Unmanned Kamaz vehicles will be tested on public roads in Naberezhnye Chelny this year, according to Rostec state corporation.
“Starting from 2019, we plan to start the pilot operation of Kamaz autonomous vehicles on public roads in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny and in restricted areas,” Rostec said.
During the trials, test drivers will be there to take over control of the vehicle in an emergency, TASS specified.
Kamaz is developing trucks with driver assistance systems and autonomous traffic systems. In 2015, Russia’s first prototype unmanned vehicle was built as a modification of the Kamaz-5350 truck with a 6×6 all-wheel drive chassis. The truck can drive independently along specified routes without driver assistance; its artificial intelligence system distinguishes road markings, signs and road users, including pedestrians.
In June 2018, a 12-seat unmanned electric bus, Kamaz-1221, was tested on the road in Kazan. A paved 650 m track was built inside an enclosed area on the bank of the river Kazanka to show the new bus’s capabilities.