Even if you are not particularly interested in the current affairs of transport and logistics, you have most likely heard about the problems faced by carriers: ecological requirements are becoming more and more strict, cargo volumes are increasing, and there is a dramatic shortage of truck drivers.
In recent years, not only strategists in this field, but also artificial intelligence are increasingly involved in the search for answers to these and other questions.
There are not many universal recipes
Market analysts predict that in the next 20 years, the volume of transportation in Europe alone should grow by another 40%. True, it is very difficult to do this in the countries of the Old Continent with a rapidly aging population and growing expectations for a comfortable life.
In order to transport more cargo in a shorter time, carriers are forced to simultaneously solve several technical issues and look for complex compromises. There are not many universal and 100% effective recipes, and the companies that set the trends in the world of truck transport consider the optimization of operations and the use of artificial intelligence as a very real part of the near future: digitization of trucks, intuitive control and automation of various daily procedures. Also, with time, software updates will be available only remotely, which will allow you to avoid going to the service center once.
For example, the well-known truck brand Scania has joined the Swedish national network of applied artificial intelligence AI Sweden. It is a network of professionals made up of more than 100 partners representing private companies, the public sector, academia and various research institutes. This move will greatly accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies, from the development of autonomous vehicles to data-driven maintenance planning.
“Since many organizations are facing the same challenges, collaboration on AI platforms, AI system solutions and data-driven systems development processes needs to be fostered,” says Daniel Jilblåd, Director of AI Sweden’s Center for Scientific Vision.
Already in practice
Some time ago, Scania service specialists in the English city of Boston had the opportunity to see how this company’s cooperation with AI Sweden manifests itself in reality. The manager of a company that has the new Scania S 650 in its fleet noticed unusually large fluctuations in engine idle speed. Normal Scania diagnostic and programming tools failed to fix the error.
This was the moment when it was decided to involve the universal search engine and the latest artificial intelligence technology. A workaround library that collects information on Scania’s repair methods (around 10,000 technical errors a year) was used and suggested a specific software update – and the problem was fixed.
“New generation trucks have so many electronic control units and sensors that next to their predecessors they look like aliens. Today’s trucks are 100 times better than a couple of decades ago, but now diagnostics and software monitoring take a lot of time. It can take both two hours, two days or two weeks. Our specialists are asked to work faster and faster. The ability to quickly access technical information and non-standard advice from specialists, accumulated on all Scania platforms, allows you to radically reduce troubleshooting time. New technology is significant a breakthrough,” says Aaron McGrath, UK Technical Director of Scania.
In the future, all updates can be installed remotely, so you won’t have to go to the service center again. It is possible that this will at least partially alleviate the problems associated with the lack of drivers.
By the way, the problem of lack of workers often forces transport companies to look for various compromises and even lower the bar of requirements for potential employees. Therefore, more and more drivers with low computer skills enter logistics. In this case, the situation is saved by the fact that smart machines can take over the driver’s duties and monitor individual systems: the electronics register everything necessary and hand it over to the relevant structures of the transport company.
The beginning of the era of autonomy
Perhaps the biggest hope for AI, however, is taking over driver functions. It is clear that the weak link in the world of transport and logistics is a person: he gets tired, can no longer concentrate enough even on a short trip, inadequately assesses the traffic conditions, makes mistakes, maybe he simply cannot boast of good vision and a relatively quick reaction. It is things like this that cause most traffic accidents.
It must be said that lately the enthusiasm for self-driving cars has died down a bit, and the autonomy of the machines is still limited. Although semi-autonomous features are noticeably more present in the new generation of cars and work better and better, the moment when fully self-driving vehicles will be able to take part in everyday traffic is pushed further and further into the future.
There are still problems with cyber security, personal data protection, infrastructure and internationally uniform legal framework. In addition, the machines, which are called the best examples of self-driving technology, tend to make mistakes with tragic consequences. Even Tesla, which is considered the most advanced brand in this field, has recorded more than 200 deaths in recent years related to electric cars endowed with artificial intelligence, which in theory should protect from all troubles. This also applies to cases where the emergency situation was not provoked by the electronic systems of the car itself, but by the drivers of other vehicles.
The mood is much better in the world of commercial vehicles. For example, Scania, which started its autonomous truck program in 2017, presented the AXL concept a little later. It is an autonomous dump truck that does not have a driver’s cabin, since the driver functions here are performed by software and artificial intelligence.
True, this monster is intended for a very specific mission – work in a quarry, where the logistics scheme is relatively simple, the tasks are clearly defined and there are no other road users who could interfere. However, the dump truck has not only a GPS system, ordinary video cameras and radars, but also lidars – laser radars. When measuring speed, distance and area, they use very short waves and work in three dimensions, so they are much more accurate than conventional radars.
According to experts, the time when self-driving cars will be allowed to hit the road in public traffic basically depends only on the will of the legislators to legalize it all. While the debate is ongoing, such machines are most often used in closed areas such as quarries, mines and logistics centers. It allows you to increase work productivity several times and at the same time ensure maximum safety of the machine and cargo, optimize fuel consumption and prevent mistakes by inexperienced drivers.
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2023-10-23 10:30:31
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