Daimler Trucks continues to develop in the field of autonomous ground transport. By installing the autopilot system on the Mercedes-Benz Actros tractor and releasing the car on the Autoban near Stuttgart, the company became the first in the world to test such equipment on public roads.
The new version of the autonomous control system was first installed in something more than a conceptual car. In the cabin of a quite ordinary Mercedes-Benz Actros she was tested by the Executive Director of Daimler and the head of the Baden-Württemberg district.
The system uses two types of radars. Sonar of the near radius allows you to scan surrounding obstacles at a distance of up to 70 meters in the area of 130 °, while the “long-range” radar is already evaluated by 250 meters in the 18-degree corridor. The data obtained in combination with a stereo camera make it possible to recognize the marking of the highway and control the truck through active cruise control, brake controllers and steering.
To conduct a demonstration, Daimler was forced to achieve special permission from the German traffic management, which allows to withdraw a semi -autonomous truck to an autobahn and move at a speed of up to 85 km/h/h.
The Higway Pilot system was first shown last year as part of the Future truck from Mercedes-Benz-a concept designed to demonstrate the future of auto transportation. Then, at the beginning of this year, another concept of the company on the basis of the Freightliner truck was licensed to use the US Nevada.