A startup that develops software for driverless vehicles, nuTonomy, inked a lease for more than 4k SF at the Innovation and Design Building, 21 Drydock Ave, in Boston’s Seaport. The location is next to nuTonomy's autonomous car testing zone.

The company’s autonomous and robotics system grew out of research conducted in MIT labs by nuTonomy co-founders Karl Iagnemma and Emilio Frazzoli.

In November, the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Boston and the Massachusetts DOT that authorizes nuTonomy to begin testing its fleet of self-driving cars on specific public streets in the Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park in the Seaport.

During the Boston road tests, nuTonomy’s software system will learn local signage and road markings while gaining an understanding of pedestrian, cyclist and driver behavior and interaction across a complex urban driving environment. The company plans to work with government officials to expand the testing area to other parts of the city in the near future.