Modular platform for autonomous chassis of specialized electric vehicles for freight and equipment

There is no doubt that autonomous vehicles will change the world of logistics. Autonomous vehicles will join the Internet of Things and robotics as being the three most important innovative trends in logistics after 2022. Autonomous vehicles or autonomous logistics have sparked a great deal of research, professional and business interest in recent years, particularly in applications designed to transport people and freight on roads or in closed areas. However, this means that there are significant challenges for the application of autonomous technologies for automated logistics, transport and special operations on general terrain, on construction sites, and unpaved areas, etc. Therefore, the aim of this project is to develop a competitive autonomous utility vehicle for these challenging conditions and move the Czech Republic to the forefront in this area with significant innovation potential. In order to ensure autonomous commercial vehicles have efficient, safe and robust movement in the field under unfavourable conditions, this multi-professional approach will address a wide range of scientific and research issues related to areas such as the modular architecture of the chassis using light structures, drives and accumulators for autonomous electric utility vehicles, or research into autonomous electric utility vehicle control systems using mixed reality or the Internet of Things to interact with other entities. These research domains have, by definition, become individual research intentions, which, through their interconnection and coordination during the project, will lead the research team to implementing a vehicle prototype for solving the challenges of 21st century logistics. The resulting modular autonomous electric utility vehicle will help support the irreversible transformation of logistics by contributing to an innovative solution based on the use of current and future scientific knowledge to increase the productivity of the costs of transport, to increase levels of safety and, last but not least, to lower environmental impacts.