HIGHWAY engineers have revealed a plan to replace road tractor trailers with a giant stretch of conveyor belts.
The 310-mile project would transport cargo autonomously on belts near highways. If completed, the construction project could transform global clean shipping.
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Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism proposed the technology-based shipping solution, according to Japan news.
Swaths of clean energy conveyor belts would snake between highways and burrow beneath roads.
The belts could transport tons of goods between Tokyo and Osaka, the agency suggested.
Construction of the belt could be completed by 2034 if approved, the ministry said.
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Japan and the global economy have seen an increase in small package shipping.
The number of small boxes sent to residents of the two main cities has doubled since the mid-1990s, the ministry added.
As Japan’s shipping economy grows, the country is also facing a shortage of workers.
The conveyor belt, operated and monitored by fewer employees than the current model of trucks and shipping distribution centers, could calm shortage fears.
Maintaining transportation belts could also help meet Japan’s driver safety goals and help reduce emissions in shipping.
Fewer 18-wheelers would run alongside passenger vehicles if the project was adopted, the ministry said.
The ministry said one-ton pallets can be transported autonomously on the conveyor belt.
Workers with forklifts at packing and receiving centers would transport pallets to their last-mile destinations.
The pallets would be capable of transporting essential products such as food, agriculture and medicine.
The ministry predicted it would replace 25,000 trucks per day.
“[The project] will not only solve the logistics crisis, but also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” the agency’s minister, Tetsuo Saito, said in a statement.
“We would like to quickly proceed with discussions on the matter.”
How do autonomous cars work?
Self-driving cars use powerful sensors, algorithms, machine learning systems and processors.
They can create and maintain a map of the area around you based on various sensors situated in different parts of the car.
Radar sensors are used to track the positions of other cars.
Video cameras can detect traffic lights, read traffic signs, track other cars and watch pedestrians.
Sophisticated software processes all this information and plots the path the car should follow, sending instructions to the car’s actuators, which control acceleration, braking and steering.
Coded rules and object recognition help the software follow traffic rules and avoid obstacles.
Source: Synopsis
The project is estimated to cost more than US$25 billion to build.
The ministry expects the money to come from a combination of public and private investments in the project.
DRIVERLESS TECHNOLOGY FROM JAPAN
Dozens of Japanese industrial giants have worked to build autonomous driving technology on the country’s roads.
Toyota modeled an entire city based on technology.
The automobile giant built models with integrated cars, houses and public buildings.
Honda has also continually advanced driverless technology in its production vehicles.
The government has launched programs in hopes of minimizing traffic incidents while limiting its carbon emissions.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
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