Trucking is a $700B industry in the U.S. Nearly everything we own has traveled on the back of a truck. Aurora is on a mission to build the safest driver of the future by automating middle-mile delivery. In partnership with Peterbilt, Kenworth, Volvo, and Continental, we’re developing the world’s first scalable autonomous trucking platform.
↪ Scale hardware and vehicle production to 1,000 vehicles annually
↪ Meaningfully reduce hardware build costs to accelerate positive cash flow.
↪ Target a hardware service life of 1 million miles.
↪ Enable direct customer ownership of autonomous vehicles.
↪ Sensor pod design compatible with multiple manufacturing methods and suppliers, seamlessly integrated with the International LTS platform.
↪ Streamlined the sensor pod housing assembly process to improve manufacturing and servicing efficiency.
↪ Exterior Human-Machine Interface (HMI), integrating vehicle labeling and visual status indicators.
↪ Improved aerodynamic efficiency by 30% over the previous-generation Fusion hardware kit.
↪ Enabled single-person sensor pod cover assembly and installation.
↪ Enhanced the performance of exterior sensor cleaning systems.
↪ Reduced part count by 36% (from 22 to 14), simplifying and accelerating field service operations.
John Paxton, Albert Shane, Wayne Jackson and many more.
↪ CNBC, Autonomous Trucking Company Aurora looks to accelerate towards profitability, 2026
↪ The Wall Street Journal, Self-Driving Big Rigs Rack Up Miles, Just Don’t Tell Them to Back Up…Yet, 2026
↪ Time, Best Inventions of 2026 : Aurora Driver 2, A Driverless Big Rig, 2026
Introduction animation for internal and external use.
Developing the Perseus-generation hardware kit required collaboration with multiple partners across continents. Inconsistent specifications and measurement metrics introduced variability, making CMF execution difficult to manage. This experience reinforced the importance of establishing clear expectations, common reference standards, and universal guidelines—and upholding them consistently without exceptions.
↪ Establish physical references early: Share and ship CMF sample chips to all partners to align expectations and establish consistent quality standards.
↪ Create a trilateral communication channel: Facilitate direct collaboration between the design team, production vendors, and material suppliers to improve alignment, accelerate decision-making, and minimize execution inconsistencies.
Unlike its predecessor, the Fusion generation, which was developed, produced, and maintained internally, the Perseus generation requires collaboration with external partners across industries and cultures to support production, operations, and servicing.
What may seem obvious or acceptable to one partner may not be universally understood or shared by others, reinforcing the importance of design decisions that reduce the learning curve, enable seamless integration, and facilitate clear communication throughout the product lifecycle, while minimizing bespoke and custom solutions.
“Moving forward at risk” often shifts unresolved risks downstream, jeopardizing execution, product quality, and final GO/NO-GO decisions. Moving ahead or procedures or approvals to meet short-term deadlines can ultimately lead to greater delays and increased risks to the overall program. There is a delicate balance between maintaining procedural discipline and exercising flexibility to sustain momentum.
↪ Establish clear POCs and consolidate external communication channels early in the process. Fragmented or siloed conversations can quickly lead to misalignment, misunderstandings, and inconsistent decision-making across teams and partners.
↪ Engage with suppliers and external partners early on before there is a need to. Mitigate risks through high frequency low amplitude engagements.
↪ Develop and align on actionable plans: Justifying calculated risks is only the first step. Every accepted risk should be accompanied by a clear action plan, defined ownership, and mitigation strategies.
Cross-functional partners often want to advocate for design but may not fully understand its value or how to communicate it. Speak their language and translate design decisions into metrics and outcomes that resonate with their priorities. By making the value of thoughtful design tangible and relevant, partners can become stronger advocates for design.
↪ Prioritize addressing partner success metrics through design. Continuously adapt the design narrative to the development phase and priorities of cross-functional partners.
Cross-functional partners often want to advocate for design but may not fully understand its value or how to communicate it. Speak their language and translate design decisions into metrics and outcomes that resonate with their priorities. By making the value of thoughtful design tangible and relevant, partners can become stronger advocates for design.
↪ Prioritize addressing partner success metrics through design. Continuously adapt the design narrative to the development phase and priorities of cross-functional partners.