Yandex Robotrucks "Learn" to Load and Unload Containers Without a Driver
The corresponding tests were conducted at one of the company's operating sites.
Yandex has conducted another round of tests of its robotrucks. They included several stages, including one in which the vehicle operated without a driver inside. The tests were organized at one of the container yards. Various scenarios were practiced, including loading and unloading containers.
The tests were complicated by the fact that forklifts were constantly moving around the site. As a result, the developers had to abandon pre-set stopping points. The process was controlled by a remote operator, who decided which forklift the truck should approach, while the autonomous driving system independently calculated the trajectory and precisely positioned the semi-trailer.
Other equipment and pedestrians were also present at the site during the tests. The robotruck could independently yield to an oncoming truck, pull over to the right edge of a narrow passage, or drive around an obstacle. In difficult situations, the vehicle requested assistance from the operator.
In the future, Yandex wants to combine autonomous operation at logistics sites with driving on public roads. This will allow robotrucks to independently perform the entire transport cycle — from loading a container to delivering and unloading it.
