The Google division launches a trucking test service using robots

A few days ago on Geektimes there was news that Uber launched a commercial service of unmanned trucks. This is not a research project, but a real business project that aims to make a profit, if not right now, then after some time. A feature of the project is that the trucks move on the road themselves, completely or almost completely, without human intervention. Drivers just start and finish the trip, and on the way most of the time the car goes by itself.

Now a similar project is implemented by a division of Google Inc., which is called Waymo. On Friday, the company said that the service starts in Atlanta, USA. As in the case of Uber, a person (truck operator) will be present in the cab of the car who will be able to take control if something goes wrong.

Waymo is engaged in robotic cars is not the first year. “Last year we conducted tests in the field, trucks drove along the roads of California and Arizona,” the company said in a blog. Now the machines begin to work in Georgia, USA, where Google data centers are located. Here, robotic trucks will transport goods in the interests of Google.
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In addition to trucks, Waymo tries his hand in passenger traffic. So, in January of this year, the company announced that a taxi company starts work in Atlanta, in which, respectively, cars with automatic or semi-automatic control are operating.

Unfortunately, there is no detailed information about the technical characteristics of the trucks - the Waymo management did not provide such data. However, it is stated that the technology used to provide autonomous travel is more perfect than the systems developed by competitors. Waymo developers claim that they are close to creating truly autonomous trucks that can move independently along busy city roads.

Now a very small number of cars with autopilot can move without any help from the driver. Nevertheless, no one is going to clean people out of the cabs yet. This is indicated, but obviously such actions (and most importantly, permission to implement them) must be approved by regulators. The latter are not at all eager to let out into the street multi-ton machines that are controlled only by AI, without human intervention.

For obvious reasons, the principle of operation of unmanned trucks differs from the principles of operation of the robot. “Things like braking, turning, blind spots are different for cars and trucks,” write the Waymo developers on their blog. Now they have a lot of work, because the technology has not yet perfected to perfection.

As for the Uber company, the Uber Freight service is responsible for cargo transportation. That is how the company calls its logistics division. Moreover, the delivery of goods is organized very unusual. Traditionally, the cargo is taken from point A and delivered to point B. In the case of the Uber service, the situation is somewhat different. At the first stage, an ordinary driver sits in the cab of a regular truck. He delivers the load to the station "robozgruzchikov." Here, the trailer is removed from a regular truck and attached to an autonomous Uber Freight service vehicle. Then the cargo carries a robotic car. It also ends with the transition to a regular truck and the final delivery of cargo with its help. According to the authors of the service, all this will reduce the fatigue of truck drivers, and thus increase the overall efficiency of cargo transportation.

In addition to Waymo and Uber, Starsky Robotics is also conducting their own robotic truck tests, which was announced this week. Another startup, named Embark, has been delivering goods using trucks with an autonomous control system since last autumn.


Mercedes also has its own trucks, which, however, does not itself carry cargo, leaving it to other companies - buyers of their robofurs.

There is no doubt that soon the movement of goods using autonomous systems will become quite commonplace, because now more and more companies are engaged in this and even more are going to do in the near future.