Baidu launched Apollo World on November 3. The world model simulates interactive road environments for training and testing autonomous vehicles. The company said it already supports Apollo Go robotaxi development and can generate up to 100,000 kilometers of simulated driving per day.
What the system generates
Apollo World produces real-time camera and lidar data. Virtual vehicles and pedestrians respond to the autonomous vehicle's actions. Driving systems can practice complete trips and rerun difficult scenarios.
Robotaxi use
Baidu is already using the model to support global development of Apollo Go. The robotaxi service is known as Luobo Kuaipao in China. The company said the model supports unmanned driving at scale.
How the model works
The virtual scene models all traffic participants as AI agents. These agents have decision-making and interaction abilities. Self-driving cars can travel between any start and end point in the virtual city.
Baidu disclosed Apollo World at its AI Day Apollo session in Shenzhen. The company also proposed a 2+3 judgment standard for world models. Baidu said the technology can expand to robots and other physical AI scenarios.