JFE Steel Corporation today announced that together with IHI Corporation it will conduct a demonstration test of an automated transport system using retrofitted vehicles at its East Japan Works (Keihin District) from February 2023, aiming to test all sections of the demonstration route within the fiscal year ending in March 2024.
The vehicles will travel autonomously along a set route, estimating their own positions and speeds using 3D map data from LiDAR1 sensors and GNSS2 data. The vehicle-control server will use wireless communications to set driving routes and instruct the vehicles when to start and stop, while a separate traffic-control server will regulate vehicle and pedestrian flows at intersections and crosswalks by controlling traffic lights, etc. and instructing the vehicle-control server when to have vehicles start and stop.
Link to press release