Passion and Technology Fueling Our Self-Driving Journey

Expecting the unexpected

Check out a sample of real-world examples and simulations of the Aurora Driver responding to unusual on-road scenarios

There are thousands of scenarios a driver might encounter on any given day. Operating a vehicle means not just skillfully managing those commonplace moments, but also solving for those that are unusual or unexpected. 

Aurora continues to take an industry-leading safety approach to its development, commercialization, and deployment of self-driving technology. Every day, our trucks haul commercial loads in autonomy on major freight routes in Texas, where we navigate a variety of both common and novel scenarios on the road.

We use these experiences to continuously improve the Aurora Driver. Recently, we developed a series of videos that showcase recent on-road encounters, examining how the Aurora Driver handled them and how we’re developing critical capabilities as we progress toward commercial launch.

These include:

• Anticipating and avoiding a red light runner: The Aurora Driver correctly anticipates that another vehicle will run a red light and avoid a collision.
• Detecting a pedestrian at night: As a pedestrian walks along the highway shoulder at night, the Aurora Driver detects their presence from 300 meters away – faster than otherwise visible to the naked eye.
• Detecting and responding to a sideswipe collision: A vehicle sideswipes an Aurora Driver-powered truck on the freight route between Fort Worth and El Paso.

Just as with human drivers, autonomous vehicles will encounter close calls, debris, and aggressive drivers. Handling these situations confidently and responsibly is essential to deploy this technology at scale.

Check out our showcase videos

People & their stories bringing self-driving to life

Meet four Aurorans and what drew them to building world-changing technology

Aurora’s self-driving vehicles might operate in autonomy, but it’s the human touch that brings this technology to life. Our vehicle operators play a foundational role in advancing our mission toward an autonomous future. 

Recently, we developed a series of videos highlighting the people behind this technology:

• LaCarro Boston A third-generation truck driver with 40-plus years in commercial freight, LaCarro’s experience and passion are now being used to train our autonomous trucks.
• Travia Davis  Leading a Vehicle Operations team in Texas, Travia’s dedication and passion are helping fulfill our mission to improve road safety.
• Tom Randle  After four decades of pulling long-haul freight, Tom’s expertise is helping build a better Aurora Driver.
• Jess Hess Jess’ dispatch experience guides her approach to leading operations in Dallas, connecting her teams to our shared mission and making our roads safer. 

In other news 

WIRED breaks down Governor Newsom’s veto of AB316 and the current state of the autonomous vehicle industry

Watch CEO Chris Urmson's opening statement before the House of Representatives' Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure as they discussed the technology and autonomous trucking. 

MotorTrend published an in-depth profile piece on CEO Chris Urmson, looking at his start as an early innovator in self-driving as well as the future of autonomous transportation

Keep Aurora on your radar.

Subscribe to The Dashboard!