Robosweeper is an intelligent self-driving car that does not need human intervention with the task of keeping urban streets clean.
Cleaning densely populated areas can be a burden for cities, but technology has provided people with a new solution, at least in Guangzhou, China. That technological solution is called Robosweeper, a new all-electric and driverless truck designed by WeRide and Yutong Group to clean and disinfect public roads.
True to its name, the Robosweeper can clean public roads with sweeping, watering, and disinfecting functions from the sides and back. All of these functions sound very useful in the wake of the pandemic, with China recently adopting one of the strictest lockdown policies in the world.
This one looks like a converted bus to be used as a vehicle used in a sci-fi movie. However, it’s not a concept to show off, but a fully working, production-ready car. The darkened windows are meant to cover the absence of a traditional cockpit as the car can be operated without a driver. Sensors protruding from the bodywork offer Level 4 autonomous driving, a feature not yet offered on regular production models.
The Robosweeper fleet is driven by a cloud-based platform. Car News China reports that all of the route planning, monitoring, and maintenance stops for charging, watering, and wastewater discharge can be completed without human intervention, thereby improving both efficiency and safety.
The Robosweeper is not the first autonomous vehicle developed and operated by WeRide, as the company has already launched Robotaxi (in partnership with Dongfeng), Robovan (in partnership with Jiangling Motors) and Robobus (in partnership with Yutong). . On the other hand, Yutong has expertise in designing and manufacturing all types of buses, making the company a suitable partner for Robosweeper.
A fleet of more than 50 Robosweeper vehicles is ready to begin testing in Guangzhou as of early May. If everything goes according to plan, WeRide will likely want to expand the service to other cities in the region. China.
