Robot Taxi Startup Moveez Wins ISICO R&D Support for All-Weather Driving
The selection backs Moveez's push to make robot taxis viable in snowy local cities by tackling sensor degradation in bad weather and cutting map development costs.
Reporting from 1 source: ASCII.jp.
Moveez, a Kanazawa University startup founded in May 2024, was selected for ISICO's Growth Strategy Fund R&D support program for fiscal year Reiwa 8. The company develops robot taxis using 2D maps and all-weather autonomous driving technology. The subsidy covers up to two-thirds of eligible expenses, max 30 million yen, for three years.
Moveez, which aims to deploy fully autonomous robot taxis in regional cities, will use the funding to develop vehicle-mounted sensors resistant to rain and snow and to advance efficient map creation. The company relies on simple 2D maps focused on road information, rather than the detailed 3D maps common in autonomous driving, to reduce time and cost. It will verify results in real environments alongside Kanazawa University.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.