Autonomoose – Blackberrry’s self-driving car

Blackberry has just re-positioned themselves in the global marketplace. The longtime manufacturer of mobile phones is now shifting its focus and recently launched a new research center to develop self-driving cars.

Blackberry obtained the green light from Canadian authorities to test Ford’s Lincoln vehicles equipped with stand-alone driving software – a pilot project dubbed Autonomoose. Blackberry also signed an agreement to work directly with the automaker, which plans to launch their autonomous vehicles for car-sharing by 2021.

While Blackberry believes that it will take time for autonomous vehicles to be fully operational, this announcement demonstrates the appetite of computer giants to enter the automotive sector, as computer software and hardware are very likely to be key elements to the car of tomorrow. In fact, for many, this news may come as no surprise, as technology companies such as Google and Apple have already confirmed that they too are working on self-driving cars.

Luckily, the automobile division of Blackberry already boasts 400 employees, having already developed software currently embedded in vehicles. With safety and security at the forefront of self-driving car development, Blackberry’s high standard of security may give them a competitive advantage consumers seek. No matter the company, it’s great to see strides and significant financial contributions being made in the automotive space.