Aurora launches self-driving trucking service in Texas
If you ever find yourself in Texas, you might come across one of the self-driving trucks from Aurora. The Pennsylvanian tech startup has launched its service between Dallas and Houston and says its driverless vehicles have covered over 1,200 miles on public roads.
This will make Aurora the world’s first company to commercially operate self-driving heavy-duty trucks. Its first customers are Uber Freight and Hirschbach Motor Lines.
“Riding in the back seat for our inaugural trip was an honour of a lifetime, the Aurora Driver performed perfectly and it’s a moment I’ll never forget,” noted Chris Urmson, Aurora’s CEO and co-founder, who went for a ride in one of the company’s trucks.
The truck makes use of an integrated suite of over two dozen LiDAR, radar, cameras, microphones, and an onboard computer that helps make sense of the data coming in from all of its sensors. Aurora says that this setup “provides comprehensive awareness and attentiveness to changing road conditions.”
It claims that its LiDAR technology can see over 1,476ft (450m) ahead and can see pedestrians up to 11 seconds sooner than human drivers can at highway speeds at night. Aurora also claims that it can detect and allow aggressive drivers to overtake safely, and slow down to change lanes or avoid parked vehicles such as emergency vehicles.
The system, the company says, can integrate with regular trucks and the firm has partnered with Volvo and PACCAR to bring its technology into their models.
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