Swedish manufacturing company Volvo released a video of an autonomous truck driving by itself through an underground mine to highlight its ability to control itself in rough conditions and what’s more, it features an executive from the company playing chicken with the driverless vehicle. The film was recorded in harsh operating conditions in the Kristineberg Mine 100 kilometres from Arvidsjaur in northern Sweden.
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Self-driving vehicles are being developed for various industries worldwide.
Image: Volvo’s self-driving truck. For example, ports, mines and other geographically-limited and well-controlled environments with a large proportion of regular, repetitive driving.
The trial will start in the autumn and, says Volvo, one truck will cover a distance of 7km, reaching 1,320 metres underground in the narrow mine tunnels.
The vehicles are series-built models but with added functionality, including a radar/laser-based sensor system. The information gleaned was then used to regulate the vehicle’s speed, steering, and gear changes.
The truck uses various sensors as it maneuvers through the mine and constantly monitors its surroundings to avoid both fixed and moving obstacles. All this means that each truck can be utilised more efficiently and can carry out more transport tasks per shift.
The truck is fitted with a system that gathers data to optimise and coordinate the route and fuel consumption.
An autonomous truck must be at least as safe and reliable as a manually driven truck. If a fault occurs with the truck, it can be remotely operated from the transport centre. The truck is part of a development project and is being tested in real-life operation for the very first time.
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This is the second major announcement on autonomous driving to emanate from Volvo this week.
