MITSUBISHI

Fuso eCanter Sensor Collect: the new smart garbage truck

Mitsubishi has unveiled its new electric Fuso eCanter truck, similar to those manufactured in Portugal. However, this version has been specifically optimised for urban waste collection and was demonstrated in the Japanese city of Kawasaki, where it demonstrated its ability to follow the “driver” as he or she travelled from one waste collection point to the next.

This battery-powered Fuso eCanter is essentially similar to those that regularly roll off the production line in Tramagal. The difference lies in the fact that it was developed by Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation, which equipped the heavy-duty vehicle with a Level 2 semi-autonomous system, which is strangely unsophisticated for a vehicle that is capable of following the driver without running into other vehicles or threatening pedestrians.

The garbage truck demonstrated its potential and technology to the Japanese Environment Minister, with the guarantee that it can only operate in pre-determined areas that have certainly been mapped in detail, to compensate for the lack of a more sophisticated and advanced autonomous system. In theory, one would expect a system powered by information collected by one or more LiDARs that accurately detect the presence of objects or people, as well as the distance at which they are located or the speed at which they are moving. The driver also has a screen on his arm that allows him to control the truck remotely.

According to the manufacturer, this eCanter Sensor Collect is equipped with multiple cameras and radars at the front and rear, which lock onto the driver as soon as he leaves the truck and follow him, steering the vehicle according to the way it moves and is programmed. The aim is to reduce the number of workers serving each garbage truck and, at the same time, reduce the effort required by the operator. In the video, the manufacturer explains how everything works, although the vehicle still has to use a second driver who is always ready to intervene, as a safety solution.

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