Nuro, a self-driving delivery company, has unveiled their self-driving car, which features an odd-looking exterior airbag for pedestrians.
The new vehicle would have twice the cargo volume of the R2 robot’s second generation, according to the company. It will also include new temperature-controlled chambers and modular inserts to keep food warm or cold as desired.
Dave Ferguson and Jiajun Zhu founded Nuro in 2016, valued at $8.6 billion. It is one of the few companies that operate fully autonomous vehicles without using safety drivers.
The vehicle’s external airbag is the most noticeable feature of the new car. The airbag seems to be a blown-up mattress attached to the vehicle’s front end. Nuro installed an airbag on the outside of the vehicle to protect pedestrians in the case of an emergency since this vehicle was not designed for human drivers.
For the first time, a self-driving car maker has considered the safety of anyone outside the vehicle, including pedestrians and cyclists. While it may appear silly at first sight, Nuro’s consideration of how humans will behave with self-driving automobiles is heartening.
According to Nuro, the new airbag-equipped car will be manufactured at the company’s Nevada manufacturing facility. A Chinese firm BYD will produce the vehicle’s powertrain, which comprises the electric motor and battery.
Nuro has made remarkable progress in regulatory adherence, becoming the first company to be granted a special exemption from some federal safety regulations and receiving approval to charge money lately. The company aims to grow its business in the future, but it doesn’t give a timeframe for when that would happen.