PerceptIn, a Santa Clara, Cal.-based visual intelligence technology company specializing in autonomous driving technology, announced plans today to relocate its global headquarters from California to Fishers to launch an autonomous vehicle pilot program and create up to 50 new, high-wage jobs by 2022. PerceptIn will establish its headquarters at the Indiana IoT Lab – Fishers in preparation for the launch of its pilot program in early 2020.
”When we launched the Indiana IoT Lab in 2017, a company like PerceptIn is exactly who we had in mind to propel our city even further as a leading city for tech,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness. “Fishers is a city made for entrepreneurs, and today we are happy to support the future of transportation technology through this pilot program and in support of our newest Fishers company, PerceptIn.”
PerceptIn is working with the city of Fishers, Energy Systems Network (ESN), which is the energy and transportation technology initiative of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), as well as local leaders and stakeholders to develop and deploy an automated vehicle pilot in the city in 2020.
The pilot program is centered around transporting passengers from Launch Fishers and the Indiana IoT Lab – Fishers to the heart of downtown Fishers. The fixed route is slated to transport passengers from 10:30 – 2:30 daily to support short trips to restaurants and meetings in the downtown area. Routes are will expand pending results of the pilot program.
“We're extremely excited to relocate our headquarters to Indiana," said Shaoshan Liu, chief executive officer of PerceptIn. "Indiana’s commitment to growing and enhancing its technology sector, along with its business-friendly environment and collaborative industry partnerships, is why we chose to locate here. Additionally, we look forward to deploying our autonomous microtransit services in Fishers, and increasing our presence throughout the state, setting an example for the rest of the nation on utilizing advanced technologies to improve public transportation systems.”
PerceptIn will establish its headquarters at the Indiana IoT Lab – Fishers at 9059 Technology Lane. To meet growing demand for its autonomous low-speed electric vehicles (LSEVs) and increase its client base in North America, PerceptIn will partner with Indiana-based LHP to develop the vehicles which are designed to complete low-speed, short driverless trips in vehicles able to hold up to eight passengers.
PerceptIn’s microtransit solution can help advance what a recent ESN report – Emerging Mobility Technologies and Trends – says will be a new “Mobility-as-a-System” landscape, whereby different modes, providers, and usage models are synthesized to improve travel.
“PerceptIn’s autonomous transit service has the potential to enhance transportation today while furthering a Mobility-as-a-System future,” said Paul Mitchell, President and CEO of ESN. “ESN is honored to have helped facilitate PerceptIn’s move to Fishers. We look forward to working with both parties to demonstrate and advance this innovative solution while growing the company and sector in the state.”
Perceptin’s six-to-eight seat vehicles are monitored by technology ambassadors during typical pilot projects to ensure safety measures are met. The LSEVs feature three layers of sensor protection and state of the art technology pioneered by PerceptIn to ensure safe autonomous driving. The vehicles do not exceed 20 MPH while in use.
Founded in 2016 by Shaoshan Liu, who has more than 150 U.S. and international patents on robotics and autonomous driving, PerceptIn combines patented vision-based sensor fusion with a modular computing system to produce safe, reliable and affordable LSEVs. By deploying autonomous LSEVs as a micromobility service, PerceptIn aims to reduce transportation budgets for governments across the U.S. while also improving user experiences.
To support its move to Indiana, PerceptIn utilized the state’s Headquarters Relocation tax credit program, which better incentivizes the relocation of small, high-growth companies to the state.
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered PerceptIn up to $3,553,500 in conditional tax credits based on the company’s job creation plans. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning the company is eligible to claim incentives as Hoosiers are hired. The Fishers Redevelopment Commission will consider approval of an agreement between the Indiana IoT Lab and PerceptIn on November 25, 2019.
About PerceptIn
PerceptIn is a full-stack visual intelligence company building machines that see, interpret, learn and take action. The company's core technology, focused on visual intelligence, is finding its way onto myriad new devices in a broad range of areas, from IoT-grade robots to autonomous driving. With offices in Fishers, Indiana, Japan and China, PerceptIn serves more than 100 customers and works on providing hardware and software solutions for the robotization of the next generation of products.
About Fishers
The City of Fishers is a suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana, located in Hamilton County and was named #1 Place to Live in the US by Money Magazine in 2017. Under the leadership of Mayor Scott Fadness, Fishers is known as a smart, vibrant, and entrepreneurial city through its neighborhood development, dedication to supporting high-growth companies, and innovative city processes. With a population of 91,832 (2017), Fishers is one of the fastest growing communities in Indiana and has received national accolades for entrepreneurship, livability, and safety. City branding guidelines and logos can be downloaded here.