This Semi Truck Just Drove Itself
IT’S A GAME CHANGER.
Ready or not, the future of the trucking industry may have just seismically shifted!
In what’s possibly the greatest single milestone achieved by a self-driving truck thus far, California’s autonomous driving technology company Plus.ai just completed the very first demonstration of Level 4 truck automation on a highway.
For reference, the levels of vehicle automation range from 0-6, with 0 being no automation at all (most vehicles on the road today), 2 being ADAS (vehicle steers & accelerates with a human monitor who’s able to take control anytime), and 5 being full on automation with no human attention required at all.
Level 4 is the highest that’s been achieved so far, and the large semi truck was able to drive safely and without incident through normal traffic flow on a road in China with no human in the cab (after obtaining a special permit).
Plus.ai will be launching a fully driverless truck for pilot purposes in 2022 and a commercial product for semi trucks down the line (although that will likely require a driver as per each locale’s regulations and insurance purposes).
Is this an answer for the ongoing driver shortage if it continues far into the future? Does this cement a future of driverless semi-trucks? Are the roles of drivers forever changed to being robot overseers rather than vehicle operators?
Watch the test here:
