Anthony Levandowski, who pleaded guilty to one count of trade secret theft and was pardoned by Donald Trump, simultaneously built and undermined the autonomous vehicle sector. The long term impact is unclear.

As application opportunities increase, the mobile robotics sector continues to expand rapidly, with funding to start-ups continuing, and larger established technology companies, including AGV suppliers, entering the market with solutions developed in-house or acquired. As standardization and commoditization looms, companies emphasize SW, RaaS and specialization as differentiators.

  While mobile robots for use in ecommerce and fulfillment centers have received most of the attention in recent times due to their sudden uptake, robotic fork trucks (forklifts) have been quietly and steadily growing in numbers, and represent one of the largest opportunities for suppliers of Automated Guide Vehicles (AGVs) and Autonomous Mobile Robots…

Otto’s self-driving truck will be tested on two public roads in Ohio, including a 35-mile section of Route 33, a four-lane, divided highway, during regular traffic flow.

Shailen Bhatt, executive director of Colorado’s Department of Transportation, says it’ll be a few years before self-driving trucks are transporting goods on a regular basis.

An Otto self-driving truck made its first delivery, driving 51,744 cans of Budweiser 120 miles through Colorado, marking the first time commercial cargo was delivered by a self-driving truck.

Otto, a startup founded by former Google Maps and Google Car engineers, aims to put self-driving trucks on the road. Here are seven ways self-driving trucks will change transportation.