Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 6
Cover Story
Udelv Transporter showing the sans-lockers, open-body configuration for larger cargo and pallet-friendly ease of loading.
occupancy sensing, and shelf-presence sensing - is
part of a full hardware-software stack designed for
multi-stop delivery vehicles. Moreover, it's linked to
Udelv's custom cloud services.
The ground truth regarding the vehicle and every
one of its packages is reported back to Udelv servers,
so managers and users know the state of the delivery.
Goods are tracked the same way Uber riders watch
their ride make its way on an app map. The opportunity
for optimizations is significant. " We started with
the assumption that the growth of e-commerce deliveries
is so enormous that, within that constraint of
10,000-pound [Class 2 GVWR] vehicles, how can we
maximize volume and the number of stops, because
merchants will want more rather than less, " Laury said.
The Udelv vehicle-hardware-software regimen is
designed to be automotive grade and rapidly scale.
Laury explained: " When you talk to Walmart or
Kroger, their first reaction is to say, 'This is great, but
how fast can you deploy? We've got 5,500 stores in the
country. So, if this is a one-off, we're not interested.' "
World-class teleoperations
The Transporter's vehicle-based locker system's motors,
sensors and other components are built to automotive
standards. Everything goes through extensive
6 April 2022
durability testing to prevent a stiff jolt from a pothole
from misaligning parts. The testing regimen includes
lab tests for thermals, humidity, water and dust.
Further validation includes prolonged driving.
Udelv didn't have any direct precedents on which
to rely in developing the Transporter. Patel pointed
to conveyor belts at airports, automated vending
machines and the Tesla Model X " falcon-wing " door.
Patel's career includes stints working on autonomous
driving at Tesla, manufacturing automation projects at
GM India and manufacturing automation and power
electronics/motor controller projects at Caterpillar for
its mining-truck product line. He also worked at Apple
on its secretive automotive project.
A world-class teleoperations system is integral to the
system. It values low latency over high resolution. Patel
explained that loading and delivery locations - docks,
parking lots, and driveways - can be lawless. " The most
convenient spots for the customer to come out and pick
up a package from the vehicle aren't left to the robot,
because it might expect a rendezvous 100 feet away. "
There is no consumer-facing touchscreen or audio
system on the Transporter vehicle. Instead, all interactions
are handled via the Udelv smartphone app.
Teleoperators don't need a high-definition movie-quality
image, but they must be responsive, Laury asserted. " We
AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE ENGINEERING
Udelv
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - CVR4
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - CVR1
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - CVR2
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 1
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 2
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 3
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 4
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 5
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 6
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 7
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 8
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 9
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 10
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 11
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 12
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 13
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 14
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 15
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 16
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 17
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 18
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 19
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 20
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 21
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 22
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 23
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 24
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 25
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 26
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 27
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - 28
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - CVR3
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - April 2022 - CVR4
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/24AE12
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/24AE10B
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/24AE10
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/24AE09B
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/24AE09
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/24AE08
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/24AE06
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/24AE05
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/24AE04
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/24AE03
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/24AE02
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/23AE12
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/23AAVE11
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/23AE10
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/23AE09
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/23AE08
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/23AAVE07
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/23AE06
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/23AE05
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/23AAVE04
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/23AE04
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/23AE03
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/23AE02
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/23AAVE01
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22AE12
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22AVE11
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22AE10
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22AE09
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22AE08
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22AVE07
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22AE06
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22AE05
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22AVE04
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22AE04
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22AE03
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22AE02
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/22AVE01
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21AE12
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21AVE11
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21AE10
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21AVE09
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21AE09
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21AE08
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21AVE07
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21AE06
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21AE05
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21AVE05
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21AE04
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21AE03
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21AVE03
https://www.nxtbook.com/smg/sae/21AE02
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com