How I Built This with Guy Raz When trucks drive themselves with Chris Urmson of Aurora
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Jul 20, 2023 Chris Urmson, a pioneer in the autonomous vehicle industry and founder of Aurora, shares insights from his experience launching self-driving technology for semi-trucks. He discusses the evolution of autonomous vehicles, the challenges faced during early trials, and the potential for automating trucking to address driver shortages. Urmson highlights innovations like LiDAR and machine learning, the need for empathy towards job displacement, and ambitious plans for commercial self-driving services by 2024, emphasizing safety, trust, and transparency in the industry.
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Early Fascination with Robotics
- Chris Urmson's interest in robotics stemmed from childhood fascination with space and robots.
- This led him to Carnegie Mellon after seeing a poster about a volcano robot.
Introduction to the DARPA Challenge
- While in the Atacama Desert, Chris's advisor told him about the DARPA Grand Challenge, a robot race.
- This sparked his interest in autonomous vehicles and shifted his research focus.
2004 DARPA Challenge
- In the 2004 DARPA challenge, Chris's team's vehicle went only 7 miles before getting stuck.
- Despite the setback, it was an exciting moment to witness the robot driving autonomously.