Uber-owned startup Otto has teamed up with Budweiser to make what it calls the first delivery by self-driving truck.
Otto has been working on self-driving trucks for quite some time, as it seeks to change the long-haul transit sector. To this end, it teamed up with Volvo to deliver beer.
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The delivery took place on 20 October and saw the self-driving truck travel from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs – a trip of over 200 kilometres.
Otto’s self-driving truck tech might just improve safety in the occasionally hazardous long-haul field
Truck drivers would still be needed to load the vehicle and get out onto the highway, it seems. Nevertheless, Otto seems intent on changing the industry.
“Long-haul transit is vital for nearly 70% of the things we buy, yet hundreds of thousands of preventable trucking accidents happen each year on American highways. We believe it’s our responsibility to bring safer, self-driving technology to the road,” the Uber-owned company wrote on its website.
Still, I doubt the technology is at a point where the driver can comfortably take a nap while the truck moves along. But baby steps…
Watch the video below: