SHANGHAI, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Suning Logistics, a
subsidiary of Chinese commercial giant Suning Holdings Group, has
completed driving tests for its autonomous heavy-duty truck,
"Strolling Dragon," in Shanghai,
marking another milestone in the company's plan to offer
fully-automated logistics solutions.
Strolling Dragon is the largest unmanned truck in Suning
Logistics' automated fleet, boasting Level-4 self-driving
capabilities; it is highly automated, and is able to operate
without human input within pre-programmed parameters. It is the
first self-driving truck developed by a Chinese e-commerce company
to pass logistics campus tests and highway-scenario road tests in
China.
"The success of Strolling Dragon's self-driving tests is a
groundbreaking accomplishment for Suning, and represents another
step forward in our Online-to-Offline (O2O) smart retail
strategy," Zhang Jindong, Chairman of Suning Holdings Group
said. "Suning's goal is to develop its logistics business into the
biggest and most intelligent retail infrastructure network in
China. The promise of automation
solutions will not only boost efficiency in Suning's logistics
operations, but also benefit the industry, and consumers, by
offering more possibilities, and a better shopping experience."
Equipped with cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI),
deep-learning technologies, and high-tech gadgets such as laser
radar, Strolling Dragon has superhuman vision that enables it to
accurately recognize obstacles at a distance of over 300 meters,
even at high speed. In addition, the unmanned truck can make
emergency stops, or avoid obstacles at a response rate of 25 ms,
allowing for safe autonomous driving even at a speed of 80
km/h.
Automation to Power Future Growth
Strolling Dragon is part of Sunning's strategy to provide
fully-automated logistics solutions powered by AI. The company
launched its Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) warehouse ahead of the
"11/11", or "Singles Day" shopping festival in 2017, providing a
"goods-to-people" solution instead of the traditional
"people-to-goods" model. As a result, the time spent selecting an
item from shelves during the fulfillment process has been shortened
to 10 seconds - five times more efficient than manual work.
In April, Suning Logistics rolled out its "Biu" autonomous
delivery robots, which can work around the clock to deliver goods
directly to customers. With the expansion of its robot warehouse
networks, as well as its drone delivery network that has started
normal operation, Sunning Logistics is building a logistics chain
that is more and more automated.
Global vehicle giants including Daimler and Tesla are pioneering
self-driving trucks. Compared with automated cars, Suning's
self-driving trucks are closer to commercialization, thanks to less
complicated working environments, as trucks used for delivery spend
most of their time on highways.
Sunning will continue to collaborate with technology firms to
build a smart logistics system in which self-driving trucks,
automated vehicles and robots work seamlessly to do the delivery
job for humans.
When considering the implications of applying automation
technology to vehicles, Suning's plans call for drivers to be
assisted rather than replaced, for the foreseeable future. The
relatively complex and tiring job of long-distance driving puts
drivers in high risk of accidents, while automation helps reduce
such risk. With the help of self-driving technology, Suning
Logistics can help create a more comfortable, and safer, working
environment for over 100,000 truck drivers working for the
company.
AI technology can reduce logistics costs for logistic firms,
which will find it increasingly difficult to hire long-distance
drivers in China's aging society.
Although current laws and regulations in China ban self-driving vehicles on public
roads, automated trucks will likely get the greenlight first as
technologies advance and the government improves rules to
accommodate innovations.
About Suning
Founded in 1990, Suning is one of the leading commercial
enterprises in China with two
public companies in China and
Japan. In 2017, Suning Holding ranked second among the top 500
private-owned enterprises in China
with annual sales of US$65.7 billion
(RMB 412.95 billion). With the
mission of "Leading the Ecosystem Across Industries by Creating An
Elite Quality of Life for All", Suning has strengthened and
expanded its core business through eight vertical industries:
Suning.com, Logistics, Financial Services, Technology, Real Estate,
Media & Entertainment, Sports, and Investment, among which
Suning.com was listed on the 2017 list of Fortune Global 500.
For more information, visit www.suningholdings.com.
Photo -
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