Advanced Smart Mobility and Panasonic Advanced Technology Announce Technical Collaboration for Autonomous Heavy Vehicles

Advanced Smart Mobility Co., Ltd., specializing in autonomous driving technology for heavy vehicles (buses and trucks), and Panasonic Advanced Technology Co., Ltd., which possesses advanced software implementation technology in the automotive and robotics fields, as well as expertise in SLAM technology and safety design/verification, have announced a technical collaboration aimed at advancing autonomous driving systems for heavy vehicles and accelerating their social implementation.

1. Background and Purpose In Japan's logistics and transportation industry, labor shortages and an aging population are critical issues, leading to high expectations for autonomous driving in heavy trucks and buses. However, autonomous driving for heavy vehicles requires precise vehicle control based on vehicle characteristics, stable self-position estimation, safety design, and a robust verification system. Through this collaboration, the companies will combine Advanced Smart Mobility's know-how in vehicle control and autonomous driving demonstrations for heavy vehicles with Panasonic Advanced Technology's expertise in SLAM technology, software implementation, and safety design to accelerate the development of practical autonomous driving systems.

2. Main Areas of Technical Collaboration The companies will jointly develop technologies in the following areas: Enhancement of Self-Position Estimation: Applying Panasonic Advanced Technology's camera and LiDAR-based SLAM technology to heavy vehicles to achieve stable positioning even in environments where GNSS is unavailable. Strengthening Safety Design and Verification: Utilizing knowledge compliant with functional safety standards to enhance system safety design, anomaly response, and verification frameworks. Advancement of Autonomous Driving Systems: Integrating Advanced Smart Mobility's autonomous driving units and vehicle control technology with Panasonic Advanced Technology's software to create scalable and easy-to-implement systems.

3. Roles of Each Company Advanced Smart Mobility provides vehicle control technology, operational know-how for demonstration experiments, and real-vehicle evaluation environments. Panasonic Advanced Technology provides SLAM technology, safety design/development methods, sensor integration, and quality assurance/verification technology.

4. Future Outlook The two companies will proceed with technical verification through demonstration experiments and promote development toward the social implementation of autonomous driving systems for heavy vehicles, aiming to contribute to both improved transport efficiency in logistics and the sustainability of regional public transportation.