Don Burnette, a key player in autonomous vehicles, shares insights on Kodiak Robotics' approach to autonomous trucking, focusing on the 'middle mile' strategy. He discusses sensor technology advancements, partnerships with Uber Freight, and challenges in self-driving truck deliveries.
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Quick takeaways
Don Burnette's transition from Google's self-driving project to founding Kodiak Robotics highlights his focus on improving road safety through autonomous trucks.
Kodiak Robotics' emphasis on highway routes and partnerships for efficient freight movement showcases their commitment to practical solutions and real-world performance.
Deep dives
Don Burnett's Journey to Self-Driving Trucks
Don Burnett, CEO of Kodiak Robotics, shares his journey from being influenced by DARPA challenges during his university days to transitioning to self-driving technology, especially in trucks. His motivation stemmed from a preventable accident and a friend's tragic incident, leading him to explore making roads safer through self-driving technology. Joining Carnegie Mellon's team, he later shifted to industry work, aligning with Google's self-driving project, which catalyzed his move towards autonomous trucks.
Evolution of the Self-Driving Industry
Discussing the evolution of the self-driving industry, Don reflects on Google's entry into the self-driving project, emphasizing a research-focused period initially followed by a shift to solving real-world driving challenges like surface street driving. Challenges included complex urban driving scenarios and the integration of business models for applications like Robotaxis, pushing the industry towards practical solutions beyond academic goals.
Kodiak's Focus on Autonomous Trucking
Kodiak Robotics prioritizes improving road safety and freight industry efficiency through long-haul autonomous trucks, focusing on highway routes for impactful and achievable solutions. Handling first and last mile sections, Kodiak collaborates with local drivers or existing operators for seamless load transfers, leveraging a fleet management system for coordinated freight movement and operational efficiency.
Achievements and Future Prospects for Kodiak
Kodiak Robotics recently achieved intervention-free deliveries, showcasing consistent real-world performance on challenging routes, contrasting with cherry-picked demos. Utilizing a sensor suite comprising LiDARs, cameras, and radars, Kodiak prioritizes system-level capabilities and redundancy for reliable autonomous driving performance. Inspired by industry trends, Kodiak envisions maintaining independence, focusing on safety validation and automotive-grade system developments for future scalability and success.
Don Burnette has followed a familiar path into autonomous vehicles, as an early member of Google's self-driving car program and the Otto trucking startup that formed the core of Uber's early foray into the technology. Now, as the founder of the autonomous trucking startup Kodiak he's up against some of the biggest names in the business as competition converges on the promising but challenging trucking business. Burnette joins this week's Autonocast episode to discuss what he's learned about the AV space, why he's focused on trucking, Kodiak's "middle mile" strategy, sensors and much more.
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