Kodiak Robotics Demonstrates AV Intervention After Tire Blowout
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Self-driving truck technology company Kodiak Robotics Inc. announced its autonomous technology, the Kodiak Driver, can maintain complete control of the truck when it suffers a catastrophic tire blowout — calling a demonstration of the technology an industry first.
A video showed a Kodiak self-driving truck rolling over a test rig that punctured the front driver-side tire of a Kodiak Class 8 tractor, while the autonomous technology is engaged.
Even after the tire was destroyed, the Kodiak Driver stayed in control and brought the truck to a safe and complete stop as it stayed in its lane.
Upon experiencing the blowout, the autonomous system immediately also detected the tire fault, identified and adapted to the new vehicle dynamics, initiated the fallback protocol and triggered the hazard lights to turn on, the Mountain View, Calif.-based company noted.
“We can’t control the hazards trucks will face on the open road, but we can control how the trucks behave when a critical situation occurs. By demonstrating that the Kodiak Driver can maintain complete control under such duress, we’re showing the world just how safe this technology is designed to be,” Don Burnette, founder and CEO of Kodiak Robotics, said in a release.
Kodiak added it chose to execute an in-lane fallback at a proving ground in Texas. If a tire were to blow in a real-world setting, the truck would automatically execute its fallback plan, typically pulling it to a safe stop on the side of the road. — Transport Topics
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