Harbrick Betas PolySync, Backs Idaho Driverless Proposal

Burney Simpson

It’s been a busy week for Harbrick, the robotics and engineering start-up based in Idaho. First, it announced a public beta launch of its PolySync out-of-the-box operating system designed to speed the process of creating and building autonomous vehicles.

Second, Harbrick CEO Josh Hartung testified to an Idaho state Senate committee on behalf of a proposal that would legalize the operation of autonomous vehicles on Idaho roads. The proposal met opposition from Google, but it is moving forward.

First things first. Harbrick describes PolySync as an “Android or iOS for cars - a massive plug and play ecosystem of sensors, actuators, computing hardware, and third party software. We handle the nuts and bolts like sensor drivers, data management, and fault tolerance while you write apps that make your vehicle do amazing things.”

Hartung tells Driverless Transportation that PolySync will make it more efficient for engineers to reuse the code they create as they build driverless prototypes that are later trashed after a one-time use, say at a conference or big show. Harbrick clients include automotive tiered manufacturers and OEMs, says Hartung.

On Tuesday, Hartung urged the Idaho Senate transportation committee to pass S1108, the proposal that would lead to the live testing of driverless vehicles on virtually all Idaho roads by putting in place certain insurance requirements, assure that the vehicles meet federal standards, and provide liability exemptions for manufacturers.

Hartung believes the legislation could make Idaho an important center for driverless testing.

“This (proposal) is a pretty dramatic departure from other states,” he said. For example, “some states require a $5 million bond per car. We plan a $1 million generalized liability policy and no bonding,” said Hartung. In addition, Idaho would allow someone with a standard Idaho drivers’ license to be the ‘driver’ of a driverless vehicle, unlike states that require special testing for that person.

However, Google and the Auto Alliance were opposed to the proposal, claiming as written it could limit autonomous developments in Idaho, according to press reports. Despite that opposition, S1108 made it through the transportation committee, and, under Idaho state house procedures, it will be amended and heard by the full senate.

Harbrick is a spin off of AutonomouStuff, the specialized autonomous-driving supply house that markets such products as GPS, LIDAR, RADAR, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACA), lane departure warning, and collision warning.