The Driverless Safety Report includes information on safety engineering, cybersecurity and risk management, according to Aurora in the news release. The report is an expanded version of the Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment — documents encouraged by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for companies who develop and launch automated driving systems.
"Our safety approach spans both product and organization, and in this report, we've shared a behind-the-scenes look into our safety systems," said Nat Beuse, chief safety officer at Aurora, in a statement.
The NHTSA has a voluntary safety guidance document that notes 12 elements, including system safety, object and event detection and response, human-machine interface, crashworthiness, and compliance with federal, state and local laws.
When the NHTSA becomes aware of a new assessment publication, it's added to the Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment index online and made available to the public.
Aurora has been partnering with FedEx, Uber Freight, Hirshbach and Schneider for its self-driving system, the Aurora Driver, on the Dallas to Houston route. The company has not yet announced who will be a part of the fleet for the driverless operations, according to Jake Martin, spokesperson for Aurora.
Aurora officials will also have to close its safety case framework before the launch.
Amy Witherite, founder of the Witherite Law Group and a traffic safety expert in Texas, said that although she applauds Aurora's efforts, she is still concerned about the report's lack of specific details about how often or under what circumstances the company's automation had failed or required human intervention.
"With literally billions of dollars at stake, it is fair to ask whether companies who will potentially profit from this technology should be the ones who decide whether it is safe to put on our highways," she said in a statement.
Martin said in an email that Aurora submits safety incidents to the NHTSA and the company doesn't publish them independently.
The company plans to have full driverless operations on Texas highways in April. The trucks were traveling with a safety driver present to monitor the self-driving system's performance. Aurora's full report can be read online.
WHAT ABOUT BAD WEATHER?
Aurora wrote in its report that the operational design domain would expand to include operating in harsh weather. The domain refers to the conditions in which the self-driving system is designed to function, including geography, environment, weather, and other driving conditions.
The company plans to have the self-driving system detect the off-nominal condition and respond by slowing down or pulling to a preferred exit or the shoulder when visibility is affected, the report reads.
The imaging radars assist the self-driving system in noticing the objects around it. The company said the radar is strong enough to withstand adverse weather conditions, such as rain and fog, that may affect the camera and lidar.
HOW IS AURORA TESTING THE TRUCKS?
Aurora wrote in the report about using virtual testing for the self-driving system. These tests include running it through a simulated environment based on synthetic or real historical data. The company said the virtual testing would create a safer environment to test scenarios that trucks may encounter on the roads.
The company recreated scenarios for testing with data from fatal crashes involving trucks driven by people on the same Dallas-to-Houston route.
Aurora said it uses on-road testing as well.
HOW DOES AURORA DETECT FAILURES?
Aurora uses its Fault Management System to monitor, detect and safely respond to situations in which the system isn't functioning as intended, the company said in the report.
Built-in redundancy will replace the backup provided by a human driver with systems that will automatically take control if primary systems encounter an issue.
Aurora also developed an adaptive security approach in case the self-driving system becomes a target of potential security threats.
WILL THE TRUCKS KNOW IF IT'S ABOUT TO CRASH?
Aurora's self-driving system has been designed to reduce the chance of a collision by detecting a potential crash, attempting to steer clear or by changing speed, the company says. In case of a crash, the vehicle will contact first responders and deploy representatives from Aurora's response team.
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