Most people get confused by the concept of driverless trucks. How can a truck drive itself? And why does it need no driver to do it? Driverless vehicles are often compared to autopilot systems that are available in planes. However, one major difference between these two devices is that an airplane's autopilot system is not designed to make the airplane completely independent of human control. Such technology started in the 1970s when film producers featured such kinds of transport in science fiction movies like Star Wars and TV shows like Knight Rider. Since then, various production companies have come up with many concepts for futuristic vehicles capable of driving themselves. As seen at dioram site, the trend toward automation in the trucking industry continues to gain momentum, and a shortage of drivers, an increase in investment, and advances in automotive technology have triggered it.
How Driverless trucks are working
Driverless technology works well in an environment where intelligent transportation systems (ITS) already exist. An example of this would be roads with many signs or signals warning drivers about various dangers ahead; it also limits construction areas where the amount of traffic. These vehicles use computers, sensors, and other technology to operate independently without the direct intervention of human drivers or guides dogs. It can be either fully autonomous, supported by humans in some conditions, or limited only to specific domains such as surface streets or freeways/highways. Also, an autonomous vehicle service must be able to detect road markings and signage, interpret traffic signals and speed limits, identify free space ahead, maintain safe speeds and distances from other vehicles.
Use of Radar Sensor
The driverless trucks are equipped with a radar sensor that emits radio waves and then measures how long it takes them to bounce back; this tells you how far away something is. Radar sensors send out pulses of radio waves in all directions, which reflect off objects around them, like obstacles or other vehicles. They measure the time that radio waves take to make their journey (that can be done by predicting when they will hit their target or counting from when a pulse was sent). Since their speed is known accurately, knowing how long it takes a pulse to come back tells you exactly how far away things are. This method has advantages over using only a camera because although it can't produce a picture of the world around you, it is entirely useful when there isn't much light to help with vision.
Use of the Light Detection and Ranging technology
The triangulation method uses a combination of Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) and GPS data to map its environment. It works by firing pulses from lasers towards an object then analyzing how these return - the distance and direction is calculated from this. The more points collected, the better the sensor can figure out where objects are in space. 3D mapping technology like this has been used for years in robotics, but only recently have self-driving trucks begun using it independently. In most autonomous vehicles, several view perspectives are taken separately and combined via computer algorithms before being sent to the central controller.
The LiDAR works like radar but uses light instead of radio waves; it is essentially an advanced laser scanner that rotates extremely quickly on the truck's roof. It aims at short pulses of light at surfaces around the truck is driving and calculates how far away they are based on how long the light takes to return. This information lets autonomous vehicles effectively "see" where they are going.
LIDAR can be more accurate than other methods because it provides more detailed information - objects only visible in two dimensions (like images) might not be detectable by other sensors like LIDAR, but with this method, you can build up a 3D map of your location, helpful if your surroundings are complex or dynamic. However, laser sensors are costly, and their effective range is limited.
Other LIDAR-based systems, like the ones used by Google's self-driving trucks, use rotating lasers to scan their surroundings. However, Ford has recently revealed a new system that instead emits multiple infra-red beams from a stationary source underneath the vehicle to collect 3D images of what is around it. That makes it cheaper than other versions but can't see as far away or accurately.
Use of the GPS System
Geographically accurate maps are required for autonomous driving systems because such vehicles need detailed information on where exactly they should go. Most companies that produce digital maps focus mainly on two aspects: providing different route alternatives based on human preferences or other factors and building up the routing infrastructure that enables navigation apps and other transportation services. Google Maps, for example, provides multiple route alternatives depending on whether you want to avoid toll roads or highways.
Voice recognition
Driverless vehicles may be programmed to recognize verbal and non-verbal commands, but they aren't designed for humans to operate directly. There's generally a pilot or co-pilot present to take over if something goes wrong. However, in Google's case, the primary role is typically played by sensors and software. Sometimes, there are also test drivers who monitor the testing from the passenger seat.
At present, all autonomous vehicles are still required to have a steering wheel because their technology cannot yet substitute for the input provided by humans. However, this type of vehicle will eventually be able to control its acceleration and braking according to various factors, including current speed limits, detected objects, and the actions of other drivers. That could create a less stressful and more streamlined traffic flow.
Situations when Driverless Trucks Cannot Work?
There are some scenarios where driverless technology would not work. For example, in a location far from ITS technologies and the environment is very unpredictable - such as a forest or desert- driverless technology may have trouble because it can't adjust to new conditions easily. In addition, autonomous systems need highly specific infrastructure to operate properly. That includes markers on the infrastructure itself so that they know where they are going and obstacles along the road to be aware of their surroundings.
Driverless trucks are equipped with several technologies that allow them to maneuver themselves to get their job done. These include global positioning systems (GPS), sensors, millimeter-wave radar, and automated controls. The automated controls consist of computers that control the engines and other systems on the truck to manage speed, avoid collisions, stay within lanes, change gears, and apply brakes automatically when needed.