Florida will be the home to the first ever autonomous construction vehicle on American highways later this year. Developed by a specialty vehicle maker in Pennsylvania, these trucks will come equipped with attenuators, which are special devices that are designed to protect construction workers and motorists but put the person driving the truck itself at risk, which is why making the truck self-driving is such a big deal.
The first driverless vehicle to hit U.S. highways is going to be a truck, not a car. And it should begin rolling around construction sites in Florida later this year. Developed by Royal Truck & Equipment, a specialty vehicle manufacturer based near Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the trucks will be fitted with special devices, called attenuators, designed to protect workers as well as motorists trying to navigate through temporary work zones. While other companies, including Google, are developing driverless cars, their tests so far have been conducted with a driver in the car, ready to take control of the vehicle in the event of an emergency. Royal will be the first to test its vehicle without an operator in the cab. Attenuators are designed to provide a rolling crash barrier, but while that can save construction workers, as well as motorists, they put at risk the people that drive the trucks. So, Royal Truck has developed a system that can be operated autonomously.
