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The Geis Group is launching a project at its headquarters in Bad Neustadt to further develop autonomous truck driving using the 5G mobile communication standard. The project is designed for three years and is part of the joint initiative “5G-InnoPlatt-NES” of the Rhön-Grabfeld district. It aims to advance Industry 4.0 applications through 5G technology.
(Bad Neustadt) “Teleoperation system for the development of autonomous local logistics” – under this working title, the logistics service provider Geis is developing a practical solution that allows for the monitoring and control of an autonomously driving truck from a distance. The goal is to develop and test a system that is needed when autonomous vehicles encounter exceptional situations.
“For example, if an autonomous vehicle encounters an obstacle, it stops immediately for safety reasons. However, it usually cannot free itself from this situation,” explains Ralf Lammering, Head of Central IT at Geis Group. “Such cases can be resolved with teleoperation, where the operator takes control from a distance and safely navigates around the obstacle.” A 5G network is a prerequisite, enabling the transmission of high-resolution images from the vehicle with minimal delay due to very high data rates.
This 5G network will be established in the industrial areas of Bad Neustadt as part of the project. It is the foundation for Geis to operate a pilot vehicle from its logistics terminal in Bad Neustadt to a customer in Bad Neustadt – autonomously and, if necessary, remotely controlled by an operator. This development goal is expected to become a reality in three years after several intermediate steps.
Development with Renowned Partner
At the recommendation of the university involved in the project, the University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt, Geis is collaborating with Götting KG on the development of the system. The company sees itself as Europe’s market leader in the field of teleoperation and began remote control of underground vehicles nearly 20 years ago. The operator controlled vehicles from a control center above ground at a depth of 700 meters. After further successful projects, the company is now starting to further develop its systems with the 5G standard in collaboration with Geis.
Testing the Feasibility of Autonomous Driving
“With the project, we want to test the feasibility of autonomous driving in factory and local transport and further advance it,” explain Hans-Wolfgang Geis and Jochen Geis, managing partners. “The innovation could help to ease the situation in the driver market in the future. Additionally, we could respond even more flexibly to customer requests such as 24/7 factory supply – thus generating a tangible added value for us and our customers.”
About the Joint Project “5G-InnoPlatt-NES”
As part of the joint project “5G-InnoPlatt-NES”, five individual projects are being funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, which develop innovative Industry 4.0 applications through the use of 5G technology. A total of five companies from the Rhön-Grabfeld district are involved. They will be supported by the University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt in the implementation of their individual projects over the next three years.
Photo: © Geis/Julia Weber
