Autonomous truck Otto from Uber made its first unmanned flight

Today, Otto's robotic truck made its first flight, delivering 50,000 cans of beer to Colorado Springs from the Budweiser plant. After leaving the car on the highway, the driver unfastened the seat belt and went to the back of the cab, as he jokes, “to practice yoga”.

Otto is an American startup for the development of robotic trucks, purchased in August this year by Uber. While Uber itself is engaged in the development of robotic taxis for urban conditions, Otto aims to create an autonomous long-distance cargo transport. For testing, Volvo equipped with special equipment worth about $ 30,000.

The startup did not set any fantastic goals for the full replacement of live drivers with autopilot and full automation of road freight. Otto is able to work only in conditions of a highway, where the situation is more or less predictable, sufficient visibility is ensured and there is no interaction with traffic lights and pedestrians.
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At the same time, the creators of Otto note that, unlike the product of the same Tesla Motors, whose autopilot requires keeping hands on the steering wheel and being ready to take control, their development ensures level 4 autonomy. The fourth level of autopilot implies full autonomy of the vehicle in conditions where this autopilot can work (for example, on a highway). This is exactly what the driver of the truck demonstrated by crossing into the back of the cab and letting the Otto drive along the highway independently and without its control.

Earlier, Tesla Motors was also criticized by one of the Volvo engineers, senior technical head of the accident prevention department Trent Victor. He called the Tesla " bathbie " real autopilot system imperfect in terms of security.

The result of such developments can be almost completely autonomous freight, when the real driver will be involved only a few kilometers away within cities and towns.