March 1, 2024
This article on Phantom Auto’s new commercial partnership with Postmates originally appeared in VentureBeat.
Smooth Teleoperator: The Rise of the Remote Controller
When an interviewer pressed Postmates VP Ali Kashani last year on whether the company’s use of teleoperation technology was an “admission” that AI alone can’t solve all of the challenges its robots encounter on sidewalks, Kashani swiftly retorted: “That’s a strategy, not an admission.”
Postmates, the on-demand delivery platform Uber is acquiring for $2.7 billion, is one of a number of companies developing autonomous sidewalk-traversing robots that deliver goods to homes and offices. Underpinning its service are human teleoperators who can step in and guide the robots when required. While AI-driven job loss has been hotly debated in recent years, mounting evidence suggests AI will also create jobs — like teleoperation — and open up the talent pool.
San Francisco-based Postmates has employed the services of Phantom Auto, a company founded in 2017 to build remote communication software that integrates with all manner of unmanned vehicles, from robo-taxis and delivery robots to forklifts and yard trucks. Operators can use the software to monitor fleets or draw a path for a robot to follow. When necessary, they can even take over and control the vehicle directly.
Read the rest of this article in VentureBeat. Additional coverage in Wall Street Journal and CNBC.
About Phantom Auto
Phantom Auto specializes in remote operation of all types of unmanned vehicles with customers throughout the world. The company’s interoperable solution enables people to remotely monitor, assist, and operate fleets of unmanned vehicles from up to thousands of miles away – including forklifts, robots, trucks, passenger vehicles, and more. Phantom Auto's proprietary teleoperation software delivers secure, low-latency communication over volatile wireless networks for reliable sensor streaming and safe control of vehicle functions.
Founded in 2017 by Shai Magzimof, Elliot Katz, and Ohad Dvir, Phantom Auto is backed by Bessemer Venture Partners, Maniv Mobility and other strategic investors.
