Nuro is testing its autonomous vehicle tech on Tokyo’s streets
Nuro, the Silicon Valley-based startup backed by Nvidia, Uber, and SoftBank, is testing its autonomous vehicle technology in Japan. Toyota Prius vehicles equipped with Nuro’s self-driving software — and human safety operators behind the wheel as backup — began testing on public roads in Tokyo last month. The testing marks the first overseas expansion for the startup, which upended its business model two years ago. Nuro said testing in Japan introduces a number of new challenges and different driving styles and rules. For instance, vehicles drive on the left side of the road, and Tokyo’s streets have dense traffic. Road signs and lane markings are also different in Japan. The company, which opened offices in Tokyo last August, did not disclose how many test vehicles are in its fleet or when it might remove the human safety operator from the vehicles. The company did suggest, in a blog post announcing the testing in Japan, that there will be future expansions. “Our autonomous operations in Tokyo are the beginning of the compounding benefits of global deployment,” …
