Kodiak Unveils New Autonomous Truck Platform
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Kodiak Robotics introduced its fifth-generation autonomous truck hardware platform, the driverless trucking company announced April 6.
The new platform increases sensor redundancy and processing power. The design also removes the roof-mounted center pod sensor suite to relocate more sensors onto pods that are located on the side-mounted mirrors. This redesign was done to improve the perception capability of the platform. It also aims to simplify the build process while improving system maintainability.
“Customers and OEMs aren’t sensor experts, and they shouldn’t have to be,” CEO Don Burnette said. “We took a platform that our customers already love and made it better by adding more visibility, more power and more flexibility, ultimately moving us closer down the path toward driverless deployment.”
Burnette
The sensor pods were designed to provide redundancy and visibility on either side of the truck, not just a single vantage point above the cab. It also is intended to improve line-of-sight since the location is more akin to what a human driver would see. Too, it aims to improve maintenance and repair since the technician won’t have to climb up onto the cab.
“By removing the sensors from the top of the truck and incorporating them at a human driver’s line of sight, we have designed a system for the real world,” Burnette said. “Additionally, having sensors on top of the cab is actually very difficult to service while on the road and requires specialized equipment, which is nearly impossible to find roadside.” — Transport Topics
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