Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/846046
July 2017 | EquipmentWorld.com 46 technology | continued W hile the focus in autono- mous truck development is often on private companies, the United States Army has also remained diligent in pursuing self- driving tech. The U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engi- neering Center (TARDEC) has been successful for the past year testing communications systems during truck platooning runs on Interstate 69 in St. Clair and Lapeer counties in Michigan. Now TARDEC plans to run a convoy of trucks on a Michigan highway this month to test the trucks in fully autonomous mode. To play it safe, a rider will be in each truck ready to take the wheel if necessary. The trucks will be riding along I-69, sharing the road with the pub- lic. They'll cross Blue Water Bridge, an important test. "You're crossing a steel girder bridge and you look for the differ- ent radar refl ections, whether or not your system gets confused or not," Dr. Paul Rogers, TARDEC director, told CBSDetroit. The roughly 6,178-foot-long Blue Water Bridge spans the St. Clair River and connects Port Huron, Michigan, with Point Edward, On- tario, Canada. Michigan's Department of Trans- portation has been working closely with TARDEC to help advance autonomous driving technology in the state. "We're moving forward on how we can deploy this in a safe fashion on our public roadways and bring this technology to bear to make Michigan a true leader," Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said during a recent press conference where TAR- DEC's upcoming Blue Water Bridge trip was announced. State transportation offi cials be- lieve that once fully implemented, autonomous driving technology could reduce traffi c deaths by 80 percent. "At the end of the day, that's what's most important to the De- partment of Transportation. It's the safety component," Michigan State Transportation Director Kirk Suedle said during the press conference. TARDEC envisions using autono- mous trucks and other vehicles in combat to keep more personnel out of harm's way. Seudle said last year during an interview on TARDEC's platoon- ing tests that his state is leading the way in autonomous driving devel- opment. "We're really out in the front...California's close, but there's nobody else that has the technol- ogy, the partners like we have here in Michigan," Seudle said. – Tom Quimby Army tests fl eet of autonomous trucks The U.S. Army envisions using autonomous trucks and other vehicles in combat to keep more personnel out of harm's way.