Self-Driving Semis

A leading developer of self-driving cars and a leading manufacturer of semi-trucks have teamed up to produce what will likely be the first autonomous semis.

Alphabet’s Waymo Driver has literally gone through billions of miles of simulation and millions of miles of road testing to become recognized as one of the leading autonomous technologies in the industry. Based on 3-dimensional map data that includes traffic lights, stop signs, curbs, sidewalks, lane markers and road profiles, the system starts out with a comprehensive image of the driving area. Sensors and cameras can scan up to three football fields away in all directions for temporary objects, vehicles and pedestrians. And software predicts what will happen next based on the speed and trajectory of a scanned object to determine safe driving speeds and steering maneuvers.

The plan is to incorporate this SAE Level 4 self-driving system into Daimler’s Freightliner semis, although industry experts predict that we may eventually see the same capabilities in other Daimler brands, like Mercedes-Benz. No time frame for the upgrade has been released.