Some of the folks involved in Google’s development of self-driving cars are turning their attention to the trucks you’re driving.
A group of Silicon Valley engineers are working on creating a self-driving truck.An article in The New York Times today details how a new San Francisco-based company called Otto is outfitting Class 8 trucks with sophisticated spinning lasers, cameras and radar, which take over many of the driving chores.
Otto, according to the Times, tested one of their Volvo trucks outfitted with its self-driving gear in Nevada last weekend. That sate passed legislation that allows such vehicles on its roads.In an article on Medium, the company said: “It’s time to rethink the way we move goods on the road.”
They added:
“To speed the adoption of self-driving technology, we began by equipping existing trucks on the road with our unique self-driving kit, designed to empower truck drivers to drive more safely and efficiently. We are developing a suite of sensors, software and truck enhancements coming together in a product that can be quickly outfitted on existing trucks.”
