New demo of self-driving truck platooning in Canada

Kratos Unmanned Systems has successfully executed a multi-week demonstration of its self-driving truck platooning system technology with FPInnovations, a Canadian research and technology organisation that assesses, adapts and delivers solutions to Canada’s forest industry’s total value chain.

The Kratos developed self-driving system “kit”, which enables vehicles to be capable of autonomous driving, was deployed for evaluation in forestry operations in northern Québec, Canada. Deployment of this technology is intended to mitigate driver shortages, improve safety protocols, boost rural economic vitality, and contribute to the development of a regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles.

The automated platooning technology performed exceptionally well in the challenging forestry environment and hauled both unloaded and loaded timber trailers. The Kratos system demonstrated precision navigation in automated platooning mode along complex off-pavement roadways with degraded access to GPS, steep grades, severe visibility-limiting dust, sub-freezing temperatures, rain, and under variable day/night/twilight lighting conditions.

The Kratos platoon deployment featured two class-8 tractor-trailers, with one human-driven Leader truck collecting navigation data along the way and transmitting the data to one self-driving Follower truck. Both trucks were retrofitted with Kratos automated driving systems, enabling the Follower to follow the Leader’s navigation data with only a Safety Rider onboard for this initial testing/demonstration.

The human driver in the Leader truck plays a critical role, optimising performance of the driverless follower by adjusting vehicle speeds, gaps, and manoeuvres to adapt to rapidly changing environmental or operational conditions. This human-in-the-loop decision-maker provides added safety and deployment flexibility by enhancing navigation performance of the driverless vehicle versus relying solely on complex and often unpredictable AI and Machine Learning algorithms, as employed by other systems.

The combination of a human-driven Leader and a driverless Follower, powered by advanced sensors, navigation, Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication, and automated systems, has proven to be an effective driverless truck deployment model across multiple industries.

Maynard Factor, Vice President of Business Development for the Kratos Unmanned Systems Division, said, “The successful deployment of our self-driving truck platooning technology in the Canadian forestry industry demonstrates the ability of the system to navigate complex situations in challenging environments. This is a game-changing, effective and viable solution for maintaining critical business continuity even under the current driver shortage situation.”

By pairing a human-driven leader truck with a driverless follower, we’ve developed a flexible deployment model that prioritises both safety and productivity. The human driver of the Leader can adjust driving behaviour in real-time as needed to optimise performance of the self-driving Follower to navigate complex edge and corner case situations safely. We are driving innovation for our clients by leveraging a unique deployment model using field-proven technology to offer real solutions for ensured supply chain reliability.

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Source & image credit: Kratos Defense & Security Solutions