Safe and Robust Platform for Automated Vehicles and Machines

Important results from the project

The SARPA project was a joint project between GTT (Global Trucks Technology)/ ATnR (Advanced Technology & Research), MdH (Mälardalens Högskola), Chalmers University, C-PAC and Volvo CE. SARPA was funded by the Vinnova funding agency and was raised during September 2013. It is in line with the overall initiative of machine intelligence and HMI and with the goal towards zero accidents with Volvo vehicles and machines which is one major approach within the technology planning strategy.

Expected long term effects

The SARPA project provided an autonomous Articulated Hauler A25F TIER2 as a demonstrator. A major goal is the investigation of an electronical architecture to provide and propose a platform for autonomous machines. This should take also other construction machines into account. An investigation is also raised if the architecture will meet and fulfill all safety standards which are stated by the machine regulation. The project achieved a thorough understanding and knowledge built of autonomous functionality and functional architecture and demonstrated this in the hauler.

Approach and implementation

the project has pushed the needle in terms of building knowledge on this topic on various levels. The following conclusions are related to the developed functionality; Before taking on the task to develop the autonomous functionality, the basic machine control algorithms (i.e. steering control and speed control) must be in place. We need to have a god understanding what performance the low-level functions must provide in order to support autonomous operation. The systems and knowledge that have been built around the demonstrator has been directly transferable to other projects.