What Is Project Titan? Apple Leasing Chrysler Grounds To Test Self-Driving Technology

Apple might be leasing Chrysler’s old proving grounds in Arizona to test its self-driving technology, according to a report by Jalopnik.

The report comes after Apple CEO Tim Cook clarified in an interview in June that the company was not looking to build its own autonomous car, but was instead focusing on a self-driving car system.

Cook didn’t completely write off the idea during that interview, by saying "We’ll see where it takes us” and that the company was “not really saying from a product point of view what we will do." The latest reported move means Apple is continuing with its self-driving technology efforts.

Chrysler’s former proving grounds were used to help the company test the impact of hot temperatures on vehicles and their components, the automaker previously said. The facility, which covers 3,840 acres, contained multiple road surfaces, a high speed oval, steep grades and areas for wet weather tests when Chrysler owned it, according to a report.

Besides the proving grounds, the Cupertino company has also been hiring automotive test engineers and technicians from other proving grounds in the state, a source told Jalopnik. The source also said Apple’s latest moves are intended for testing of autonomous technology. Apple and Chrysler declined to comment about the source’s information when reached by Jalopnik.

What We Know About Apple’s Project Titan

Apple’s developments in its autonomous technology efforts, dubbed Project Titan, have been kept under wraps. However, in a rare move last week, Apple released a research paper online about its findings. The paper proposed a new software approach called VoxelNet, which would help computers detect 3D objects. Apple scientists described VoxelNet as “a novel end-to-end trainable deep architecture for point cloud based 3D detection” and said it “achieves highly encouraging results in detecting pedestrians and cyclists from LiDAR point cloud.”

“On more challenging tasks, such as 3D detection of pedestrians and cyclists, VoxelNet also demonstrates encouraging results showing that it provides a better 3D representation,” the scientists wrote. “Future work includes extending VoxelNet for joint LiDAR and image based end-to-end 3D detection to further improve detection and localization accuracy.”

Besides the research paper, a video was uploaded on Twitter which seems to show Project Titan’s test Lexus SUV. The footage shows a white SUV equipped with 6 LiDARS on the top of the vehicle. Other images, revealed by Bloomberg in April, also seem to show the Lexus.

Back in April, Apple reportedly hired three former NASA engineers for Project Titan. The engineers previously worked in detection of 3D objects and motion planning algorithms, and were set to test self-driving software. At the same time, Apple received permission from the state of California to test autonomous technology, public records show. Apple’s DMV documents included a copy of the testing process it used to certify six drivers who will test three modified 2015 Lexus RX450h vehicles for its self-driving technology.

Apple is said to have started working on it self-driving ambitions, dubbed Project Titan, in 2014.