Excellence
A European vision
The final goal of AWARD is to enable an overall autonomous logistic chain through safe and efficient connected and automated heavy-duty vehicles in real logistics operations. The projects envisiones:
Innovation
AWARD contributes to accelerate the deployment of innovative connected and automated freight transport solutions in Europe.
Safety
AWARD increases the overall safety and efficiency of freight operations of individual trucks or fleets through innovative connected and automated driving systems.
Competitiveness
AWARD supports the uptake of new business models to introduce the automation of logistics operations and reduce their costs. This will strengthen the European competitiveness in transport and logistics industries.
Replicability
The evaluation of the AWARD use cases and a deep analysis of the current regulatory framework will feed some policy recommendations to replicate the pilots in other logistics operations.
AWARD ambitions
AWARD is developing and operating safe autonomous transportation systems (ATS) in a wide range of real-life logistic use cases in a variety of different scenarios.
AWARD is developing and innovative Autonomous Driving System (ADS) architecture offering a unique set of sensors that enables 24/7 availability (night and day, good or bad weather conditions), within extended operational domain designs (ODDs).
The ADS will then be integrated into multiple vehicle types used in low-speed areas. AWARD ADS-dedicated heavy-duty vehicles (HDV) comply with ISO 26262 and take into consideration SOTIF recommendations which is also capable of handling adverse environmental conditions such as heavy rain, snowfall, fog.
By addressing 24/7 availability, the fully automated heavy-duty vehicles (HDV) will be deployed over key pilot projects that are highly scalable and replicable over warehouses, factories, airports and ports, in mixed traffic in confined areas and on public roads.
The deployment, integration and operation of these vehicles in a variety of real-life use cases will validate their value in the application and identify any limitations:
- forklift loading and unloading in warehouses and industrial plants,
- hub-to-hub shuttle service on open road,
- automated baggage dispatching in airports,
- container transfer operations and vessel loading in ports.
Logistics operations will be optimized thanks to a new fleet management system . It will integrate data from vehicles, logistics systems and the road infrastructure, coordinating exchanges with different data providers to ensure economic viability of data-related business models, while providing high-reliable and secured tool to optimize logistics flows and ensure safety for other road users.
This work will also enable policy recommendations for certifications and approval processes.
AWARD objectives
The main objective of AWARD is to pave the way for the roll-out of driverless transportation in a wide variety of applications, whatever the weather conditions are. This will be demonstrated by running a range of real-world hub-type missions each with one or more autonomous driving fitted vehicles. The knowledge gained from these operations is designed to validate that the solution functions, scales and adds value for hub operator or fleets. AWARD will be a key step for a fully integrated freight management system. To achieve this goal, the following project objectives are defined:
Objective 1
To ensure that the AWARD solutions will address logistics needs.
Objective 2
To develop a safe and scalable autonomous driving system able to manage harsh weather conditions, qualified for heavy-duty vehicles.
Objective 3
To improve efficiency of logistics operations with autonomous heavy-duty vehicles.
Objective 4
To perform innovative autonomous heavy-duty vehicles missions in real logistics operations.
Objective 5
To provide insights and recommendations on the standardisation and harmonisation of certification processes and type approval.
AWARD key results
The main impact of this project is systemic. The processes and the various operations carried out throughout the global supply chain will change drastically. The progressive automation of loading/unloading operations and the
introduction of autonomous vehicles will profoundly challenge many of the drivers of the supply chain ecosystem.
New players will emerge and most of the current ones will have to question their business model.
Global climate issues justify accelerating this transition towards a massively automated supply chain. The COVID crisis urges for automated logistics not only to ensure the continuity of supplies, but also to limit the risks of contamination. We should also add that this economic crisis highlights the urgent need to implement more resilient operations in order to face the structural constraints connected to the consequences of global warming and, above all, the growing scarcity of oil.
AWARD focuses on highly replicable driverless logistics operations and targets a wide range of end-users, thus ensuring the maximum impacts of its results. AWARD will deliver six key exploitable results.
Key result 1
Definition of end-user’s specifications and requirements
Key result 2
Safe and scalable autonomous driving system validated for harsh weather conditions
Key result 3
Zero-Emission Driverless Autonomous Heavy-Duty Vehicles certified for extended ODDs
Key result 4
Interoperable safe and secure fleet management and supervision system that optimizes logistics
operations
Key result 5
Demonstrations of fully available automated HDV performing 24/7 for real logistics operations
Key result 6
Policy recommendations regarding the regulatory framework for the deployment of fully automated HDV operating real logistics operations in extended ODDs
AWARD methodology
AWARD partners will work together for 3 years. The first 9 months of the project will have the focus on the identification of end users’ needs to get requirements regarding the use cases and the global system architecture.
Then, the three technical work packages WP2, WP3, WP4 will be performed in parallel, aiming at providing a driverless heavy-duty vehicle with the right safety level, associated with a fleet management and supervision system to optimize logistics operations. The integration of the sensor set and teleoperation platform will start in month 9 on WP3, with a validation of the heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) and related fleet management system planned at in month 22. At the same time, testing methodology will be defined in WP6, and the preparation phase for the pilots projects will
be performed (WP5).
Then, the implementation of the pilot projects will start, followed by impact assessment and technical evaluation delivered at the end of the project, relying on the analysis of the data that will be gathered through these demonstrators.
Ethics requirements
Identification of end-users’ needs and requirements
Design and development of autonomous driving technologies for
harsh weather conditions
Integration in heavy-duty vehicles
Fleet management, teleoperation and logistics operation
Autonomous driving demonstrations in real logistics operations
Testing methodology and evaluation
Economic viability, definition of new business models and regulatory
frameworks
Dissemination, Communication and Exploitation
Project management and coordination