Aurora Releases Aurora Driver Beta 2.0

Rhea-AI Summary

Aurora Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUR) has launched Aurora Driver Beta 2.0, enhancing its autonomous driving technology for freight and passenger transport. The update features improved highway and suburban navigation, upgraded cameras for obstacle detection at double the distance, and a new commercial route between Fort Worth and El Paso. This version also includes advanced capabilities for handling challenging driving conditions, such as construction zones. Aurora aims to safely and efficiently operate its truck and ride-hailing services, paving the way for commercial launch.

Positive

• Launch of Aurora Driver Beta 2.0 enhances autonomous vehicle capabilities, preparing for commercial use.
• Improved highway and suburban navigation enables safer and more efficient freight and passenger transport.
• Higher-resolution cameras provide obstacle detection at double the distance, enhancing safety.
• New commercial route between Fort Worth and El Paso supports regular freight operations.
• Continuous mapping updates provide real-time data for improved road navigation.

Negative

• None.

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Aurora Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUR) has launched Aurora Driver Beta 2.0, the second release of its integrated hardware and autonomy system. This release powers Aurora’s next-generation truck fleet and its recently unveiled Toyota Sienna test fleet. It also debuts new capabilities and critical improvements to prepare the Aurora Driver for commercial launch, including:

The Aurora Driver 2.0 is the first product release that is powering Aurora's trucking fleet and its ride-hailing Toyota Sienna fleet. Aurora’s Common Core of Technology enables the intelligence and learnings from its trucks to easily adapt to its minivans. (Photo: Aurora)

• Advanced highway and suburban capabilities, including more complex construction zone navigation, key for hauling freight across the country.
• Upgraded cameras with higher resolution, allowing for obstacle detection at 2x the distance.
• New commercial route between Fort Worth and El Paso supported by daily map updates.

New Autonomy Capabilities

Aurora Driver Beta 2.0 unlocks more challenging highway and suburban road capabilities, allowing the Aurora Driver to safely and reliably operate on longer commercial routes. These include:

• Seamlessly navigating complicated construction zones that require changing lanes and nudging around concrete barriers and/or cones.
• Identifying and reacting naturally to temporary speed limit and lane closure signs, construction workers and vehicles, trucks hauling oversized oil equipment, and other unique vehicles and actors commonly present in long-haul trucking.
• Performing Texas U-turns, a road configuration commonly adjacent to Interstates and an essential maneuver for terminal-to-terminal operation.

Through continued virtual and on-road testing, this release also features matured driving capabilities released in Beta 1.0, such as unprotected left turns, high-speed merges, and lane changes.

Higher Camera Resolution for Earlier Detection

Aurora Driver Beta 2.0 features upgraded cameras with 4x the amount of pixels. The higher resolution of the Beta 2.0 camera suite gives the Aurora Driver 4x more camera data to ingest, allowing it to see the same level of detail at 2x the distance. Combined with Aurora’s FirstLight lidar and imaging radar, these high-resolution, long-range cameras allow the Aurora Driver to perceive and react to distant objects like road debris, vehicles on the shoulder, construction zones, and more, resulting in extremely reliable and safe operation on highways.

Launching a New Commercial Route with Enhanced Mapping for Daily Maintenance

Aurora Driver Beta 2.0 includes several advances that enhance its ability to operate on long-haul routes like Fort Worth to El Paso. This lane is the middle leg between Atlanta to Los Angeles, one of the busiest commercial thoroughfares in the U.S. The Aurora Driver is delivering commercial freight on this route on a weekly basis.

The Aurora Driver is designed to handle the unexpected. As Aurora Driver-powered vehicles navigate commercial routes, Aurora’s HD mapping system, the Aurora Atlas, continuously updates to reflect new construction, fresh lane markings, vegetation growth, and more. These updates are shared across Aurora’s fleet of trucks and minivans. Now, with stronger tooling and data pipelines, the Aurora Atlas releases updates in hours, giving all vehicles powered by the Aurora Driver up-to-date and reliable information about the state of the road.

One Driver to Power Aurora’s Cars and Trucks

The Aurora Driver 2.0 is the first version that is powering the vehicle platforms that are expected to launch both Aurora Horizon, its trucking product, and Aurora Connect, its ride-hailing product. Aurora’s Common Core of Technology enables the intelligence and learnings from its trucks to easily adapt to its minivans.

“Aurora Driver Beta 2.0 represents an incremental yet critical milestone in our path to launching an end-to-end autonomous product that can safely move both freight and people,” said Chris Urmson, Aurora CEO and Co-Founder. “Whether we’re hauling goods for FedEx or preparing to take passengers to the airport, we’re seeing our technology evolve into a valuable product, and that’s exciting.”

About Aurora

Aurora (Nasdaq: AUR) is delivering the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly. Founded in 2017 by experts in the self-driving industry, Aurora is revolutionizing transportation – making it safer, increasingly accessible, and more reliable and efficient than ever before. Its flagship product, the Aurora Driver, is a platform that brings together software, hardware, and data services, to autonomously operate passenger vehicles, light commercial vehicles, and heavy-duty trucks. Aurora is partnered with industry leaders across the transportation ecosystem including Toyota, Volvo, PACCAR, Uber, Uber Freight, FedEx, and U.S. Xpress. Aurora tests its vehicles in the Bay Area, Pittsburgh, and Texas and has offices in those areas as well as in Bozeman, MT; Seattle, WA; Louisville, CO; and Detroit, MI. To learn more, visit www.aurora.tech.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Press Release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including but not limited, to those statements around the development of our technology and commercialization efforts. These statements are based on management’s current assumptions and are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. For factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, please see the risks and uncertainties identified under the heading “Risk Factors” section of Aurora Innovation, Inc.’s (“Aurora”) Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on March 11, 2022, and other documents filed by Aurora from time to time with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements reflect our beliefs and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. Aurora undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220331005365/en/

Khobi Brooklyn

press@aurora.tech

(415) 699-3657

Source: Aurora Innovation, Inc.

FAQ

What is Aurora Driver Beta 2.0?

Aurora Driver Beta 2.0 is the latest version of Aurora Innovation's autonomous driving system, enhancing its capabilities for commercial freight and passenger transport.

When was Aurora Driver Beta 2.0 launched?

Aurora Driver Beta 2.0 was launched recently, as detailed in a press release by Aurora Innovation.

What improvements does Aurora Driver Beta 2.0 include?

The release includes advanced navigation for complex driving conditions, upgraded cameras for better obstacle detection, and a new commercial route.

How does the new commercial route affect Aurora?

The new commercial route between Fort Worth and El Paso supports regular freight operations, enhancing Aurora's logistics capabilities.

What are the benefits of the upgraded camera system?

The upgraded camera system offers obstacle detection at double the distance and provides more detailed visual data for safer operation.