Texas Highway Patrol troopers and other first responders recently assisted an AI-powered self-driving truck maker with helping their technology to recognize emergency vehicles.
Troopers recently worked with Houston-headquartered Bot Auto at the Texas A&M RELLIS Campus to teach the AI that powers the self-driving semis how to recognize first responder vehicles, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) – Southeast Texas Region.
“Autonomous Trucks and first responders are interacting with each other in a closed course training environment. This day and night session allows our vehicles to learn in real-life situations while providing invaluable insight to law enforcement and fire departments,” Bot Auto said.
Officials noted that Bot Auto’s autonomous trucks are “already delivering shipments between Houston and San Antonio.”
“Times are changing but our duties are not … Thank you Bot Auto for reaching out as we work together to make Texas roads safer,” Texas DPS said.
In March, Bot Auto issued a statement promising fully “driver-out” freight operations to launch in 2025 with “continuous autonomous trucking operations between Houston and San Antonio.”
“The most predictable breakthroughs are the ones no one predicts,” said Bot Auto’s founder and CEO Dr. Xiaodi Hou. “2025 is going to be a big year. Look at what’s unfolding across our industry so far: Kodiak demonstrating driver-out capabilities in the Permian Basin, Aurora timing their Driver-Out pilot program, FERNRIDE making strides in Europe, and now Bot Auto setting our schedule. To casual observers, this might seem like another wave of hype, but such synchronized predictions across players isn’t orchestrated—it’s the most organic forecast of genuine breakthrough. The hardware is ready. The software is ready. And this new dawn will illuminate our industry in 2025. We, Bot Auto, are committed to being in the first row.”
In the dash cam video below, you can see a Bot Auto truck operating in autonomous mode on a hub-to-hub run between Houston and San Antonio with a safety driver in the cab.
