The founders of Nuro previously worked on Google's automotive project, which was spun off into a separate project called Waymo. It is noteworthy that on the eve of Waymo announced the delivery of thousands of unmanned minivans to American cities.
On the same day, Nuro received permission to travel on general California roads and plans to begin testing in late 2018.
The R1 self-driving delivery vehicle even looks like a suitcase. Its creators focused not on reconfiguring automated taxis or trucks, as most companies do, but on designing a new type of car.
© nuro.ai
Nuro knows how to deliver parcels, solving the problem of the "last mile". Its feature is compactness and versatility - the car moves both on roads and on sidewalks. In order to use the delivery service, you just need to download an application that will send a notification about the approach of a "lunch box on wheels".
R1 is predicted to compete with postman drones, which are unable to knock on the door, call a cell phone or check the address, that is, do not perform door-to-door delivery.
As consumers increasingly choose to shop online, the expectation of shorter delivery times is growing. Companies are responding to growing demand and rushing to modernize their designs. Last year at the Mobile World Congress 2017, Ford unveiled its Last Mile Challenge courier vehicle, which is equipped with multiple drones. According to the plan, such a delivery person arrives at the address, after which the drones that have picked up the required package complete the delivery.
However, Nuro engineers came up from the other side and connected the capabilities of the mobile Internet.
The development from Nuro is equipped with a platform with lidar, radars and cameras, which are located on a "handle" attached to the roof of the car. The insides are completely devoid of traditional controls like steering wheels, pedals and gearbox. There is simply no room for the driver in the R1, since this drone is not designed to control people.
Instead, the vehicle is equipped with two compartments for goods. To open the desired compartment, you must enter the purchase code received through the application. In the future, Nuro will experiment with facial recognition technology to combat theft.
The Nuro concept has already raised $ 92 million in investment and is in talks with a number of potential partners. Most likely, R1 will become popular for Amazon. The founders of Nuro are confident in their success.>