Unity Technologies and Baidu to develop autonomous vehicle simulation

Unity Technologies has entered into collaboration with Baidu to develop a real-time simulation product that creates virtual environments allowing developers to test autonomous vehicles in simulated real-world situations. The Unity-based real-time simulation will now be available to developers taking part in Baidu’s Apollo platform: an open, comprehensive and reliable platform geared towards accelerating the development, testing, and deployment of Levels 3, 4, 5 autonomous vehicles.

“Baidu is helping make significant advances in autonomous driving in China and around the world by advancing collaboration amongst many developers and manufacturers, which is why we’re thrilled to be collaborating,” said Tim McDonough, General Manager of Industrial, Unity Technologies. “The ability to accurately conduct autonomous testing in a simulated environment allows for millions of simulations to simultaneously occur, providing Apollo partners with a competitive advantage while helping to keep their business costs down.”

Unity’s real-time 3D platform allows automotive manufacturers (OEMs) to reduce errors and risks while increasing efficiency and speed of testing by offering simulations that replicate real-world scenarios. Unity also offers customizable content available through its Asset Store created by its millions of developers.

In addition to its collaboration with Baidu, Unity works with eight of the 10 largest OEMs in the world by helping improve the way they design, build, service and sell automobiles. The brand has continued to invest in its automotive division by bringing in experts from companies like BMW, General Motors, Toyota, Volvo, and the Volkswagen Group.

“By using a platform like Unity, our developers can focus on testing and research without worrying about non-functional environments or building something from scratch,” said Jaewon Jung, Chief Architect, Baidu. “The Unity-powered game engine simulation for Apollo has the ability to expedite autonomous vehicle validation and training with precise ground truth data in a more effective and safer way.”