Companies developing off-road truck platooning system
MONTREAL Robotic global leader in Automated Driving Systems (ADS), Research, LLC, a , CANADA - and FPInnovations, a Canadian private non-profit research and development center, are collaborating to develop an off-road truck platooning system for the forest industry.
The project will combine Robotic Research’s proven expertise in selfdriving technology with FPInnovations’ knowledge in forestry and transportation to adapt the truck platooning technology for off--highway environments.
Truck platooning is the linking of two or more trucks in convoy, using connectivity technology and automated driving support systems with platoon trucks taking driving cues from the manned lead truck. The following trucks can be either manned or unmanned. Trucks that travel closer together create less of an air drag and therefore conserving fuel. As well, the signal to stop or slow from the lead truck is sent faster than a human individual can respond.
Robotic Research, with a history of other groundbreaking projects, including the development of the Xcelsior AV announced with New Flyer this year, will create unmanned convoys of Class 8, ADS-enabled trucks that follow a driver in a lead vehicle. The project will adapt existing technology to challenging Canadian conditions such as four-season weather and operations on offpavement roads, particularly for resource roads in continental and polar climates.
The Robotic Research and FPInnovations multi-year project aims at accelerating the adoption of off-road automated-vehicle (AV) technology to improve safety and address an acute labour shortage, thereby improving the quality and viability of rural jobs where natural resources are located.
“We are extremely proud to have been selected by FPInnovations and believe this project is a transformative model of how ADS can aid industries, like forestry, operating in perilous conditions or facing workforce shortages,” said Alberto Lacaze, president, Robotic Research. “The unmanned truck convoys work in concert with commercial drivers to enhance their efficiency, while also protecting their safety.”
In Phase I, truck convoys will be put through safety trials that mimic the routes from harvesting sites to sawmills. Once the system is proven to be secure, FPInnovations will run trials on actual resource roads, known to be challenging because of dust, sharp curves, and steep slopes.
“We are very pleased to partner with Robotic Research whose leading-edge expertise in the commercial on-road and defense transportation will greatly benefit Canada’s natural resource sectors and help address an acute labor shortage,” stated Stéphane Renou, president and CEO, FPInnovations.
