The rapid growth of Autonomous Vehicle (AV) adoption across various industries presents significant opportunities but raises safety concerns. Guident addresses these challenges by providing a Remote Monitor and Control Center (RMCC) solution, which is crucial for operating AVs safely and efficiently in compliance with regulations. Guident is a Florida corporation founded in 2020 by Tekcapital, a UK-listed company (LSE: TEK). Since its inception, Harald Braun has led the company as the executive chairman with the mission of improving autonomous vehicle safety, availability, and adoption with Guident’s remote monitor and control services. Mr. Braun was formerly the president and chief executive officer of AVIAT Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVNW) and Siemens Networks LLC’s president and chief executive officer.
The RMCC provides human-in-the-loop control to implement a safe AV experience for passengers by facilitating remote observation and intervention by a qualified Remote-Control Operator (RCO) when appropriate, as judged by the AV itself or by the RMCC’s AI-driven safety monitoring system. The RMCC with the RCOs resolves unforeseen situations (e.g., deadlock situations, navigation errors or accidents, and many other edge cases), extracting the AV from an unsafe or mishap situation. The RCO then returns control to the vehicle’s Automated Driving System (ADS), allowing the AV to continue its service. The RCO is also available to respond to emergency assistance calls from passengers, law enforcement, or other first responders who encounter the AV where assistance is needed.
Guident’s RMCC is built on numerous patents and other intellectual property in the form of proprietary system design and software. Guident proudly serves private and public transportation operators and autonomous vehicle and device manufacturers in multiple industry segments. In 2020, Guident won the Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Tech Runway startup competition, hailed as the most promising startup in South Florida. By year’s end, Guident celebrated the completion of its inaugural MVP, an intelligent monitoring and control device tailored for autonomous vehicles. Moving forward, the engineering team improved the solution, introducing an ultra-low-latency multi-camera video streaming platform and concurrently secured two patents in teleoperation technology.
February 2022 marked a pivotal moment as Guident answered its first government teleoperation RFP from the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA). JTA is seeking innovative autonomous public transportation solutions for the Ultimate Urban Circulator (U²C) project in Jacksonville, Florida. Guident was awarded for deploying an RMCC at their Armsdale Test and Learn Facility. The JTA’s Test and Learn program within the Automation and Innovation division is implementing autonomous vehicles into the public transportation sector.
Guident collaborated with Novelsat to develop an innovative remote monitoring and control solution for autonomous vehicles and devices. This solution combines space communications and augmented intelligence for enhanced safety and security. Guident secured funding through the Florida-Israel Innovation Partnership program by Space Florida in June 2023 to develop this solution. Space-based communications complement and add redundancy to terrestrial mobile networks to secure seamless and uninterrupted wireless communication. Additionally, space communications provide a mobile network connectivity alternative in areas with low signal or no terrestrial coverage. The integrated solution will establish high-capacity bi-directional connectivity, enabling the remote operation of AVs to provide the highest level of AV safety anywhere, including urban, suburban, and remote rural areas.
Additionally, the project aims to integrate network-switching capabilities based on real-time performance metrics, ensuring seamless connectivity for autonomous vehicles. Since 2022, Guident has taken the lead in organizing and overseeing the U.S. Autonomous Vehicle Day Conference, celebrated annually on May 31st. The event serves as a platform for leaders, companies, and visionaries in the autonomous vehicle industry to collectively shape a safer and more efficient future of autonomous mobility. It features demonstrations of cutting-edge technology and engaging leadership sessions that drive the industry’s evolution. The inaugural event in 2022 was hosted at the Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC) in Boca Raton, Florida, followed by the subsequent conferences held at JTA’s Armsdale campus in Jacksonville, Florida. Co-hosted by Guident and JTA, the 2023 and 2024 conferences attracted a dynamic array of autonomous ecosystem participants, including sponsors, technology demonstrators, and speakers. These events, in-person and live-streamed, fostered meaningful collaborations within the industry.
On April 18, 2024, Guident moved its headquarters to the Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC), a 1.7 million-square-foot office park, the largest office complex in Florida, and the U.S. Southeast’s premier technology and life sciences hub. At BRIC, Guident deployed the first commercial RMCC with best-in-class video wall displays and a visualization system. Guident has integrated its solution into several autonomous vehicles, showcasing its safety benefits and expanding its IP portfolio to nine patents. Guident integrated the RMCC with a surveillance robot capable of detecting intrusions, smoke, and fire. These robots perform autonomous surveillance, patrol at intervals, detect unauthorized individuals, conduct thermographic inspections, identify hazardous gases, read analog instruments, and execute specific tasks. This integration expands the RMCC’s use cases. Guident is committed to delivering industry-leading low-latency video streaming. Guident will continue to pioneer innovative teleoperation safety measures and services, enhancing consumer satisfaction within the autonomy ecosystem.
