VOLVO

The FMX 460 truck without a driver on board is already operated in Brazil by a large construction company

A Volvo FMX 460 with no driver on board is the latest novelty from Andrade Gutierrez. The truck can be driven from a distance. As such, it is ideal for high-risk operations such as dams, mining and construction. The system called 4.Zero is an evolution of what was already used in other company vehicles. The development was in charge of the startup ACR.

However, the Volvo FMX 460 4.Zero is not an autonomous truck. That is, there is a driver who drives the vehicle through remote control. According to the company, the model can be guided over long distances. That is, by someone who is within 2 km of the truck. For this, commands are sent by radio waves. Therefore, there is no need for an internet network nearby(image below).

Real-time response...In addition, there is virtually no delay between the driver's command and the truck's response. For comparison, in the first generation of the system the response time reached 600 milliseconds. In the case of the Volvo FMX 460 4.Zero, 20 milliseconds is enough. As its name suggests, a millisecond is one second divided by a thousand.

According to the company, the remote operation uses monitors that transmit images captured by seven cameras installed in the truck. Thus, the driver can see, from a distance, everything that happens around the vehicle. Thus, the command system resembles that of video games.

One of the reasons that led the company to choose the Volvo FMX 460 is the steering system. As the assistance is electric and there is no steering wheel, it was easier to install the signal receiver. In addition, there is no need to make any mechanical changes to the truck.

4.Zero runs with or without a driver...The Volvo FMX 460 4.Zero can also be driven by an on-board driver. To do this, just turn a key. According to André Medina, innovation manager and responsible for Vetor AG, the company's innovation program, this increased the availability of trucks. After all, with the previous system, vehicles were stopped for a long time after the end of a work to remove the equipment. "It also increased the cost of the operation," he says.

The fleet used by Andrade Gutierrez is made up of trucks from various brands. As well as yellow line vehicles. One part is from own models and the other from outsourced companies. According to the company, in addition to 4.Zero, there are eight unmanned trucks that operate in two mining areas.

According to Andrade Gutierrez, the Volvo FMX 4.Zero will start operating soon. However, he did not reveal when this should occur. Nor did he say where he will make the premiere. In any case, the company has already ordered another ten units of the FMX.

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