Creating Affordable and Scalable Self-Driving Apps using AWS RoboMaker
Introduction:
MORAI is an Autonomous Vehicle (AV) technology startup that offers a cutting-edge simulation platform for autonomous vehicle validation and verification. Their flagship product, MORAI SIM, has gained popularity across industries such as automotive, robotics, and aerospace. It enables virtual testing of AVs by creating highly realistic simulation environments, sensor models, and vehicle models. This platform allows companies to test a wide range of scenarios, reducing costs, time to market, and liability. Morai.ai has leveraged AWS RoboMaker to build a scalable and cost-effective solution for AV testing, eliminating the need for infrastructure management. MORAI SIM Cloud enables developers to perform scenario-based testing and optimization algorithms at scale, revolutionizing the way AV applications are developed and tested.
Full Article: Creating Affordable and Scalable Self-Driving Apps using AWS RoboMaker
Introduction
MORAI is an Autonomous Vehicle (AV) technology startup that offers a simulation platform called MORAI SIM for the validation and verification of autonomous vehicles. MORAI SIM is gaining popularity in various industries, including AV/ADAS, automotive, robotics, and aerospace, as companies look to test a wide range of scenarios more efficiently. Government organizations and educational institutions are also utilizing MORAI SIM for regulatory compliance and educational purposes.
MORAI SIM allows for virtual testing by creating high-fidelity simulation environments, sensor models, and vehicle models. It can replicate real road scenarios by utilizing a high-performance simulation rendering engine or importing data logs from deployed vehicles.
Challenge in Developing Autonomous Vehicles
Developing autonomous vehicles goes beyond simple demonstrations and requires reliable evidence of a system’s safety. However, testing AVs in the real world presents numerous challenges, as tests cannot be easily re-run when changes are made to the vehicle. This results in significant time and cost investments for developers.
AV development is also resource-intensive, requiring significant effort from automotive companies. To decrease the development burden, MORAI needed a solution that would accelerate the building, testing, and management of robot applications.
Additionally, managing instances and orchestrating multiple scenarios with different compute instances became cumbersome for MORAI. Their resource usage varied due to providing AV training and testing environments to diverse customers. They needed a scalable and cost-efficient solution to handle AV applications.
Build Cost Effective and Scalable Autonomous Driving Application
By leveraging the AWS RoboMaker Batch API, MORAI simplified the orchestration and management of simulation jobs. RoboMaker allowed developers to focus on creating a testing platform for self-driving cars with scenario-based testing and automated generation of high-definition maps, reducing the time required for vehicle software deployment by up to 4 weeks.
MORAI SIM Cloud empowers AV developers to test scheduling, routing, and navigation optimization algorithms at scale. It offers an intuitive graphical interface for creating or editing various scenario conditions such as weather, vehicle, and obstacles. Additionally, the platform supports validated sensors like cameras, LiDARs, and Radars.
MORAI SIM also provides an environment for setting, calibrating, and monitoring embedded dynamics, delivering value throughout the autonomous vehicle development process.
The architecture of MORAI SIM has been designed to facilitate accurate autonomous vehicle simulations, featuring multi-sensor simulation capabilities. This multi-layer and multi-purpose architecture can be extended easily, reducing testing and validation risks and saving customers time and money on new development.
Solution Architecture
MORAI adopted AWS serverless services to minimize the burden of managing capacity and cost on servers. To achieve this, they built a resilient and efficient serverless architecture using Amazon Lambda, Amazon API Gateway, Amazon Simple Queue Service (Amazon SQS), and Amazon DynamoDB.
The solution architecture overview of the backend in MORAI SIM is depicted in Figure 2. Users submit simulation requests with their algorithms and configurations, which are then verified and simulated by MORAI SIM through API Gateway. The requests are validated and parsed by Lambda, and the simulation metadata is extracted and sent to an SQS queue. The Lambda function splits the requests into smaller batches and sends them to another SQS queue for parallel simulations. AWS Step Functions are utilized to trigger simulation jobs when RoboMaker is available. The result of the simulation is recorded and saved in DynamoDB, and a notification is sent when the request is completed.
Conclusion
MORAI found a scalable and cost-efficient solution for running autonomous vehicle simulations and robot applications in the cloud with AWS RoboMaker. They were able to reduce the cost and time required for AV application development while conducting large-scale scenario-based simulations without the need for infrastructure management.
Authors
Summary: Creating Affordable and Scalable Self-Driving Apps using AWS RoboMaker
MORAI is a leading Autonomous Vehicle (AV) technology startup that offers a simulation platform for autonomous vehicle validation and verification. Their simulator, MORAI SIM, is gaining popularity in sectors such as AV/ADAS, automotive, robotics, and aerospace. MORAI SIM allows virtual testing of autonomous vehicles by creating realistic simulation environments and models. By leveraging AWS RoboMaker, MORAI has built a cost-effective and scalable solution for AV testing. The RoboMaker Batch API has helped them manage simulation jobs efficiently, reducing vehicle software deployment time. MORAI SIM Cloud enables developers to test scheduling, routing, and navigation optimization algorithms at scale, offering a comprehensive solution for the development of autonomous vehicles. The architecture uses AWS serverless services, ensuring efficient resource management and cost-effectiveness. With its reliable and scalable platform, MORAI SIM simplifies AV testing and reduces development risks, saving customers time and money. With AWS RoboMaker, MORAI has achieved its goal of running autonomous vehicle simulations and robot applications in the cloud, streamlining the development process.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Can you provide a simple definition of robotics?
Answer: Robotics refers to the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, and use of robots. It involves the creation of mechanical devices that can perform tasks or functions autonomously or under remote control.
2. How are robots different from humans?
Answer: While robots are designed to mimic human actions or perform tasks efficiently, they differ from humans in several ways. Robots are primarily machines created to automate repetitive tasks, whereas humans possess consciousness, emotions, and cognitive capabilities that robots lack. Humans can adapt and learn new skills more naturally, while robots require programming and instructions to function.
3. What are the main benefits of using robotics?
Answer: The adoption of robotics brings numerous advantages. Firstly, robots enhance productivity by automating repetitive or dangerous tasks, leading to increased efficiency and reduced human errors. Secondly, robots can perform tasks in hazardous environments, minimizing risk to human lives. Additionally, robots can assist in improving precision, quality control, and reducing manufacturing costs.
4. Can robots replace human workers completely?
Answer: While robots have the potential to automate certain tasks, it is unlikely that they will replace human workers entirely. Instead, robotics aims to collaborate with humans, augmenting their capabilities and allowing them to focus on more complex and meaningful tasks. Robots excel at repetitive and mundane activities, whereas humans possess creativity, empathy, critical thinking, and decision-making abilities that are essential in many professional fields.
5. What is the future of robotics?
Answer: The future of robotics is incredibly promising. As technology advances, robots will continue to evolve and become more sophisticated. They will play an increasingly prevalent role in various industries, such as healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, and even household chores. Furthermore, robotics will ignite advancements in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and human-robot interaction, leading to a world where humans and robots coexist harmoniously.
