Russian self-driving tech firm Yandex has positioned its operations within the U.S. on hiatus.
The corporate stated Friday it has paused testing of its robotaxi fleet in Ann Arbor, Mich., and is now not making restaurant deliveries with its six-wheeled sidewalk Rover bots on school campuses throughout the nation.
“Our AV take a look at fleet in Ann Arbor is grounded for the time being, however we hope to renew operations sooner or later,” a spokesperson informed Automotive Information.
Yandex stopped its operations as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine entered its second week, a battle which has sparked worldwide outcry and compelled companies throughout the globe to chop ties with Russian firms.
A type of was meals supply service Grubhub, which stated Thursday it might finish its partnership with Yandex. The two companies had worked together on the Ohio State College and College of Arizona campuses.
“We’re working with our campus companions on alternate service choices as we shift away from Yandex over time,” a Grubhub spokesperson stated Friday.
Yandex says the supply bots utilized in these operations will probably be transferred to areas exterior the U.S. the place the corporate both operates or is making ready to launch deliveries.
It launched the Rover bots within the Moscow suburb of Skolkovo in April 2020 because the pandemic struck and a precedence was positioned on supply providers. They expanded to the Russian metropolis of Innopolis after which to Ann Arbor, the place Yandex already had examined seven of its Hyundai Sonata robotaxis, within the spring of 2021.
The Rovers journey at about 5 mph on sidewalks and are geared up with cameras and lidar sensors. Although Yandex had personnel on the bottom in Ann Arbor, the corporate may remotely management the Rovers by way of a teleoperations middle in Moscow in the event that they discovered themselves in tough conditions.
