Volvo Group testing self-driving urban refuse truck

Partnering with Swedish waste company Renova, Volvo Group is testing an autonomous rubbish collection truck that has the potential to be used across the urban environment.

The project explores how automation can contribute to enhanced traffic safety, improved working conditions and lower environmental impact.

“There is potential to transform the swift pace of technical developments in automation into practical benefits for customers and, society in general,” says Volvo Group chief technology officer Lars Stenqvist.

“Our self-driving refuse truck is one of the several exciting autonomous innovations we are working with right now,” says Stenqvist.

Volvo Group’s self-driving rubbish collection truck is designed to make the operation safer in built- up areas, not least when reversing.

Sensors continuously monitor the vehicle’s vicinity, and the truck stops immediately if an obstacle suddenly appears in its path.

The route is pre-programmed, and the truck drives itself from one wheelie-bin to the next.

The driver, who walks ahead of the reversing vehicle, can focus on refuse collection and does not have to climb into and out of the cab every time the truck moves to a new bin.

“One significant benefit of the new technology is a reduction in the risk of occupational injuries, such as wear in knee joints – otherwise a common ailment among staff working with the refuse collection,” says Stenqvist.

The self-driving truck also offers significant environmental upsides. Gear changing, steering and speed are continuously optimised for low fuel consumption and emissions.

The joint project with Renova will continue until the end of 2017. The self-driving truck currently being tested is fitted with a sensor system for identification, navigation, and monitoring of the vehicle’s vicinity.

Most of this technology is also used in the autonomous truck for mining operations that Volvo Group unveiled in 2016. That self- driving truck is undergoing tests in the Kristineberg Mine in northern Sweden.