The Volvo Group is part of a collaborative project to develop a refuse truck supported by robots, rather than humans, to do the bin collecting.
The project is called ROAR (Robot-based Autonomous Refuse handling) and the goal is to introduce a robot that, with the help of instructions from a truck’s operating system, can collect refuse bins in a neighbourhood, bring them to a refuse truck and empty them. All of this occurs under the supervision of the truck driver from the cabin.
The refuse collection project is only one example of increased automation in transport industries. Per-Lage Götvall, project leader for the Volvo Group, explains. “Within Volvo Group we foresee a future with more automation. This project provides a way to stretch the imagination and test new concepts to shape transport solutions for tomorrow.”
The ROAR project is a joint venture between the Volvo Group, Chalmers University of Technology and Mälardalen University in Sweden, Penn State University in the United States and the waste recycling company Renova.
It is hoped that having a robot that interacts with the refuse truck and its driver to accomplish the work will improve efficiency and eliminate heavy lifting for humans, as well as showcase the potential for future applications of smart transport solutions.
