By Riley Kaminer
The self-driving cars are coming! And Boca Raton will be a hub for all vehicles of the autonomous variety.
The Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC), the historic home of IBM, has just opened up its doors to a facility for the remote monitoring of autonomous vehicles. Commercial real estate firm CP Group, which owns and manages BRiC, announced that autonomous vehicle monitoring company Guident has signed a lease for a 7,500 square-foot facility at the campus.
“As autonomous vehicles are increasingly adopted across both the public and private sectors, remote control and monitoring centers like ours will play a vital part in ensuring they are used efficiently, effectively and safely,” Harald Braun, Executive Chairman of Guident, said in a statement.
“In BRiC, we have found a home for this groundbreaking technology that not only offers a prime location and first-class amenities for our employees, but also a rich history of creativity and invention that can inspire the next phase of our company’s growth,” Braun continued.
Guident, which was founded in 2018, is no stranger to Boca Raton, having undertaken Florida Atlantic University’s Tech Runway program. Braun is a prominent telecommunications executive who has held senior positions at firms including Siemens and Nokia.
Safety is a top concern for autonomous vehicle providers, and remains a major barrier to widespread adoption. Guident helps by resolving unforeseen issues at scale using artificial intelligence. Its remote control and monitoring center is designed to monitor as well as provide additional support as needed, including calling first responders, taking over control of a vehicle to move it out of harm’s way, and providing real-time communication with passengers or pedestrians.
This news comes at a time of rapid growth for Guident. Alongside Perrone Robotics, Guident was recently selected to provide its remote monitoring and control services for the Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s Ultimate Urban Circulator Project.
“The launch of this pioneering control system for autonomous vehicles is the latest development in the transformation of BRiC into one of the most dynamic technology and life science campuses in the country,” commented Angelo Bianco, Managing Partner for CP Group.
“The spirit of innovation has always been core to BRiC’s history and continues as our vision for its future,” said Bianco. “We are proud that BRiC will play a critical role as this cutting edge applied AV technology heralds a new era of transportation.”
BRiC is home to a wide range of major tech firms, including Modernizing Medicine and Canon. The innovation hub is also in the midst of a rezoning campaign. If successful, this would see the development of a ‘15-minute city’ that residents could walk around and access everything they need – from work and living spaces to medical facilities and restaurants.
Boca Raton continues to become a more prominent tech hotspot in Palm Beach. In a roundtable last month with South Florida mayors, Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer noted that the Tech Runway program is oversubscribed, receiving more than 200 applications for only 10 spots. “That means there were 190 more companies wanting to come to Boca Raton that weren’t able to,” said Singer. “That’s why we’re trying to connect founders and funders.”
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