On a three-lane test track along the Monongahela River, an 18-wheeler rounded a curve. No one was on board. A quarter of a mile ahead, the truck's sensors spotted a trash can blocking one lane and a tire in another. In less than a second, it signaled, moved into the unobstructed lane, and rumbled past the obstacles. The self-driving semi, outfitted with 25 laser, radar, and camera sensors, is owned by Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation. Late this year, Aurora plans to start hauling freight on Interstate 45 between the Dallas and Houston areas with 20 driverless trucks, per the AP. Within three or four years, Aurora and its competitors expect to put thousands of such self-driving trucks on America's public freeways. The goal is for the trucks, which can run nearly around the clock without any breaks, to speed the flow of goods, accelerating delivery times and perhaps lowering costs.
The companies say the autonomous trucks will save on fuel as well, because they don't have to stop, and will drive at more consistent speeds. The image of a fully loaded, 80,000-pound driverless truck weaving around cars on a highway at 65mph or more, however, may strike a note of terror. A poll conducted in January by AAA found that a decisive majority of Americans—66%—said they would fear riding in an autonomous vehicle. But in less than nine months, a seven-year experiment by Aurora will end, and driverless trucks will start carrying loads between terminals for FedEx, Uber Freight, Werner, and other partners. Aurora and most of its rivals plan to start running freight routes in Texas, where snow and ice are generally rare.
The vehicles have drawn skepticism from safety advocates, who warn that with almost no federal regulation, it will be mainly up to the companies to determine when the semis are safe enough to operate without humans. Critics complain that federal agencies, including the NHTSA, take a generally passive approach to safety, typically acting only after crashes occur—and most states provide scant regulation. But Aurora and other firms developing the systems argue that years of testing show their trucks will actually be safer than human-driven ones. Still, concerns linger. "Everything I see indicates they're trying to do the right thing," says Carnegie Mellon University professor Phil Koopman. "But the devil is in the details." More here.
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