There is no definite regulation about the use of automatic
steering car, Freightliner, a heavy truck manufacturer from the United States,
recently shows off a giant truck that's able to drive by itself. Called
Inspiration, this automatic steering truck has just received permission to be
tested in the Nevada province.
Indeed it looks pretty scary to imagine a giant truck is
running on the highway without a driver, but don't worry because the automatic
steering system is only intended for toll roads, and a driver is still required
to be in the truck. Technology that's called Highway pilot makes use of a
camera series and radar to monitor the surrounding conditions.
A radar unit that's embedded in the front bumper of
Freightliner Inspiration will monitor the condition of the road from near and
far, up to 250 meters. Thus, this truck can observe the presence of a car in
front of it, stepping on the gas pedal and the brake at the right time so there
is no collision.
At the same time, a camera embedded in the ceiling of the
dashboard helps to analysis the road conditions in front of the truck. Camera
with a range of 100 meters will recognize the road lines, and then forwards the
collected information towards the steering wheel so that the truck can
consistently be on track without the intervention of the driver.
In addition to ease the task of the truck driver when
entering the highway, this automatic steering truck is believed to be more
efficient about fuel consumption. The reduction of fuel consumption is possible
thanks to the platooning technology that's introduced by Freightliner Inspiration.
As the name implies, this technology allows multiple
Inspiration trucks to form a neat straight rows, with the distance between the
trucks about 7.5 meters. Each truck will communicate via radio signals so when
the front truck braked, the other trucks will also put the brakes on rapid
response.
The line of trucks will lead to a more optimal air flow,
making each truck becomes more aerodynamic than when moving outside the
formation. In the end, a row contains three trucks is believed could save fuel
consumption up to 5.3%, while a row which is containing 5 trucks can save up to
6%.
Nevertheless, no matter how sophisticated the technology
brought by an automatic steering car, it will be useless if it's not allowed to
run on public highways, so let's hope the government regulation about automatic
steering cars can be set as soon as possible in all countries.