Kodiak Robotics has used CES to introduce the “world’s first driverless-ready semi truck designed for scaled deployment.”
Now in its sixth-generation, the semi features reliability enhancements as well as the latest version of the Kodiak Driver system. On top of that, the SensorPods now have two higher-resolution automotive-grade LiDAR sensors as well as two additional side radar sensors to improve long range object detection. Thanks to the latest updates, the model now has a total of 12 cameras, four LiDAR sensors, and six radar sensors.
More: Autonomous Semis Set To Hit The Road Soon, Change Freight Industry Forever
The SensorPods are equipped with new hazard lights that are “extra-bright” and designed to “comply with the autonomous trucking industry’s application for an exemption to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Regulation 392.22, which requires traditional truck drivers to place warning devices on a roadway after a breakdown.”
As Kodiak explained, since there’s no human on board, driverless trucks need something really eye-catching as someone can’t pop out of the cab and deploy road flares or other warning signs.
Furthermore, the semi is equipped with microphones that listen for emergency vehicles as well as “suspicious sounds that could represent a hazard.” The model also sports a ton of redundant safety systems including LTE communication links and a braking system with three individual actuators. There’s also a dual-redundant steering system, a redundant power system, and a safety computer that can “guide the truck to a safe ‘fallback’ out of the flow of traffic in the unlikely event of a critical system failure.”
The semi is set to hit the road later this year, traveling between Dallas and Houston. When it does, it will add to “Kodiak’s five years of real-world testing that includes 5,000 loads carried over more than 2.5 million miles (4 million km).”
