Nuro, a tech start up company, founded by two former top notch employees of Waymo, Google’s self-driving project, have come up with their robotic vans. these vans will have no driver and it’s totally functioning on the robotic features.
The company had this as their business plan 18 months ago and have been working on it ever since. The vehicle has no doors or windows and will be carrying packages and not people.
Most of the tech companies are working on self-driving cars in order to replace taxi cars, but the company is not working on this domain. It is preparing to work with Amazon.com Inc., United Parcel Service Inc. and other retailers who are looking for such services.
The delivery pod weighs about 1,500 pounds. It is mostly covered with the battery that powers it’s electric engine. Its measurements are almost the same as a conventional SUV.
“We realized we could make it possible to deliver anything, anytime, anywhere,” said co-founder Dave Ferguson. “We like to call it a local teleportation service.”
The options available for service in the van are opting for shelves and refrigeration or a dry-cleaner can go with hanging racks.“We spent a bunch of time doing ergonomic experiments,” Ferguson said.
The vehicle is comparatively slow and makes it relevant for delivering goods. The have also worked on the safety measures on road. “Most of these things sort of drive like my grandma,” Ferguson said. “If someone’s inside the vehicle, that’s annoying. If no one’s inside the vehicle, that’s actually a strictly positive thing.”
The only downside of driver-less vans would be while delivering. The person has to go out to get the goods from the van. “It’s ambitious,” Ferguson said with a laugh. “We’re uncomfortably excited about that goal.” he added.