Uber's former self-driving research lead Anthony Levandowski isn't giving up on his best-known technology just because of his forced exit over alleged trade secret theft. TechCrunch has discovered that Levandowski is involved with Kache.ai, a currently secretive startup devoted to autonomous tech for the "commercial trucking industry," or the same field Levandowski has been working in for years. The firm has taken steps to hide its connections, but they're hard to avoid. California lists the business as operating at a property owned by Levandowski's father and stepmother, while TC's own sources have attached Levandowski to the company. It's not certain when Kache.ai might publicly reveal its plans. The company hasn't responded to requests for comment.

There is something special happening in a generic office park in an uninspiring suburb near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Inside, amid the low gray cubicles, clustered desks, and empty swivel chairs, an impossible 8-inch robot drone from an alien planet hovers chest-high in front of a row of potted plants. It is steampunk-cute, minutely detailed. I can walk around it and examine it from any angle. I can squat to look at its ornate underside.