This Company Wants to License Its Autonomous Tech

• Delivery robot developer Nuro has revealed plans to license its SAE Level 4 tech to other companies that want to operate fleets of autonomous vehicles.

• The company saw a period of growth in the early 2020s, as the pandemic hinted at an automated future, but now faces a more uncertain path even as sidewalk robots conquer college campuses.

• SAE Level 4 tech is seeing a surge from trucking companies, while roadgoing delivery robots are starting to see competition from robotaxis.

Nuro may have gotten its start developing delivery robots, but its SAE Level 4 tech is equally applicable to other types of vehicles as well. And now Nuro is set to take advantage of what it has achieved in the autonomous driving sphere.

The delivery robot startup has revealed that it will license its Nuro Driver to mobility providers and auto manufacturers alike, hinting at the growing confidence of robotaxi and autonomous truck operators. This means Nuro will seek to offer its SAE Level 4 hardware and software as a package to those companies interested in going driverless, whether to address the current commercial driver shortages, or expand the number of hours its vehicles are on the roads.

Nuro has a number of things going for it.

For one thing, it has obtained Level 4 permits in a number of jurisdictions, allowing its delivery robots to roam several cities. Another feat Nuro has achieved is a perfect safety record, with zero at-fault accidents since launching operations in the US.

"Our expanded autonomy capabilities include both surface streets and highways, while our 4th generation Nuro Driver hardware enables up to Level 4 (L4), AI-first autonomous driving for multiple vehicle types at a dramatically reduced cost," the company points out. "This combination opens the door to L4 consumer vehicles, an incredible north star for the industry."

Nuro still believes in a future where autonomous tech saves time and saves lives, touting the promise of greater safety that can be achieved with fleets of autonomous vehicles.

One aspect Nuro isn't mentioning in revealing plans to market its Level 4 tech is the increasing uncertainty of the roadgoing delivery robot niche, which now faces pressure from robotaxis moonlighting as takeout delivery cars, as well as from a slower industry acceptance of larger robots that use roadways. This stands in contrast to smaller sidewalk robots, which are slowly taking over college campuses and which face significantly fewer regulatory hurdles.

Nuro's initial business model may have been anticipating a greater embrace of errand-running robots, especially early on in the pandemic.

However, robotaxis themselves remain unproven for the time being, at least when it comes to the business part.

It's one thing to field a fleet of EVs with sensors and reliable Level 4 tech on board, and it's quite another to actually make money doing so while maintaining a fleet depot, remote monitoring staff, and IT personnel to solve issues around the clock.

"Our new model will accelerate our customers' autonomy roadmaps while significantly reducing overall development costs," the company says.

Time will tell if Level 4 tech—currently permitted in a very small number of narrowly-defined jurisdictions—will transform mobility as predicted a decade ago.

Are roadgoing delivery robots likely to gain more acceptance among business users, or are robotaxis bound to force them out? Let us know what you think in the comments below.