Wikipedia

Torc Robotics

Torc Robotics (Torc) is an American autonomous truck company and an independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck.[1] The company is headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia, with operations in Ann Arbor, Michigan,[2] Austin, Texas,[1] Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas,[3] and Montréal, Quebec, Canada.[4] Torc tests autonomous trucks in Virginia and Texas and is pursuing a commercialization strategy initially focused on a single platform—the Daimler Freightliner Cascadia—in the United States.[1]

Until becoming a subsidiary of Daimler, Torc produced unmanned and autonomous technology that retrofits existing machinery and vehicles. Its custom products, software, and automation kits have been used on vehicles in several industries,[5] including military, mining, agriculture, and automotive over the last decade. Through 2014, 50 percent of Torc's revenue came from defense work and the rest from commercial customers.[6] Some of its end users include the United States Department of Defense,[7] the U.S. Marines,[8] Air Force Research Labs (AFRL),[9] Caterpillar,[10] and DCD Protected Mobility.[11]

History

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Founding

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In 2005, the company was founded by a group of Virginia Tech graduate students, including Michael Fleming.[12] Torc partnered with Virginia Tech to compete in the 2007 Urban Challenge,[6] hosted by DARPA. Torc's Ford Escape vehicle, named Odin, placed third out of 35 teams, winning the $500,000 prize.[13]

In 2010, Torc partnered with a robotics team at Virginia Tech to develop a vehicle for the National Federation of the Blind's (NFB) Blind Driver Challenge.[14] The team received National Instruments' 2010 Application of the Year for the project.[15] Using a Ford Escape, Torc implemented its ByWire drive-by-wire conversion modules, Safestop wireless emergency stop system, and PowerHub distribution modules on the vehicle.[16] On January 29, 2011, a blind driver independently drove Torc's vehicle on the road course at the Daytona Speedway.[17]

In 2012, Torc researchers participated in the DARPA Robotics Challenge with Team ViGIR (Virginia–Germany Interdisciplinary Robotics Team).[18] The team advanced to the finale.[19]

Defense and heavy equipment

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Torc's technology is used in military applications globally. One such vehicle is GUSS (Ground Unmanned Support Surrogate), an autonomous vehicle used to carry equipment for the Marines.[20] Torc also developed a sensor fusion system for the Department of Defense to increase high-speed obstacle detection, classification, and prediction.[7]

In 2012, Torc's autonomous vehicle for Air Force Research Labs (AFRL) demonstrated expedient runway surveys, soil hardness measurement, terrain data collection, and hazard reporting.[9] Torc also developed a remote-control solution for hazardous mining areas.[21]

On-road autonomous vehicles

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Torc participated in a five-vehicle platoon test in 2015 with the U.S. Federal Highway Administration Saxton Transportation Operations Laboratory.[22] In July 2017, Torc registered with Washington’s Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Program and completed a 4,300-mile autonomous cross-country trip finished in Richmond, Virginia.[23][24]

Self-driving trucks

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On March 29, 2019, Daimler AG, through Daimler Trucks North America, announced it would acquire a majority stake in Torc Robotics.[25] In September 2019, Torc and Daimler Truck began testing Level 4 trucks on public roads in Virginia,[26] and Daimler Trucks North America developed a chassis with redundant capabilities for self-driving trucks.[27] In 2020, Torc opened a test center in Albuquerque for automated runs on New Mexico highways, later extending to Texas.[28]

In 2021, Torc added partners including Amazon Web Services (preferred cloud provider),[29] Luminar (lidar exploration),[30] and Applied Intuition (simulation).[31] In 2022, Torc opened an engineering office in Austin, Texas,[32] and a Technology and Development Center in Stuttgart, Germany; that same year, Penske Truck Leasing became the truck maintenance service provider for Torc’s autonomous test fleet.[33][34] In February 2023, Torc signed an agreement to acquire Montreal-based Algolux for its computer vision and machine learning IP and expertise.[35]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Torc Austin Opens". Austin Chamber of Commerce. 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  2. ^ "$56M autonomous truck engineering hub opens near Ann Arbor". MSN. 9 April 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  3. ^ "Torc Celebrates Grand Opening of Alliance Autonomous Truck Hub". Community Impact. 13 May 2025. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  4. ^ Torc Robotics acquiring Montreal-headquartered Algolux, TruckNews, 28 February 2023
  5. ^ Blacksburg company involved in self-driving vehicles cruises into new home, The Roanoke Times, July 25, 2015
  6. ^ a b TORC Robotics in Blacksburg was a pioneer in the technology behind driverless cars, Virginia Business, October 30, 2014
  7. ^ a b TORC Robotics to develop long-range obstacle detection for autonomous vehicle navigation, Telematics Wire, January 18, 2012
  8. ^ Marine Corps futurists prototyping modular ground robot, Inside Defense, April 18, 2017
  9. ^ a b Autonomous Vehicle Developed for Surveying Assault-Zone Runways, Mars Daily, May 11, 2012
  10. ^ Remote control system for compact equipment, Pro Contractor Rentals
  11. ^ DCD Protected Mobility showcasing unmanned Husky route clearance vehicle, defenceWeb, Sep 15, 2016
  12. ^ Automatic, Virginia Tech Magazine, Spring 2012
  13. ^ Autonomous Vehicles Complete DARPA Urban Challenge, IEEE Spectrum, Nov 1, 2007
  14. ^ About the Blind Driver Challenge, National Federation of the Blind
  15. ^ Blind Driver Challenge project wins top awards at National Instruments' NI Week, Virginia Tech College of Engineering
  16. ^ Eyes on the Road: TORC Robotics Helps Blind Driver See, Allied Vision, May 18, 2015
  17. ^ Blind Man Drives High-Tech Car at Daytona Speedway, Fox News Auto, Jan 31, 2011
  18. ^ DARPA Selects Team ViGIR Led by TORC for Robotics Challenge, Unmanned Systems Technology, Oct 22, 2012
  19. ^ 2 College of Engineering robotics teams prep for DARPA Robotics Challenge finale, Virginia Tech, June 4, 2015
  20. ^ Intelligent Robots Set to Change Combat Landscape, Military.com, Aug 10, 2012
  21. ^ TORC delivers remote control solutions for hazardous mining areas, Mining-Technology.com, Apr 2, 2014
  22. ^ Saxton lab Demonstrates Multivehicle Platooning with CAAC, U.S. Department of Transportation, Fall 2015
  23. ^ Self-driving car arrives in Seattle after 2,500-mile autonomous cross-country trip, GeekWire, July 14, 2017
  24. ^ Car drove 4,300-plus miles autonomously on cross-country trip, ending at Virginia's Executive Mansion, Richmond Times-Dispatch, July 26, 2017
  25. ^ Daimler Trucks agrees to acquire majority stake in Torc Robotics to create technology powerhouse for automated trucks, Daimler Trucks North America, 29 March 2019
  26. ^ Self-driving trucks are being tested on public roads in Virginia, CNBC, Sep 10, 2019
  27. ^ Daimler and Torc Robotics begin testing automated trucks on public roads in Virginia, Robotics and Automation News, Sep 19, 2019
  28. ^ Daimler Trucks tests self-driving vehicles in US Southwest, The Washington Post, Sep 3, 2020
  29. ^ Torc Robotics to use AWS cloud for self-driving truck fleet, Supply Chain Digital, Feb 17, 2021
  30. ^ Daimler Trucks and Torc partner with Luminar on automated trucking, FleetOwner, Nov 3, 2020
  31. ^ Who is leading the self-driving truck race?, iNews, June 7, 2022
  32. ^ Self-driving truck company Torc Robotics picks Austin for tech hub, Austin American-Statesman, Jan 7, 2022
  33. ^ Global News Roundup: Torc to Open Tech Development Center, Heavy Duty Trucking, May 18, 2022
  34. ^ Torc taps Penske to service autonomous trucking test fleet, FleetOwner, May 9, 2022
  35. ^ Bishop (28 February 2023). "From Photons To Behavior: Torc Robotics Fortifies AI-Based Driving Capability". Forbes. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
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