Designers

Nuro’s head of design talks autonomous pods

By 2024-12-13T11:09:00

Nuro hero image resized

Autonomous vehicles need not be as cold and uninviting as we might first think, providing the focus lands on humanisation and smooth UX design

Founded in 2016 by Jiajun Zhu and Dave Ferguson, two former Google Waymo engineers, Nuro began life by developing Level 4 autonomous vehicles for goods deliveries. Shortly before completing trials, the company became the first ever to be granted exemption from low-speed autonomous vehicle federal safety requirements in the US. It has since expanded operations, and recently announced coverage in Mountain View and Palo Alto, California, as well as Houston, Texas, making it one of the largest L4 autonomous vehicle deployers in the country.

Daniel Hundt, Head of Design, Nuro

Daniel Hundt, head of fesign, Nuro

Nuro’s latest zero-occupant solution is called the R3, and is possibly as snazzy as it gets for a pod-like delivery vehicle. Two sizeable storage compartments open up from the same side with dual gullwing doors. These are split in half by an arch that rises from the centre of the vehicle and supports the main sensor stack. The front end is adorned by a glossy black window sitting above two round headlamps and another sensor placed in the centre of the face. It almost resembles a little character from the Pixar film franchise.

The company has also recently announced plans to share its AI-powered autonomy platform with carmakers, allowing them to leverage the technology to produce their own autonomous passenger vehicles and trucks. Speaking to Car Design News, Daniel Hundt, head of design at Nuro, explains the philosophy that underpins the company and emphasises the importance of unintrusive UX design.

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