving. It has been installed in over 30 vehicle models across 20+ countries, with more than 500 companies adopting the software.

Autoware powers vehicles worldwide

When people drive, they rely on their eyes to make decisions behind the wheel. In autonomous vehicles, software has to do the same job, using sensors to retrieve information. Based on the sensor data, Autoware can determine a car’s position, decide what route to take next, and issue instructions. It’s necessary to test and refine processes of recognition, judgment, and control to guarantee they work properly, with a high level of accuracy. TIER IV has been conducting extensive testing with Autoware to ensure it’ s safe for use on public roads.

Our Pilot.Auto platform, which is essentially a validated version of Autoware, delivers the performance reliability required for commercial operations, while our Web.Auto cloud service platform bundles together a suite of development and operation tools.

One such tool is Web.Auto Evaluator, which is used to manage the development of software and models in a CI/CD and MLOps toolchain. Developers can create scenarios and run tests in a virtual environment — such as one that faithfully replicates Tokyo’s Nishi-Shinjuku district. The simulations help to fine-tune functionalities and evaluate how the software performs in advance. After operations have been verified in the simulated environment, assessments are conducted on real roads.

The testing process can be extremely labor and cost intensive. By selecting the right tools for the right job, cost efficiency can be improved.

Screenshot of a virtual drive through Tokyo’s Nishi-Shinjuku district

So far, we’ve been looking at the development side of DevOps, but the operations side is also very important. Remote monitoring of unmanned vehicles is critical to ensure appropriate action can be taken in the event of an emergency. Web.Auto’s fleet management system monitors vehicles in real time, keeping tabs on their location, schedules, and other data, which is analyzed and used to improve the technology. The tool reflects our commitment to ensuring the safe operation of autonomous automobiles on public roads.

Not many platforms offer this level of end-to-end performance — from development to operational support.

Now, let’s explore how Pilot.Auto fits into all of this. With Autoware at its core, this product represents the culmination of our development efforts. Pilot.Auto customers get validated software, as well as full visibility of the source code. This allows them to craft their own autonomous driving solutions, whether for delivery robots, shuttle buses, robotaxis, and soon enough, passenger cars. Companies looking to deploy autonomous driving systems can customize the product instead of starting from scratch, giving them a significant head start in their time to market.

Use cases include a joint project with Suzuki to develop a Level 4 robotaxi, and for real-world commercial applications there’s “eve auto,” a factory vehicle developed by TIER IV in partnership with Yamaha. Pilot.Auto powers the autonomous functionality while Web.Auto is used to handle fleet management.

TIER IV is already offering these solutions to customers, and now we’re opening them up to partners, who can use our DevOps environment to deliver the same kinds of applications to their customers. Our partners include MIH, whose autonomous driving working group is led by TIER IV. In this group, we’re steering the development of a kit that is likely to incorporate Pilot.Auto and Web.Auto.

Partnering for progress

With the Japanese government aiming to have autonomous vehicles operating in more than 50 locations by fiscal 2025, TIER IV wants to be involved in the majority of those services, setting a goal of working in at least 26 locations by that year.

The market can’t currently supply autonomous vehicles at scale. Meanwhile, demand is surging, so we’ve joined hands with emerging OEMs and overseas manufacturers to sell autonomous vehicles. We’ve already launched TIER IV Minibus, an electric vehicle, and in the future we plan to add other models, aiming to become the leading platform provider of AD technology.

Vehicle development at TIER IV involves designing automobiles with partner manufacturers — including the development of drive-by-wire and sensor configuration — which we bundle with our software and market as white-label EVs. As we cannot modify vehicles on a large scale ourselves, we’ve teamed up with Japanese manufacturer TONOX to help with conversions. We announced the launch of our “fanfare” white-label solution in June. TIER IV Minibus is on sale now and preparations are underway to expand the lineup.

TIER IV’s fanfare

Until recently, we’ve been focused on developing Autoware and building an ecosystem to foster the growth of autonomous driving with partners around the world. The current phase of our business is about next-generation vehicle technologies. We’re now working on software-defined vehicles, including our own EEA (Electrical and Electronic Architecture) and SoC (system-on-chip) technology.

It’s important to emphasize the considerable effort being devoted behind the scenes to propel autonomous driving forward. We’re committed to sharing our experience and achievements with partners, and we look forward to advancing on this journey together with you.

Want to know more about our products and solutions? Join us at CES 2024.

Blog about TIER IV’s CES exhibition

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Autoware — Github | The Autoware Foundation