Autonomous Vehicles

Around this time last year, robotics startup Nuro was granted a deployment permit in California for its autonomous delivery vehicle. Now the company has partnered with convenience store chain 7-Eleven for the first commercial delivery service.

EasyMile has been developing and testing its driverless shuttle at various locations around the world, and has now added another feather to its cap, becoming the first vehicle authorized to operate without a human driver on public roads in France.

Highlighting the present and distant future, Buick has unveiled the Smart Pod concept. The car provides a futuristic vision of pure autonomy, in which occupants are more likely to enjoy a game on the big screen than actually take the wheel.

A future-focused ship designed as the world's first all-electric, autonomous cargo vessel has debuted in Norway, where it is intended to replace 40,000 diesel-powered truck journeys every year and significantly reduce NOx and CO2 emissions.

We're seeing an increasing number of robotic devices that are created to perform tasks which would put soldiers in danger, or take them away from other more important duties. The Rook UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle) is one of the latest, and it features full-time six-wheel-drive.

Although we hear a lot about the development of urban aerial delivery drones, it's quite likely that autonomous ground-based delivery vehicles will be in wide use first. REE Automotive's Leopard EV is one example, and it's just been unveiled as a physical concept vehicle.

At CES 2018, Honda debuted a prototype off-road rover designed to help out at construction sites, in agriculture, in search and rescue operations, and more. Now the second Autonomous Work Vehicle prototype has been put to work in New Mexico.

Hyundai Mobis moves closer to revolutionizing EV maneuverability. Three years after introducing the e-Corner Module, it's testing a working all-in-one wheel prototype with integrated intelligent steering, braking, drive and suspension hardware.

After four years, Amazon subsidiary Zoox is taking its autonomous L3 vehicles from the automotive kiddy tracks of Las Vegas and the San Francisco Bay Area to the off-road rally course that is the streets of Seattle.

GM is officially dialing its self-driving program up from "Super" to "Ultra." The all-new Ultra Cruise system promises a full hands-free driving experience in 95 percent of driving scenarios and on 2 million miles of pavement in the US and Canada.

Citroën has introduced an interesting mobility concept that brings together a few forward-looking transport technologies into one versatile vehicle that can be fitted with different types of pods depending on the job at hand.

Pulling your stuff around in a cart is all very well and good, but … what if you want to keep your hands free? That's where the gita wheeled robot was designed to come in. There will soon be a smaller version available, known as the gitamini.