UGVs | Insight The level of autonomy being engineered into the Bradshaw tow tractors is analogous to SAE Level 4 autonomy, as close supervision is unneeded, though the operating domain is limited to finite work sites, closedoff to the public and their vehicles, and tow tractors consistently drive at low speeds. As a result, the technologies and configuration processes (and by extension, the dev roadmap) have been far less complicated than those needed to make self-driving vehicles functionally safe for public roads. An embedded map is installed on each autonomous tractor, enabling them to localise and geocage themselves within the limits of the operating zone. To sense where it is and identify objects around itself, each vehicle integrates a set of cameras and one Lidar as standard (as well as radar when appropriate for the specific route or usecase), as part of Fusion Processing’s CAVstar suite and ecosystem of autonomy-enabling technologies. “For very complex or higher-speed scenarios, such as the autonomous bus projects on public roads we also do, then you need a very capable sensor set, with overlaps between sensor types and FoVs, to triplicate redundancy and cover a wider array of risks, which massively ups the costs and edge-case hurdles that autonomous road projects have to overcome,” Hutchinson notes. “But because of the slow and predictable nature of these tow tractor operations, we don’t need very longranged or high-speed sensing to be safe – theoretically, this use-case might even work with only cameras – the system is now ready for active commercial deployment, and we’ve reached this point using all low-cost solutions, with a couple of launch customers ready to try it themselves.” Where possible, the data from the tow tractors’ sensors are cross-referenced with GNSS for added safety and redundancy. Fusion Processing has also trialled some indoor positioning and localisation systems, such as RF-based beacons fixed throughout structures, which can come pre-installed in some places, or are otherwise easily placed. “Like GNSS, those stand to provide crucial cross-referencing for what the sensors are picking up, and a useful security add-on,” Hutchinson says. “If there’s discrepancies between the two sources, the vehicle can opt into minimum-risk manoeuvring to temper whatever’s wrong, and flag the end-user’s control room for a potential issue. We’d expect that to be an extraordinary event, not a routine occurrence, but it’s still important to have in busy logistics zones.” Fusion Processing also helps endusers set up their remote control and monitoring rooms, providing vehicle and fleet management software as well as plug-ins, depending on customers’ pre-existing hardware, software, and operational routines. Meanwhile, autonomous logistics on roads continues to develop, with DHL Supply Chain having recently begun autonomous freight transportation on Texas roads, using the Volvo VNL Autonomous truck co-developed by Volvo Autonomous Solutions (VAS) and Aurora Innovation. As with the BradshawFusion Processing collaboration, the former’s truck integrates an autonomy suite from the latter to go from being a driven vehicle to a self-driving one. Much like Kodiak Robotics’ Kodiak Driver (featured in issue 48), the Aurora Driver is an autonomous driving system engineered for SAE L4 autonomy, which encompasses sensors including highresolution cameras, imaging radar, and proprietary long-range Lidar able to detect targets 400 m away, for enabling functional safety at highway speeds. To further the safety case for this operation and others, the Volvo VNL Autonomous integrates redundant computers, steering, braking, comms, power management, energy storage and vehicle motion management systems. DHL Supply Chain North America has commented that greater reliability in long-haul freight and 24/7 operational capabilities are among the benefits it especially anticipates yielding through the Volvo ANL Autonomous. The truck is assembled at Volvo’s New River Valley plant in Dublin, Virginia, and though modularly configurable, runs as standard on Volvo’s D13 engine, a direct injection I6 diesel producing up to 500 bhp and 1950 lb-ft (2643.84 Nm) of torque, with a variety of transmission options to suit the routes and payloads to be hauled. Mining As global mobility electrifies and digitalises, sustainable access to key elements such as silicon, lithium, neodymium and more becomes paramount. 85 Uncrewed Systems Technology | April/May 2025 The Volvo Autonomous VNL is equipped with a plethora of redundant systems, having integrated Aurora Innovation’s Aurora Driver (Image courtesy of Volvo)
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