Founded by Sam de Smet (CEO) & Niels van Damme (CTO) in 2020, Belgium-based OTIV are on a mission to “increase safety & efficiency of railway operations, by teaching rail vehicles to drive autonomously” (e.g. across cities, shunting yards & industrial sites). OTIV are currently live with 2 products: a) OTIV.ONE – specifically designed for “pushed shunting” movements; by placing a sensor suite capturing a 200° view on the upfront wagon, a reliable live feed is transmitted to the driver or another agent onsite –, b) OTIV.TWO – a similar sensor suite that can be retrofitted to most rail vehicles, enabling advanced drivers assistance (drivers remain in control of their vehicles, but the system provides advanced hazard warning & helps to navigate complex environments such as cities). Finally, OTIV are now working on c) OTIV.THREE, which (in logical progression) aims to provide full-self driving (for rail vehicles). OTIV are seemingly moving fast, thanks to world-leading operator clients such as Deutsche Bahn, SNCF Group, ProRail & NS Dutch Railways, as well as Betuweroute. Other clients incl. Arcelor Mittal & CAF (a pan-European rolling stock provider). Use of proceeds will go towards refining its core tech with a view to growing its automation trials & build out headcount at the Ghent HQ. <Source: tech.eu>
