Virtual co-drivers will make trucks of the future safer

Trucks of the future could be equipped with an on-board digital co-driver to assist the human behind the wheel, or even take over if the driver loses control. The HAVEit project (short for Highly Automated Vehicles for Intelligent Transport) has 28 million euros (USD$40 million) at its disposal and is aiming to develop a virtual co-driver that responds to both traffic conditions and drivers' needs.

A survey by the European Truck Accident Causation Study shows that 47 percent of all truck accidents take place in monotonous situations such as traffic queues, with vehicles traveling in the same direction.

To reduce these accidents, tomorrow’s vehicles will have external sensors that evaluate traffic situations, scan lane markings, road signs, and current road conditions.

These would be combined with an internal system that monitors the driver and interprets his or her needs. The truck will also be enhanced so that it can be controlled electronically and help the vehicle travel more economically.

“We are not trying to make the driver superfluous, we want him or her to always have some form of control. We do this through continuous dialogue between driver and system, where the vehicle becomes more or less automated depending on the current circumstances,” explains Reiner Hoeger, project coordinator for HAVEit.

Two trucks are currently undergoing a digital transformation at Volvo Technology in Göteborg, Sweden. One truck has a safety focus, the other is concentrating on environmental aspects.

Safety truck

The safety truck team is developing systems and automation designed to assist the driver in repetitive heavy traffic situations characterized by monotonous low-speed progress.

“The queue support system for trucks that is in production today works down to 30kmh (roughly 18mph). This is still a relatively high speed. We are working on queue support down to 0kmh. What is more, the truck should automatically stop if the vehicle in front stops, and start moving again without the driver pressing the accelerator,” says Erika Jakobsson, project manager at Volvo Technology.

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