Uncrewed Systems Technology 048 | Kodiak Driver | 5G focus | Tiburon USV | Skypersonic Skycopter and Skyrover | CES 2023 | Limbach L 2400 DX and L 550 EFG | NXInnovation NX 100 Enviro | Solar power focus | Protegimus Protection

32 SparseMaps Notably, the Kodiak Driver does not use RTK-GNSS, and in fact makes little use of GNSS in general, other than an initial reading on where the truck is located upon start-up. “We start up the truck, and the GNSS antennas and receiver tell us if we’re in California or Texas; it’s only a rough idea of where we are,” Wendel notes. “What really gets us our localisation is a system we call Sparse Maps, or Lightweight Maps, to contrast it with the HD Maps supplied and used in some AVs. “HD Maps is useful in cities for localising yourself relative to buildings, signs, trees or kerbs next to you, using what is a very fine-grain, usually laser- based representation of the street. But if you try to do that on the highways where trucks operate, most of what you’ll see around you are fields or deserts. There isn’t a lot to localise with, and what little there is can easily change overnight, which HD Maps doesn’t account for. “Moreover, it’s not so important for Class 8 trucks to be driving correctly relative to a tree so much as staying correct relative to the lane markers on the road. That’s what they need to follow.” Kodiak has accordingly developed Sparse Maps as a lane marker-based mapping and localisation system. After taking their initial GNSS-based fix of which road they’re on (or which logistics hub they’re at) each truck uses its cameras and Lidars to view the lane markers and follow them, with any changes in the road being recognised and submitted via LTE modems for all the other trucks to download, and with all of them using the most recent map of their local lane markers for reference. “In the best-case scenario, the truck sees amatching image of whatever the last Kodiak Driver saw,”Wendel explains. “That way, the truck knows the route to follow, where the lane will exit or merge and where it can change lanes. Our topology means it knows about the surrounding roads, just as a human driver does. “Most of the localisation comes from the truck recognising which lane it’s in, with the sensors also accurately performing odometry. It makes for a very lightweight localisation technique: even with the thousands of miles of road we’ve mapped across the US, it’s a minimal amount of data the trucks need to download, upload and store. “The SparseMaps approach has allowed us to develop our maps faster than any other AV company. Our network now stretches fromcoast to coast, and we’ve done a commercial run over that distance with one of our partners in which we mapped road changes too. That’s amajor step towards our commercial ambitions, because we’re able to prep for new delivery routes in 3weeks, while our customers have been led to expect it takingmonths.” The SensorPods As discussed, the sensor housings are built for ease of maintenance. Kodiak has shown that they can be swapped faster than tyres, with the entire SensorPod being removed and replaced in 9 minutes. “The main reason it’s so fast is because all our SensorPods and CenterPods come February/March 2023 | Uncrewed Systems Technology An exploded view of a Kodiak SensorPod The Hesai Lidars at the bottom of the SensorPods have 360º FoVs. Putting one on either side ensures the truck does not perform risky manoeuvres when cars or motorcyclists are close by