Oxbotica and Navtech have launched what is claimed to be the world’s first all-weather radar localisation solution for industrial autonomous vehicles.
Designed to be accurate to <10cm on any vehicle, in any environment, Terran360 combines Navtech’s patented FMCW radar sensor and Oxbotica’s autonomy software platform, to provide a new offering to the off-road autonomy market.
It utilises a single long-range, high-definition radar sensor to give a detailed 360-degree picture of a vehicle’s surroundings, allowing it to work alongside conventional systems and be deployed in GPS-denied environments or in harsh conditions not suitable for lidar or vision while maintaining full pinpoint localisation at all times.
According to Navtech, its high-resolution radar sensor is able to operate in harsh conditions such as rain, fog, dust, or dirt and in complete darkness. What’s more, the vibration-resistant and IP67-certified sensor is designed to be maintenance free for 10 years, helping to reduce disruption to operations.
Terran360’s output can be fused with other sensor feeds or used as a standalone system, and is also able to provide independent and highly accurate vehicle motion. It operates on any vehicles, from slow moving to speeds of up to 120km/h (75mph) and has been tested on different vehicle platforms and in different environments, including in mines, on urban roads, on railways and in marine settings.
Paul Newman, founder and CTO at Oxbotica, said: “We are delighted to launch Terran360 in collaboration with Navtech. We are bringing a game-changing localisation system to market that gives operators and manufacturers a new way to answer the crucial autonomy question of “Where am I?” – and one that is unimpeded by environment or place.”
