Thordrive(CEO Dongkyoung Gye), which successfully launched its autonomous driving delivery service recently in Silicon Valley, the United States, will run a trial service of its autonomous driving technology with Korea’s largest discount chain. This technology will also be showcased in CES 2019, the world’s largest show on consumer electronics and IT.

As announced on the 6th, ThorDrive signed a mutual agreement with E-Mart on trying out the autonomous delivery service for the customers of E-Mart. Under the contract, the two companies will develop and launch a delivery service that can deliver the products bought by customers to their houses with an autonomous car within this year.

To test the first-ever service in Korea, ThorDrive will modify and develop autonomous cars, create 3D high definition maps of areas covered for the pilot service, and optimize the autonomous driving technology for the Last Mile (the last section of the product delivery to the customer). E-mart will be responsible for developing a system for the autonomous delivery service and user-centered UI and UX fused with its order system. ThorDrive is participating in CES, being held in the United States from 8th to 11th of this month, to showcase its autonomous driving technology.

ThorDrive is a startup company established in 2015 by professor Seungwoo Seo of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of SNU, an expert in self-driving, and his students. It has been showing progressive achievements in the commercialization of the technology including its partnership with Ace Hardware, a global retail cooperative, at the end of last year and the launching of a self-driving delivery service in Silicon Valley of the United States.

CB Insight forecasted that from this year autonomous driving technology will be used in greater extent in the ‘last mile’, which is the delivery of goods from a warehouse to a personal residence. Last mile autonomous driving delivery service only requires the car to move in predetermined routes. Therefore, in this transitional situation towards the prevalence of multi-purpose autonomous vehicles, it is expected that last mile autonomous delivery will be rapidly commercialized. Including The Kroger Co., America’s largest supermarket chain, and Wal-Mart, who are recently focusing on developing a self-driving delivery service, global large retail companies are striving to construct a smart retail system to prepare for the upcoming fourth industrial revolution.

Dongkyoung Gye, CEO of ThorDrive, said, “E-mart being Korea’s biggest supermarket chain and actively leading the ‘smart shopping’ era where IT is merged into shopping, the collaboration with them to provide an autonomous delivery service holds a great meaning for us.” He showed his determination saying, “Through close cooperation, we will do our best to develop autonomous driving technology that can become a part of daily lives of the people.”

Source: http://ee.snu.ac.kr/community/news?bm=v&bbsidx=48374
Translated by Kyungjin Lee, English Editor of Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, jin11542@snu.ac.kr