Nuro, the autonomous delivery company that is already successfully delivering pizzas in the Houston area, has announced its third-generation vehicle, which includes an external airbag in case there is ever a collision with a pedestrian.
Nuro, founded in 2016 by Dave Ferguson and Jiajun Zhu who were previously with Google’s self-driving car project, is into last-mile delivery through robotics to better everyday life for millions of people. After two previous versions – R1 and R2 – the company has finally come up with ‘Nuro’.
In a blog post, the company announced the new vehicle, saying that it “improves on our previous design and is ready to be produced at scale. Every detail is intentional, and now we’re ready to share some of the most impactful innovations of our new model”.
Nuro – safety features
Safety has always been Nuro’s top priority. Starting from the size of the bot, to the external airbag, everything is designed to make it safer for the community it operates in.
The new Nuro is approximately 20% smaller in width than average passenger cars. That significantly smaller footprint gives bicyclists and pedestrians more room to manoeuvre alongside the bot.
A custom external pedestrian airbag across the front of the bot is optimized to reduce the force of impact and number of injuries in the event of a collision.
It is also designed to safely operate in the same environment as all motor vehicles. That allows Nuro to serve a wide variety of geographies that experience various weather conditions throughout the year.
The new model will reach a top operating speed of 45mph (72kmph), allowing the vehicle to reach more customers and serve more businesses on a wider variety of roads. It is completely battery-electric and hence emission-free. All materials adhere to strict sourcing and supply chain standards meant to protect the natural environment.
Nuro contains a sophisticated network of sensors that work together to give an in-depth, 360º view of the world in which it operates.
In addition to being able to sense everything from the difference between a bundle of leaves and a pet to how many pedestrians are standing at a crosswalk in dense fog, the new model also has the ability to clean its own sensors. This self-cleaning is important to maintain operations and retain sensitivity throughout the day.
The new vehicle was designed to feel like a friendly member of the community and to be fun to interact with.
The 27 cubic feet compartments combined can fit about 24 bags of groceries and handle almost 500 lbs. Modular inserts that fit inside the compartments allow for heating and cooling, with a range of temps from 22ºF or hot to 116ºF, which means pizza stays warm and soda stays cool.
In August 2021, Nuro announced its plans to build a manufacturing facility and test track in southern Nevada. Pre-production is underway now, and Nuro is partnering with BYD North America — part of one of the largest OEM networks of electric vehicles in the world — to assemble globally sourced hardware components for the vehicle platforms.
“Our third-generation vehicle was purposefully designed to become a beloved member of the community — every community. When we set out to transform everyday lives through robotics, we placed great emphasis on equity: we didn’t want to only cater to specific neighborhoods or certain demographics. We wanted to unlock access to goods and services for millions of people around the world. It’s a vision we believe in,” Nuro added in the blog post.
“This is the vehicle we’ll be producing at scale to better everyday life for millions, and we can’t wait for it to be on the road right outside your front door. Because, along with delivering nearly anything from local stores, it’s also delivering greater equity, safer communities, less pollution, and a whole lot more time to spend with the people you love.
In total, Nuro comes with a production-ready autonomous model equipped with excellent features.
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