Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

trucks

Mitsubishi Fuso launches E-Fuso electric truck and plans to electrify all its vehicles

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Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation, part of Daimler Trucks, have strengthened the commitment of their Fuso brand towards alternative drivetrains.

At the Tokyo Motor Show, MFTBC announced it will electrify its complete range of trucks and buses in upcoming years.

At this occasion, MFTBC unveiled E-Fuso as the first original equipment manufacturer to launch a product brand exclusively dedicated to electric mobility of trucks and buses.

As further proof of this strategic move, MFTBC celebrated the world-premiere of its all-electric heavy-duty truck concept with a range of up to 350 kilometers. [Read more…] about Mitsubishi Fuso launches E-Fuso electric truck and plans to electrify all its vehicles

Uber’s autonomous truck journey off to a bumpy start

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uber otto autonomous truck
An autonomous trucking start-up Otto vehicle is shown during an announcing event in Concord, California, US on August 4, 2016. Reuters / Alexandria Sage

By Heather Somerville and Julia Love, Reuters

Uber Technologies’ drive to become a major player in the trucking business is off to a bumpy start, with analysts and industry executives questioning what exactly the company can bring to the sprawling $700-billion industry.

The San Francisco ride-services giant had planned to disrupt freight hauling by offering a complete package of trucking technology including self-driving trucks and smartphone-based logistics services.

But what has emerged so far, industry watchers say, is a modest effort to build a brokerage service connecting truckers looking for loads to shippers with cargo to haul.  [Read more…] about Uber’s autonomous truck journey off to a bumpy start

US government set to change driverless vehicle regulations under pressure from automakers

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US President Donald Trump is set to announce “within the next few months” new regulations that will eliminate the barriers to autonomous cars on the roads, according to a report on Reuters. 

The current transportation secretary, Elaine Chao, acknowledged that automakers have been calling for rule changes which will give them more freedom to test and develop autonomous cars.

Chao says: “The pressure is mounting for the federal government to do something. We don’t want rules that impede future technological advances.”  [Read more…] about US government set to change driverless vehicle regulations under pressure from automakers

Self-steering Volvo truck set to increase Brazil’s sugar-cane harvest

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Volvo Trucks has developed a new self-steering truck that it says could become a significant productivity booster for Brazilian sugar-cane growers.

The truck, which is used to transport newly harvested sugar-cane, is steered with “great precision” through the fields in order to avoid damaging the young plants that will form the following year’s crop.

At present, about 4 per cent of the crop is lost as young plants are run over and the soil is compacted by moving vehicles. This can translate into tens of thousands of US dollars in lost revenue per truck per season.  [Read more…] about Self-steering Volvo truck set to increase Brazil’s sugar-cane harvest

Nvidia developing self-driving technology with truckmaker Paccar

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Nvidia is working with Paccar, a truck manufacturer, on developing solutions for autonomous vehicles. 

The collaboration was shared by Nvidia founder and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang during his keynote at the Bosch Connected World conference in Berlin.

Separately, he provided details of Nvidia’s partnership with Bosch, the world’s largest automotive supplier, on self-driving car technology.

“This is probably the largest single mass of a product that we’ve helped make,” said Huang, addressing a crowd of more than 2,000 executives, developers and others attending the event.  [Read more…] about Nvidia developing self-driving technology with truckmaker Paccar

ZF unveils AI driving system which could be used for forklift trucks, while Toyota adopts the fuel cell

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toyota fuel cell forklift truck

ZF teams up with Nvidia on artificial intelligence system for autonomous cars, trucks and industrial applications

ZF says its ProAI system for automated driving is built on high-performance Nvidia Drive PX 2 AI computing platform, and will enable vehicles to “see, think, and act”. 

ZF is one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers and a global leader in active and passive safety technology, and has been working with Nvidia to develop artificial intelligence systems for the transportation industry for some time.

The two companies are looking at various sectors, including:

  • automated and autonomous driving systems for passenger cars;
  • commercial trucks; and
  • industrial applications.

The ZF ProAI for highway automated driving is ZF’s first system developed using Nvidia AI technology.  [Read more…] about ZF unveils AI driving system which could be used for forklift trucks, while Toyota adopts the fuel cell

Cargoways using Gatehouse Logistics telematics to monitor truck fleets transporting racing cars

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formula-e-jaguar

Cargoways controls routes with the ghTrack telematics portal of Gatehouse Logistics to monitor 170 trucks carrying racing cars every day with the technology

It’s been a breakthrough year for forwarding company Cargoways Logistik & Transport, winning the business of transporting race cars to venues.

The first contract was to transport Formula E equipment using 35 trucks from London to Paris and the success of that operation led to Formula 1 enquiries.

Cargoways specializes in transports to islands. Currently, its core business is between Italy and England, but opportunities are now opening up to the firm in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Germany.  [Read more…] about Cargoways using Gatehouse Logistics telematics to monitor truck fleets transporting racing cars

CeMAT: Warehouses turning to autonomous vehicles to keep up with ecommerce growth

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cemat

CeMAT Update: Logistics companies are increasingly acquiring robotics and automation technology to make their operations more efficient and keep up with the growth of the online economy

“Due to booming e-commerce, customers have new needs,” said Dr Henry Puhl, chairman of Still management in Hamburg.

“The shipment sizes, for example, and the variety of products. Things are getting smaller and, therefore, there is more short-term seasonality, which is accompanied by strong volume fluctuations.”

This leads to the development of logistics solutions which offer more customized products in smaller quantities.

“In addition, it is essential to take into account regional requirements, that are brought about by globalization to us,” says Puhl. “Customers must be able to make their processes more flexible in order to remain competitive.”  [Read more…] about CeMAT: Warehouses turning to autonomous vehicles to keep up with ecommerce growth

‘Platoons’ of autonomous trucks set for European roads

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daf trucks, nxp, ricardo, tno
The DAF technology challenge will see fleets of autonomous trucks take to European roads

Dutch government organising DAF technology demonstration to put fleets of autonomous trucks on European roads 

A consortium of DAF Trucks, TNO, NXP and Ricardo is working together under the name EcoTwin to participate in the European Truck Platooning Challenge being organised by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment on April 6.

read it on apple news

The objective of the DAF test is to obtain permission from governments to perform large-scale, pan-European testing of truck combinations that are linked wirelessly – or “platoons”, as the consortium is calling them.  [Read more…] about ‘Platoons’ of autonomous trucks set for European roads