Toyota Mississippi to use Otto 1500 self-driving vehicle in assembly plant

Feb. 16, 2017 – Otto Motors, a division of Kitchener, Ont.-based Clearpath and provider of self-driving vehicle technology and services, will provide Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi an Otto 1500 self-driving vehicle for ground tire delivery in the Corolla assembly plant.

The 1500 self-driving vehicle will load and deliver tires lineside, and will be integrated with additional appliances for automatic unstacking onto conveyors. Tires will then move to team members on the line for final assembly. Using proprietary software, the solution uses LiDAR sensors to scan, monitor and interact with its environment, and boasts obstacle avoidance, dynamic path planning, and passive suspension.

“Toyota has set the standard in lean manufacturing principles and we’re very proud that Otto has been selected as a means to drive lean, flexible material transport for the Mississippi plant,” said Simon Drexler, director of industrial solutions at Otto Motors, adding that the 1500 will lead to “positive results” with regard to overall operating costs and “further opportunities within the facility.”

Otto Motors says it is not able to comment at this time on whether this will lead to similar deals for Toyota Canada plants.