Uber’s Otto makes first driverless delivery

On October 20^th, Uber’s unit, Otto completed the first commercial shipment by a driverless truck. The truck, packed full of Anheuser-Busch Budweiser beer, made the journey from Fort Collins, Colorado to Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The 18-wheel semi-truck successfully navigated through the busy streets of Denver using nothing but cameras, radar, and sensors. In order to prevent anything from going awry, a professional truck driver sat aboard to monitor the trucks performance. This extensive test came just six weeks after Otto presented a self-driving car demonstration in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Otto, co-founded by Google, is attempting to advance the business of self-operating technology, and it looks like they are on the right track.

This is a huge advancement in technology especially for top retails like Anheuser-Busch. Having self-operating vehicles not only will save in costs, but the trucks will be operable 24-hours a day which will maximize efficiency. The success of the first two hour shipment brought discussions of furthering the advancement of this new technology. The ultimate goal would be that the trucks could ship nation-wide without needing any drivers.

According to Otto, the biggest savings would come from not needing drivers, but for the foreseeable future, all trucks will have someone onboard to monitor the truck. The company also urges that this technology will be safer on the road, meaning there will be less of a chance for accidents.

For now, it is uncertain when we will all start to see driverless automobiles in our everyday lives, but the technology is well on its way. Don’t be too surprised if you happen to see a massive semi-truck with no driver.

Take a look at Otto’s website where the company promotes self-driving vehicles exclusively for material transport.