Nuro’s Autonomous Delivery Vehicle Features a Huge External Airbag
Like it or not, there will be self-driving vehicles on the road, or on dedicated portions of the road, in the not-too-distant future. Some of those vehicles will have a human being ready to take over commands if needed, but others will be operating all on their own, with no one inside.
Those, of course, are delivery vehicles. And for companies looking to reduce operating costs, they are an intriguing possibility. And not only won’t there be a driver drawing a salary, there won’t be one taking up space either, meaning the vehicles can be maximized for cargo space.
One feature that won’t be needed in the absence of interior occupants is airbags. Although, a new vehicle just previewed by Nuro, a leader in autonomous-drive technologies, shows there is a need for that safety feature just the same. The latest version of the delivery vehicle conceived by the company features a huge airbag… located on its outside.
The vehicle shown bears the name of its creator, Nuro, and it’s the third generation to be presented. It has compartments that can hold up to 500 lb of stuff, including, from the looks of it, both hot and cold food and groceries. The layout of cargo bins reminds us of nothing so much as those cantine trucks that visit plants, warehouses and other businesses to serve workers.
The vehicle's system can keep food cool down to -5.5 degrees Celsius or warm up to 47 degrees Celsius.
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