What does it feel like to be driven by a computer the size of a truck?
Daimler Trucks North America want. They have just been awarded the first license for an autonomous commercial vehicle on the roads of the United States. The license was granted in Nevada, a state known for its progressive attitudes to self-driving vehicles.
A driver will have to be behind the wheel, ready to take over in situations the computer cannot handle, such as roadworks or bad weather, but in other situations he or she would be free to take their eyes off the road.
Daimler’s truck is capable of “level three” self-driving – on a scale that goes from zero to four - which means it can take over the driving itself if required. But the company says the driver will only become a passenger under a controlled set of circumstances.
The system was first demonstrated in Germany last year but on a closed section of road.
And on Nevada’s freeways, the driver can now chill out, or even take care of paperwork on the truck’s built-in tablet.
If it turns out the truck does need some input from the driver – such as if it needs to turn off at an exit or is approaching road works, the driver takes back control.
“The system is called ‘Highway Pilot’, so this is on freeways and highways at this point. We don’t have it for the inner city,” says Steve Nadig, chief engineer at Daimler Trucks North America. He says there is some monitoring work needed that will keep the driver in his seat, but that his workload will be light enough to allow him to do other things.
And there are clues too for the other drivers that the automated truck would share the roads with; the autonomous model has LED lights that turn different colours according to whether a human – or a computer – has control
And there are clues too for the other drivers that the automated truck would share the roads with; the autonomous model has LED lights that turn different colours according to whether a human – or a computer – has control
