Business news

MINSK, 3 November (BelTA) – The American company MapBox intends to open an R&D office in Minsk to develop technologies for driverless cars among other things, BelTA learned from the company’s website.

The website reads: “Navigation apps have not innovated in years. Drivers are looking at 2D maps on their phones like the old school atlas our parents had — we can do so much better. As the device bezels fade away, front-facing cameras and navigation displays need to merge. Drivers should see an augmented reality, with directions showing up in front of where they need to turn.” A self-driving car is the final goal of the project.

According to the source, Minsk has been rapidly growing as an innovation hub in recent years. Mapbox has been successfully working with developers in the city for the past 18 months and felt the timing was right to expand the company’s investment there. The company intends to set up shop in the Hi-Tech Park in Minsk.

Mapbox is a U.S. company. It develops technologies for digital mapmaking. Over 300 million people use its services.