Manoeuvring a truck-and-trailer rig around a loading dock, shipping yard or other confined area is enough to give even the most seasoned of truckers plenty of hassle. Now a team at DaimlerChrysler in Stuttgart, Germany, has developed a way to do it automatically.
Luxury cars such as the Lexus 460 and some versions of the Toyota Prius petrol/electric hybrid can park themselves using ultrasonic sensors to avoid collisions. Now DaimlerChrysler has gone one better: a team led by engineer Roland Stahn has fitted an articulated truck with laser scanners. These build a map of the immediate vicinity, check for obstacles…
