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Daimler road-tests self-driving truck

Michelle Avenant
By Michelle Avenant, portals journalist.
Johannesburg, 05 Oct 2015
A Mercedes-Benz Astros truck drove autonomously for 14.5km along a German highway on Friday. (Photo by: Reuters)
A Mercedes-Benz Astros truck drove autonomously for 14.5km along a German highway on Friday. (Photo by: Reuters)

German carmaker Daimler on Friday conducted the first ever road test of its self-driving truck.

A Daimler official sat behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz Astros truck while Daimler's "highway pilot" technology drove the truck nine miles (14.5km) alongside other drivers on a German highway.

Although the "highway pilot" system - which uses features such as cameras and radar to auto-navigate the truck - is a big step towards fully autonomous driving, it cannot yet operate independently of a driver.

As yet, the technology requires a driver on standby behind the wheel, to take control of the vehicle when obstacles such as roadworks appear, or in the event of hazardous weather conditions, such as ice on the roads.

Yet aside from occasional instances requiring driver intervention, Daimler boasts that the driving system is immune to driver drowsiness or error, which could lead to fewer road accidents.

The automated driving system is also alleged to reduce carbon emissions through the strategic use of automated acceleration and gear-changing, which can mean a 5% decrease in carbon dioxide emissions, according to Daimler.

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