Today we will meet Mars Auto, the 2^nd company from 2020’s Spring KAIST Startup-ting! Mars Auto is a startup that develops an AI-based autonomous driving software added onto freight transport trucks. Mars Auto aims to efficiently solve the labor and cost problems of current freight transportation methods through autonomous trucking.

Mars Auto develops an autonomous driving software for freight transport trucks, and was the first company to receive a temporary driving permit for trucks from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport in 2018. It is also the first company in Korea to receive a permit for autonomous driving using only cameras. In 2019, our truck drove in fully autonomous driving mode from Seoul to Pusan for 5 hours and 30 minutes without the driver intervening.

Most people think of cars, not trucks, when thinking about autonomous driving. We believe that an autonomous truck sets an example that autonomous driving will be possible for all transportation methods.

From vehicle companies, such as Ford and Daimler, to IT companies, such as Google and Uber, over 50 companies around the world are developing autonomous driving technology. However, few companies are at the level of profiting from the technology, and most are at the research and development phase.

Many autonomous driving companies develop their technology based on HD maps and localization, because it is the easiest method. However, this method requires a lot of resource and extremely expensive sensors. HD map and localization based methods are 10 years-old, and autonomous cars should have been complete by now. Ultimately, it is impossible to build an autonomous car using this method. Mars Auto does not rely on HD maps and expensive sensors, but uses machine-learning to develop the technology.

We thought companies creating autonomous driving solutions were developing their own technology, but it seems like they are building on existing methods. On the other hand, Mars Auto seems to take on a new challenge by creating a machine learning-based technology.

To test autonomous driving cars, the company must receive a temporary driving permit from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport. As I said earlier, Mars Auto was the first company to receive a permit for driving using only cameras. We performed several tests to prove that our technology was safe to drive at a high speed on highways.

It must have been difficult to receive a permit for the first time in Korea, but it proves that Mars Auto’s technology is acknowledged and safe. We believe that autonomous driving technology will be revolutionary for trucks in the distribution industry.

The most important thing to commercialize trucks is the completeness of the technology. Many companies have announced to complete fully autonomous driving cars and commercialize driver-free taxis by 2020. However, no company has been able to develop a fully autonomous driving car yet. It seems like autonomous driving technology is almost complete when you watch the driving and testing videos that companies have released, but most videos are edited videos that have been filmed in a limited environment. There is a gap between the developed technology and the technology seen in videos. For autonomous driving technology to be commercialized, there needs to be a software that allows cars to safely drive in the absence of a driver under all circumstances, and there is no company that has this technology yet.

Mars Auto is trying to perfect the autonomous driving technology.

Mars Auto is developing a software that is crucial for autonomous cars. We hope that the technology Mars Auto is developing will lead to the commercialization of autonomous trucks. We also heard that Mars Auto received funding from a famous startup accelerator, Y-combinator.

Before we established our company, we had nothing to start with but applied to YC and got an interview for our idea of autonomous trucks. Founders liked our idea, but we were told to apply for the next batch after developing the technology and we told them we will come back with a product. We bought a truck, developed an autonomous driving technology, received a temporary permit, and tested our technology on the highway. We re-applied to YC, and we easily received funding after doing everything we said we would do. YC likes teams that can execute their ideas. All teams appeal that they have execution, but they actually don’t. I think our execution and efforts helped us receive funding.

So it’s important to analyze what YC is focusing on to receive funding. We look forward to Mars Auto in the future!

I’ve seen many people who wanted to start their own company, but felt like they lacked experience and end up going to graduate school or finding a job. There is no such thing as right time and enough experience to start a business, so if you want, start now!

So it’s important to give a try even if we start from scratch. You can’t succeed on your first try so if you’re interested in starting a business, just do it!

We’ve seen many autonomous driving companies developing technologies far from commercialization. Technology is merely a means, and the business value a technology can incur is more crucial. Since we established our business, we endeavored to create a technology that can be commercialized to reach our goal. We hope that our technology goes beyond research, and can actually help warehouse to warehouse truck operations to be more efficient.

CEO of Mars Auto, Ilsu Park, seems to have a great spirit of challenge! Unlike other autonomous driving companies, Mars Auto focuses on autonomous trucks, which makes us look forward to the future of Mars Auto. We hope Mars Auto’s autonomous trucking technology will help the distribution industry and bring a wind of change.

So far, we have met CEO Ilsu Park of Mars Auto.