Autonomous delivery vehicle company Avride has a new design and NVIDIA AI brains. The company has engineers has been changed old six-wheel configuration for a more efficient four-wheel chassis. It can make 180-degree turns almost instantly, park on slopes with ease and drive faster without compromising safety.
Avride has been working on autonomous delivery robots since 2019. It started as a part Russian technology company Yandex autonomous driving wing. But the departing company Russia gave up its assets After Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and rebranded as Avride. It is currently owned by the Netherlands-based Nebius Group (formerly Yandex NV), headquartered in Austin, TX and It has deals with companies like Uber.
The company’s latest delivery robot shakes up one of the few constants from previous iterations: They all had six wheels. The new four-wheeled robot cart uses a “groundbreaking chassis design” that eliminates some of the rough spots of older generations. These include additional friction and tire wear caused by excessive braking required for turns, reduced maneuverability and less precise trajectory execution. Avride says that the new model significantly improves all these indicators.
The wheels of the new car are mounted on movable arms attached to a rotating axle. For turns, each wheel slides along a circular path stabilized by a central arm. “This design allows the wheels to rotate both inward and outward, reducing friction when turning,” the company wrote in its announcement blog.
Central to the new design is the abandonment of traditional front and rear axles for pairs of mechanically linked wheels on each side. Avride says this allows for simultaneous turning angle adjustments, leading to more precise positioning and maneuvers.
Among the results of the fresh approach are almost instantaneous 180-degree turns. Avride says this is especially helpful when navigating narrow pavements where sudden corrections may be necessary. Parking on slopes is also more energy-efficient: It now straddles its wheels to park in place without sliding downhill. Tighter control allows the company to increase its maximum speed. “This means faster delivery for our customers,” the company wrote. (And probably more profit.)
The new generation of delivery bots not only received a new body, but also became smarter. Powered by NVIDIA Jetson Orin platformcars that are essentially “artificial intelligence brains for robots” can now access neural networks as powerful as those found in full-size autonomous vehicles. This allows them to process “huge amounts” of sensor data, such as lidar inputs and camera feeds, in real time.
After all, it wouldn’t be a delivery cart without a cargo compartment – and it’s been upgraded, too. The new model has a completely detachable storage compartment that allows you to change the module for different purposes. Avride says its standard cargo hold is big enough to hold several large pizzas and drinks, or multiple grocery bags. It also adds a sliding lid that ensures access to only the correct section, helping to avoid delivering orders to the wrong customers.
Engineering and design professionals can read more about the new robots Medium post by Avride.
