News
Volvo And Aurora Announce Their First Self-Driving Truck
The new autonomous goods vehicle was revealed at the ACT Expo in Las Vegas.
Vehicle maker Volvo and self-driving specialist Aurora have revealed their first production truck with full autonomous capabilities, after first announcing a partnership three years ago. The companies showed off the product of their collaboration, known as the Volvo VNL Autonomous truck, at the ACT Expo in Las Vegas.
The truck, which will be manufactured by Volvo, uses Aurora’s self-driving platform, known as Aurora Driver. The system uses multiple high-resolution cameras, LiDAR sensors and imaging radars, and can detect objects up to 400 meters away.
Aurora’s platform has already been driven billions of miles in training simulations, and around 1.5 million miles on real public highways. As well as a wide range of imaging and sensing technologies, the truck will also feature redundant steering, braking, communication, computation, power management, energy storage and vehicle motion management systems, ensuring it can operate safely alongside other road users.
Also Read: NETGEAR’s Orbi 970 Routers Offer Powerful Wi-Fi 7 Connectivity
When the first 20 Aurora autonomous trucks make their debut in North America next month, they will still be overseen by human drivers until testing is complete. Aurora intends to deploy trucks between Dallas and Houston in the near future, but it’s unclear whether the fleet will consist of Volvo machinery or vehicles from another partner.
Volvo announced at the Las Vegas event that it has already begun manufacturing a test fleet of the VNL Autonomous trucks at its New River Valley factory in Virginia. Nils Jaeger, President of Volvo Autonomous Solutions, explained that the truck was the “first of [the company’s] standardized global autonomous technology platform,” and added that it would enable Volvo “to introduce additional models in the future”.
News
UAE Prepares To Launch Two Satellites: Thuraya-2 And MBZ-SAT
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council yesterday.
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council in Dubai on December 16, 2024. The session highlighted the UAE’s ambitious space plans and took stock of the sector’s economic progress.
The council emphasized the growing role of private companies in advancing space technologies, noting that their contributions are now equal to that of the public sector. Members also praised initiatives like the Space Economic Zones Programme, which are designed to fuel innovation and investment in the space industry.
خلال ترؤسنا الاجتماع الأول للمجلس الأعلى للفضاء، بحثنا الاستثمارات الوطنية والمشاريع المقبلة في قطاع الفضاء والذي يشهد تطوراً مستمراً… وجددنا التزامنا بدعم ومواصلة تنفيذ برامج طموحة لاستكشاف الفضاء الخارجي حيث وصل حجم الاستثمارات في هذا القطاع إلى 40 مليار درهم خلال السنوات… pic.twitter.com/etJ33OnuSu
— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) December 16, 2024
Discussing the UAE’s space journey, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum remarked, “The national space sector continues to grow and advance, and we take immense pride in the remarkable achievements we have accomplished over the years”.
Sheikh Hamdan also received updates on two upcoming satellite projects: Thuraya-2 and MBZ-SAT. Thuraya-2, developed by Space42, is slated for launch this December. Meanwhile, the MBZ-SAT, created by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), will soon follow. MBRSC, a major driver of the UAE National Space Programme, continues to lead the nation’s space-related developments.
Space42 took the opportunity to showcase its advancements, including ongoing collaborations between public and private entities. The company also outlined strategies to promote innovation, boost revenue streams, and create new opportunities for growth in the sector.
Also Read: IBM Opens New Doha Office To Support Qatar’s Digital Growth
The UAE’s current projects build on a growing legacy of space exploration. Back in 2020, the nation made headlines with its Mars mission, successfully sending a probe into the planet’s orbit in 2021. This mission, which is now in its second phase as of June 2024, has been collecting critical data to develop a comprehensive diurnal image of Mars.
The UAE also ventured into lunar exploration with an unmanned mission aimed at studying untouched regions of the Moon’s surface. While the probe ultimately crashed during its landing attempt after communication was lost seconds before touchdown, the effort represented a significant step in the country’s exploration ambitions.
-
News2 weeks ago
SWITCH Mobility To Trial New E-Buses In UAE & Saudi Arabia In 2025
-
News1 week ago
IBM Opens New Doha Office To Support Qatar’s Digital Growth
-
News1 week ago
Foundster Is Dubai’s New AI-Driven Company Setup Service
-
News1 week ago
UAE Prepares To Launch Two Satellites: Thuraya-2 And MBZ-SAT