Outrider emerges from stealth, deploys autonomous technology to distribution yards

February 20, 2020 | AUVSI News

After operating in stealth-mode for two years, Outrider, a developer of autonomous yard operations for logistics hubs, has emerged from stealth with the announcement that it has raised $53 million in funding, after seed and series A funding rounds led by NEA and 8VC, respectively.

Based in Golden, Colorado, Outrider has also deployed what it describes as the “first-to-market solution” that focuses on autonomous yard operations for logistics hubs, the Outrider System.

According to Outrider, the goal of distribution yards is to keep semi-trailers full of freight moving quickly in the space between the warehouse doors and public roads, but a lot of these processes that make up yard operations are manual, inefficient, and hazardous, the company says.

“Logistics yards offer a confined, private-property environment and a set of discrete, repetitive tasks that make the ideal use case for autonomous technology. But today’s yards are also complex, often chaotic settings, with lots of work that’s performed manually,” explains Andrew Smith, founder and CEO of Outrider.

“This is why an overarching systems approach – with an autonomous truck at its center – is key to automating every major operation in the yard.”

Outrider says that it automates the “repetitive, manual aspects” of yard operations by conducting tasks such as moving trailers around the yard, moving trailers to and from loading docks, hitching and unhitching trailers, connecting and disconnecting trailer brake lines, and monitoring trailer locations. The company’s goal is to deliver yards that are “more efficient, safer, and more sustainable,” at scale.

Through pilot programs with Georgia-Pacific and four Fortune 200 companies in designated sections of their distribution yards, Outrider is currently showcasing the benefits of its technology.

“We’re constantly looking for ways to transform our company and the way we get work done, especially making work safer and more efficient and productive,” says Annant Patel, Vice President of Automation Transformation at Georgia-Pacific.

“Yard operations has been one of our opportunities, and Outrider has been a great partner to help us automate our pilot site.”

Outrider’s integrated, three-part system is designed to solve the complexities of yard operations. The system includes management software, autonomous zero-emission yard trucks that feature vision-based robotics, and site infrastructure. The Outrider System integrates with existing supply chain software that large enterprises use.

Outrider notes that it works with customers and outside experts to develop the safety case for its system. The company also references existing functional safety standards and is helping define the next-generation standard for Level 4 Autonomy System Design.