JAKARTA - Increasingly sophisticated technology can now facilitate human needs. Likewise with matters of shipping services. Nuro, a technology manufacturer in the United States (US), has launched a self-driving car or better known as the autonomous second series, R2.
Licensed to maneuver in the US, this driverless car was created for freight forwarding. The federal government has paved the way for Silicon Valley startups to deploy thousands of driverless vehicles on US roads.
According to a report by the US Department of Transportation, Mountain View, California-based Nuro can now launch up to 5,000 of its R2 series autonomous vehicles over the next two years.
The federal government has previously warned self-driving vehicle companies to file exemptions to their vehicle standards in order to quickly acquire innovative technology when operated. Nuro is the first company to receive an exemption from the Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard, which requires cars to have a long list of safety futures, including airbags and seat belts.
The R2 is also categorized as a low speed vehicle, so it does not have to meet the same safety requirements as a car with a driver or an SUV. This autonomous car can only go 25 miles per hour, and weighs less than 2,500 pounds.
By cooperating with a Roush car industry which is famous for making the Ford Mustang, it is known that Nuro is only a supplier of technology and autonomous sensors for this R2.
Because it is designed without a crew, Nuro R2 does not have a steering wheel, pedals or mirrors. This car is made to carry packages and other items with a considerable load. Of course, it is equipped with more camera sensors to control remotely.
The vehicle has an egg-like shape which is smaller than the car produced in general in the US. It has two temperature-controlled sides for placing items. The recipient of the package must first enter the code (order number) and the car door will open upwards.
Nuro said that initially R2 would operate in the Houston, Texas area, which includes 160 thousand residents. The manufacturer will conduct a trial run by delivering pizza first. In December, the company announced a partnership with Walmart to test food shipments.
"In the future, we must modernize the existing regulations. Never imagined a driverless vehicle would be the safest vehicle to use," said Dave Ferguson, one of the founders of Nuro.
After officially operating, the US government will later require Nuro to report information regarding any accident and periodically report on R2's condition.
Previously, autonomous cars had already been produced by Alphabet's Waymo, but they still rely on vehicles that include car components in general. Unlike these companies, Nuro focuses more on transporting goods than people.
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