Outrider, the pioneer in autonomous yard operations for logistics hubs, has announced the development of the industry’s first purpose-built safety system engineered to support the large-scale, driverless movement of freight within mixed-traffic trailer yards. This breakthrough safety architecture, developed in-house, aligns with the AV Conformity Framework (AVCF) requirements validated by TÜV SÜD, a globally respected, independent testing and certification authority.
Outrider’s next-generation autonomous yard trucks-integrating this proprietary safety system-are slated for initial deployment with select enterprise partners starting in the second half of 2025.
“Outrider pioneered the yard automation space with the goal of making autonomous yard operations inherently safer than present-day operations, and we have prioritized the safety system from day one,” said Andrew Smith, Founder and CEO of Outrider. “It is not hard to create a driverless demonstration. It is a major technical undertaking to design an 80,000-pound robot that operates amongst over-the-road trucks, delivery trucks, and warehouse personnel.”
Designed to operate safely and efficiently in complex environments, the Outrider System leverages advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to autonomously maneuver trailers across busy logistics yards. Recognizing that even cutting-edge AI systems can encounter unexpected scenarios, Outrider has engineered a robust, redundant safety framework that mitigates risk at every level of operation.
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This multi-layered safety system includes 14 proprietary safety mechanisms, developed to address over 200,000 unique hazards commonly found in yard environments. These mechanisms incorporate redundant hazard detection, fail-safe hardware redundancies, and continuous real-time health monitoring. This integrated approach ensures that the system can identify and respond to anomalies, override unsafe behavior, and safely bring the autonomous vehicle to a complete stop when necessary.
“Given the lack of standards for yard automation, Outrider developed the safety approach that will set the standard in the industry,” said Vittorio Ziparo, CTO and Executive Vice President of Engineering at Outrider. “We used established standards for functional safety in road vehicles outlined in ISO 26262 and safety in autonomous vehicles outlined in ISO 21448, as the starting point for a proprietary and comprehensive safety approach for autonomous yard operations.”