Listen and Read 63 - Autonomous vehicles

 Thẩm Tâm Vy, October 24th, 2020 LISTEN AND READ 63 
LISTEN AND READ 63 
Autonomous vehicles 
Look, no hands! 
DUNSFOLDAERODROME 
A driverless lorry is put through its paces on a famous test track 
 THANKS TO “Top Gear”, a British television show for motoring enthusiasts that is 
now a global brand, a former second-world-war airfield called Dunsfold has become 
one of the best known testing tracks in the world. On October 15
th
, however, instead of 
reverberating to the roar of supercars driven by the show’s anonymous racing driver, the 
Stig, it witnessed the sight of what appeared to be the cabless trailer of an articulated 
lorry belting almost silently around the course at over 80kph. The Pod (see picture), as 
this vehicle is known, was made by 
Einride, a Swedish firm founded in 
2016 by Robert Falck, an engineer who 
used to work for Volvo. Mr Falck thinks 
that the technology of vehicle 
autonomy, long experimental, has now 
evolved sufficiently for driverless goods 
vehicles to begin earning their livings 
properly. Some Pods are already in 
trials for real jobs: running between 
warehouses, hauling logs from forests 
and delivering goods for Lidl, a 
supermarket group. Pods use the same 
technology of cameras, radar, lidar (the 
optical equivalent of radar) and satellite-
positioning as other contenders in the 
field, but they differ from those others 
in the way their maker tries to deal with 
the regulatory concerns which prevent 
fully autonomous vehicles from being 
let loose on public roads. Einride’s approach, at least at the moment, is to avoid these by 
avoiding the roads in question. Instead, the Pod’s first version operates on designated 
routes within the confines of enclosed, private areas such as ports and industrial parks. 
Here, Pods act like bigger and smarter versions of the delivery robots which already run 
around some factories—though by having the ability to carry 16 tonnes and with room 
on board for 15 industrial pallets’-worth of goods they are indeed quite a lot bigger. 
 The second difference from most other attempts at vehicle autonomy is Einride’s 
approach to the word “autonomy”. Some makers take the idea literally, and aim to keep 
humans out of the decision-making loop entirely. Others, often prompted by traffic 
regulations, arrange things so that a normally passive human occupant can take the 
controls if necessary. Pods represent a third way. They always have a human in the loop 
to keep an eye on what is happening and to take over the driving for a difficult 
manoeuvre or if something goes wrong. But this human operates remotely. 
 Having the driver sitting back at HQ rather than in the vehicle itself is a departure from 
convention, but not a huge one. Aerial drones are usually controlled in this way. The 
radical step is that Mr Falck believes you do not need a remote driver for each Pod. 
Einride already uses one person to control two Pods, but plans eventually for a single 
driver to look after ten. How regulators will take to that for use on open roads remains 
to be seen. Much will depend on how often the remote driver has to intervene. If not 
very often then monitoring simultaneous Pods might be considered acceptable. Again, 
this could come about in a similar way to that in which drones have entered the market. 
 At first regulators banned flights that were out-of-sight of the remote pilot, but as 
operating experience has shown such flights to be safe, they are often allowed these 
days. Now, some test flights using multiple drones controlled by one remote pilot have 
been given permission. 
 Having tested the area-restricted version of the Pod, Einride is now developing Pods 
intended to venture onto local roads, and one suitable for motorways is planned for 
2023—with remote operators, if allowed. Though Pods working in private enclosed 
areas have their speeds restricted to 30kph or so, to help with multiple remote-
monitoring, those intended for public roads will operate at higher speeds and be 
equipped with more powerful, long-range sensors. All these vehicles, if successful, 
promise not only a change in the way that goods are delivered, but also the possibility of 
another of the oddball races “Top Gear” is famous for—between the Stig in a 
conventional lorry and, with its speed governor disabled for the day, the electronic 
system guiding one of Mr Falck’s creations. 
 [The Economist US. October 24th, 2020] 
 Notes: 
 - have a human in the loop: to have the special knowledge or power that belongs to a particular group of 
 people 
oddball races: unusual and strange races