Futuristic Otto truck on a highway

Now, a group of 40 former employees of tech companies such as Google, Tesla and Apple have founded a new company called Otto to start an era of self-driving trucks, the American technology media The Verge reported.

The San Francisco-based company aims to turn the traditional commercial trucking industry into a high-tech sector.

In theory, an Otto truck will be able to operate safely for many more hours than a person who’ s in full control.

Unlike the early-stage self-driving cars, Otto will focus on highway driving, which shoulders the main truck routes in America. The company starts with the Volvo VNL 780, one of the heaviest trucks on highways.

According to The Verge, Otto company is entirely self-funded without any external investment while it faces other challengers researching self-driving systems right now.

However, its co-founder Anthony Levandowski, who used to be a member of Google’s self-driving car team said, “I think it’s fantastic what they’re doing. But I think it’s a different timeframe and objectives as to what we’re trying to solve and what they’re trying to solve,” as quoted by The Verge.
*Xinhua