Macnica and Applied EV Form Strategic Partnership to Advance the Social Implementation of autonomous driving in the Logistics and Industrial Sectors

Macnica (headquarters: Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture; Representative Director and President: Kazumasa Hara; hereinafter "Macnica") announced today that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Applied Electric Vehicles Ltd. (headquarters: Australia; CEO: Julian Broadbent; hereinafter "Applied EV") to develop, commercialize, and deploy autonomous driving for social implementation, primarily in the logistics and industrial sectors.

■ Development of individual autonomous driving vehicles for different applications is necessary
Recently, a wide range of fields, including logistics, industry, and public transportation, are facing issues such as a serious driver shortage and rising operating costs. To solve these issues, development of autonomous driving technology is progressing in various fields. In particular, the development of autonomous driving vehicles for the purpose of transporting people, such as passenger cars and buses, is being actively promoted.
On the other hand, in fields such as logistics and industry, it is difficult to meet the needs of autonomous driving vehicles designed for people to ride in, so it is necessary to develop individual vehicles for each application.However, developing autonomous driving vehicles for a wide variety of applications poses challenges, such as the dispersion of development resources and overlapping investments, which results in great inefficiency.

Applied EV, which has recently entered into a strategic partnership with Macnica, is a company developing base models for autonomous driving vehicles. Since its founding, the company has been developing a multi-purpose cabinless electric vehicle platform. Macnica, which has expertise in everything from autonomous driving implementation to remote operation management, aims to accelerate the introduction of autonomous driving vehicles in the logistics and industrial sectors by collaborating with the company.

■Cargo bed and software can be loaded and unloaded at will autonomous driving Vehicle "Blanc Robot™"
The "Blanc Robot™" is a table-top EV platform with no cabin and no controls such as steering wheel, gas pedal, or brake pedals, which significantly changes the conventional concept of a vehicle, and was jointly developed by Applied EV and Suzuki Motor Corporation.
Its greatest feature is that the cargo bed module and autonomous driving software can be freely reconfigured to suit the application. By utilizing "Blanc Robot™" as the base vehicle, it will be possible to efficiently develop autonomous driving vehicles for a wide variety of applications in the logistics and industrial fields. In addition, by integrally controlling the entire vehicle with the on-board autonomous driving software, autonomous driving Level 4 compliant, fully automated driving without the need for human operation can be realized.
Currently, there are many AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) and AMRs (Autonomous Mobile Robots) for automated transport applications in factories and warehouses, but the "Blanc Robot™" is an extremely unique autonomous driving vehicle that can operate indoors as well as on public roads (application required for Level 4) and on rough roads.

＜ Blanc Robot™ ＞

< Anticipated use cases >
- Flexible automated transport operations that are not limited to conventional fixed routes will become possible, such as transporting goods from factories or warehouses to outdoors.

・By supporting Level 4 autonomous driving, which allows driving on public roads, full-scale deployment to the last mile, the final delivery section in logistics, will become possible.

■ Works in conjunction with Macnica 's remote operation management system to provide consistent support from installation to operation
Based on the knowledge gained from its previous work on automated factory transport and autonomous driving EV buses, Macnica can select and integrate the sensors and autonomous driving algorithms required for autonomous driving to tailor "Blanc Robot™" to each individual site. In addition, by linking with Macnica 's remote operation management system "everfleet ^*," it supports smooth operation through operation design that realizes efficient vehicle utilization and operation management that achieves both stable operation and cost optimization.
Macnica will provide autonomous driving vehicle solutions optimized for each site by providing consistent support, from integration tailored to on-site needs to operational support after implementation.

■Future
Macnica and Applied EV, will make maximum use of the functionality of Applied EV's "Blanc Robot™" to promote the social implementation of autonomous driving in a phased and strategic manner in the logistics and industrial fields, among others. In addition, based on the wealth of knowledge on public roads accumulated through the development, introduction, and operation support of autonomous driving EV buses to date, the company will aim for full-scale deployment in the last mile logistics domain.

*Remote operation management system "everfleet" (manufactured by Macnica)
This is an integrated management platform for remotely monitoring passengers in the vehicle and the situation around the vehicle, with the aim of commercializing autonomous driving. It centrally visualizes vehicle location information, camera footage inside and outside the vehicle, and vehicle data such as vehicle speed, steering, and remaining battery level, and can also integrate external data linked to traffic infrastructure such as traffic lights. This allows for real-time understanding of operational status from remote locations, supporting the safe and secure operation of autonomous driving mobility. Furthermore, it can simultaneously manage a diverse group of vehicles distributed across multiple regions, and the system automatically detects and notifies users of abnormalities during operation, enabling efficient operation management by a single remote operator. This also contributes to improved operational efficiency and transportation profitability by reducing the number of personnel required.

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URL: https://www.macnica.co.jp/business/maas/products/149141/

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Macnica Smart City & Mobility Division
TEL: 045-470-9118
MAIL: auto-solution@macnica.co.jp

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*The information published in the news release (including product price, specifications, etc.) is current as of the date of announcement. Please note that the information may be subject to change without prior notice.