Truck manufacturer Volvo has unveiled its first "production-ready" autonomous model, heralding the future of freight transport in the United States. It benefits from a system developed by Aurora, composed of numerous sensors and boosted by artificial intelligence.
The Volvo Group, via its Autonomous Solutions division (VAS), has teamed up with the American company Aurora to develop the first fully autonomous truck. Based on the Volvo VNL range, this autonomous model has been designed with a view to one day increasing freight capacity across the United States.
The Aurora Driver is a Level 4 autonomous driving system, requiring no human assistance. It consists of two computers running powerful AI-powered software. On the hardware side, it includes a LiDAR system capable of detecting objects over 400 meters away, as well as high-resolution cameras, imaging radar and various other sensors, enabling this Volvo VNL Autonomous truck to drive in safety.
This collaboration with Aurora, already known for its robotaxis in the United States, paves the way for a new era in freight transport. This truck is, in fact, the first in a long series, since the idea is to one day be able to integrate this technology into all the Volvo Group's truck ranges. By 2025, Aurora intends to equip around 100 trucks with its technology, before rolling it out on a larger scale in the years to come.
In the US, Uber Freight and Waymo, an Alphabet subsidiary and Aurora's competitor in the robotaxi sector, have already joined forces to set up a novel logistics platform, composed in part of a fleet of autonomous trucks. – AFP Relaxnews
