Robo Beer Run: Self-Driving Truck Delivers Budweiser

Nothing brings a party to a screeching halt like running out of booze. Well, rather than begging your designated driver to go on a beer run, you may be able to call on a self-driving truck to keep the fridge stocked.
A self-driving truck, developed by the Uber-owned startup Otto, recently made the first autonomous commercial delivery by driving 120 miles (200 kilometers) across Colorado to deliver 2,000 cases of Budweiser beer.
On Oct. 20, the truck departed the Anheuser-Busch facility in Loveland, Colorado, and drove itself on Interstate 25 through Denver — alongside regular car traffic — to Colorado Springs. According to Otto, a trained driver was in the truck at all times, but never had to intervene for the entire 120-mile stretch of interstate. [Photos: The Robotic Evolution of Self-Driving Cars
Travis Kalanick, Uber's chief executive, has said he envisions a future in which transportation will involve both driver-controlled and driverless vehicles, reported The New York Times. Uber acquired Otto, a San Francisco-based startup run by veterans of Google's autonomous vehicle research, in August.
"I think the most important things that computers are going to do in the next 10 years is drive trucks and cars," Anthony Levandowski, Otto co-founder, said in the company's video about the inaugural journey.
However, Otto is clear that while the truck is largely autonomous in terms of driving, drivers will still be involved in the deliveries. Walter Martin, the Otto truck driver on the Budweiser run, said in the video that human drivers are still needed for performing pickup, loading the freight and ensuring the cargo is secure in the back of the vehicle. Drivers also navigate the city portions of the trip, Martin added.
"Then once you're on the interstate, one switch and it's driving itself down the road," he said.



https://youtu.be/Qb0Kzb3haK8