The first automated semi-trailer truck started its maiden voyage Friday, October 2, on a European highway. The Daimler truck called 'Actros' is the first potentially mass-produced truck whose driver will be required only to monitor the situation, similar to the role of an airline captain while the plane is in autopilot mode.
The new 430-horsepower truck, loaded with 40 tons of cargo, slowly pulled out of the parking lot in Stuttgart, driven by the head of Daimler's trucks and buses division, Wolfgang Bernhard.
Chatting with him in the passenger seat was Winfred Kretschmann, the prime minister of Baden-Wuerttemberg, the first German state to issue a license for autonomous trailer-trucks.
Once on the highway, the driver lets the truck take over the steering, said Wolfgang Bernhard of the Daimler Trucks and Buses Division.
"If I press this button now, we are on the road and we have actually begun the world premiere," he said. "Shall we do it, prime minister? Let's do it."
Soon, the truck was self-driving down the busy A8 highway, near Stuttgart, at 80 kilometers per hour, followed by a car with cameras and, just in case, a police car.
That doesn't mean the driver can zone out, there are strict rules for the person behind the wheel, said Bernhard.
"I'm not allowed to turn around," he added. "I'm not allowed to turn to the side because I have to continue to monitor the traffic situation. But I can take my hands off the wheel and, as you can see, the steering is smooth and the vehicle remains on track."
A radar and a number of video cameras and sensors constantly monitor the road conditions. In adverse situations the truck will ask the driver to take over and, if he does not, it will automatically slow to a stop.
Daimler says its advanced trucks will relieve the drivers from the strain of driving on monotonous stretches of the road and in stop-and-go traffic jams. The company hopes necessary laws permitting such operations elsewhere could be passed before the initial goal of 2020.
Vocabulary
trailer-trucks:拖车式卡车
对“嫦娥一号”成功发射的感想
中考英语考前必备--议论文写作模板
传统的节日(Traditional festional)
中考英语辅导:我的星期天(MySunday)
永远长不大的小天使(Little Angels Forever grow up)
我繁忙的学习生活(My busy study life)
通知
知识和信心通向成功之路(Knowledge and Confidence Lead to Success)
介绍朋友的生活与饮食习惯
未来的生活(Life in the future)
中考英语辅导:读书的方法(TheWaysofReading)
做三明治的过程
画蛇添足(Add Feet)
国庆节作文:A Wonderful Traveling
老师,我要感谢你(I want to thank you,teacher)
比较美国的初中生活和中国的初中生活有什么不同
意外(An Accident)
中考英语辅导:上学路上(OnMyWaytoSchool)
寒假去哈尔滨旅游
中考英语辅导:我的旅行(Mytrip)
我的家乡(My Home Town)
早起(Early Rising)
我对考试的看法(My Views on Examinations)
你对排队日的看法
第一场雪(First Snow)
散步(Walking)
篮球是我的最爱(Basketball is My Favorite)
中考英语书面表达常犯错误分析
杭州(MYCITY)
做三明治的过程
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