Self driving cars have been the focal point of the automotive industry recently. Other than personal use, what are the other applications of this tech? How many industries are using vehicles as part of their day to day operations? Imagine how shipping and trucking industries might change though automation. It is exciting to see how industries continue to change as technology and automation continues to advance.
Video Transcript:
This year, we’ve seen a flurry of activity around self-driving cars. Intel bought Mobileye for $15 billion. Lyft and Waymo formed a partnership to collaborate on self-driving cars. Uber acquired Otto for more than $600 million, less than a year after it was founded. Clearly we’re in the midst of an arms race for this crucial technology.
But what about trucks? It turns out that self-driving technology already exists. In the mines of Australia, Komatsu has been running self-driving trucks. Early adopters have been able to demonstrate that the technology works.
Here in the US, we are watching technology companies take incremental steps towards this vision. Peloton, for instance, is providing companies with machine-to-machine communication that allows trucks to draft off one another in sequence, like bicycles in a race. When the first truck brakes, the second, third, and fourth trucks can follow in lock step.
Who will be the first to come up with a self-driving truck that can serve the mass market? Stay tuned to see who the next big winners will be.
