The first self-driving KAMAZ trucks were tested at the Vostochno-Messoyakhskoye field located on the Gyda Peninsula of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.
The first digital KAMAZ trucks based on serial KAMAZ-43118 vehicles have completed pilot operation on winter roads in the Arctic. For several months, two robot trucks transported cargoes along the 140-kilometer winter road connecting the autonomous oil field with the village of Tazovsky.
A distinctive feature of these trucks is that they are allowed to go on routes in difficult weather conditions, while ordinary trucks operated by drivers are prohibited fr om it. Such extreme conditions are not a problem for unmanned vehicles: communication between trucks is carried out via industrial Wi-Fi, 3G/4G and a special microwave frequency. The trucks are equipped with several types of sensors that monitor the environment: they draw a digital road map, detect various kinds of obstacles within a radius of 200 meters, register static and moving objects.
The possibility of uninterrupted operation of self-driving vehicles during typical operations at the northern oil fields will enable their owner to significantly reduce the delivery time of goods, minimize downtime of equipment, etc. After the winter roads are closed and until the end of autumn, the unmanned trucks will continue to work at other facilities, wh ere they will also carry out ground transportation.
The development of robotic vehicles, including trucks, is one of the main trends in the automotive industry. KAMAZ started actively creating unmanned trucks and ADAS trucks back in 2017-2018. By this day, the company has accumulated extensive experience in the development of driverless trucks, combining efforts with Russian specialists, cooperating with leading universities, contributes to strengthening the technological independence of the country.