Otto Self-Driving Trucks (Photo : Twitter)
Google, Apple, and Tesla former employees have teamed up to launch a new company to turn big rigs into self-driving trucks. Otto is a San Francisco-based startup with 40 employees including co-founders Anthony Levandowski from Google's self-driving car team, and former Google Maps head Lior Ron.
The startup company is not building new autonomous vehicles (AV). It is instead manufacturing hardware kits for commercial trucks that would be installed at service centers or factories.
Otto will first focus on autonomous highway driving, which makes up most of semi trucks' mileage, according to The Verge. This differs from Google's self-driving car program.
However, human drivers behind the wheel would still handle other tasks such as loading and unloading. The company is now running tests using a Volvo VNL 780. However, the California company hopes to later use the biggest vehicles on American roads known as "Class 8" trucks.
Levandowski was a pioneer of autonomous driving before working at Google. Otto's team of self-driving experts could be a sign of Levandowski's leverage in the industry.
An interesting fact about Otto is that it was launched without any outside funding. It is a sign that the company's founders have been racking up high salaries in the tech world.
The company is focused on launching a product on the retail market. It will cost a small percentage of the sticker price of big rigs that range from $100,000 to $300,000.
Levandowski shares that no laws or regulations ban self-driving cars if a human is in the vehicle. In addition, California rules of the road just require vehicles to have a steering wheel and pedals.
Autonomous trucks could have a larger impact on people's everyday lives than smart cars. In years they could make commercial trucks' routes cheaper, safer, and greener.
Other companies are also doing work on self-driving trucks. Last year Daimler introduced the first-ever autonomous semi. Meanwhile, Volvo is teaming up with Europe's Project Sartre to build convoys of robot trucks that follow a leader.
Daimler's autonomous Freightliner likely will not hit the market until a decade from now. Meanwhile, Otto's $30,000 kit could soon turn any truck built since 2013 into a semi-AV, according to Wired.
