On 12 February, Shaanxi Heavy Duty Automobile Co. (or Shacman Trucks) signed an agreement to collaboration with Innoviz Technologies Ltd. for its LIDAR sensors and perception software. The software is about to be adopted in a project that deploys autonomous trucks at one of China’s biggest ports.

In the first stage of the autonomous trucks project, Shaanxi Truck’s autonomous proof-of-concept project is using the InnovizPro LIDAR at the Chinese port. Up to 600 trucks are expected to adopt the technology in this project.

Shaanxi is one of the largest truck manufacturers based in Xi'an, China. It consists of four truck companies as subsidiaries. Delivers 150,000 new trucks worldwide each year, Shaanxi contributes to 10,000 trucks per year for the mining sector. The China-based company is well known of its pioneering research and development efforts on autonomous vehicles.

As a sensor provider, Innoviz headquarter is located at Rosh Ha'ayin, a city in the Central District of Israel. Leading the industry, Innoviz manufactures high-performance, solid-state LIDAR sensors and perception software for the automotive, drone, robotics, mapping, and other industries. The flagship products of Innoviz include InnovizOne that specializes on automotive-grade applications and InnovizPro which is applicable for various uses. All Innoviz products deploys advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning-based classification, detection, and tracking features.

The purchase of Innoviz products is a significant move for Shaanxi as by May 2020 every truck required to have at least two advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS). Based on Chinese legislation, a set of ADAS for each truck must include: 1) a mandatory camera and 2) either a radar or a LIDAR system.

Innoviz said its system will provide sensing, mapping, and location functions for autonomous driving at speeds of under 30 kilometers per hour in the harbor area. It will create detailed maps, and the software will compare the point-cloud image created by the LIDAR in real time to the location provided via preloaded maps generated by the sensors. This includes real-time identification of “free space” or “drivable space,” as well as object detection.

One major task for the trucks is to enable autonomous loading and unloading of containers in the port area. Integration of location sensors such as retroreflectors is also possible in geofenced areas such as the port, enhancing the ability of the LIDAR to fully understand its surroundings.

After testing many potential LIDAR systems, Shaanxi Trucks chose InnovizPro, a first-of-its-kind solid-state sensor for its reliability and price/performance advantages. Viewing the size of Chinese market, it is expected to open tremendous opportunities for Innoviz in extending autonomous technology to the trucking sector.