Autonomous vehicles can perform an increasing array of tasks all by themselves

Flanders Make works, among others, on smart fork-lift trucks that can effectively find their way in warehouses, which would obviously be a blessing for the logistics sector. “We are developing algorithms, amongst other things, that allow fork-lift trucks to deal with obstacles and changing conditions”, explains Andrei Bartic, head of the research centre’s Decision & Control cluster. “This will enable them to save themselves from perilous situations and to calculate and follow another route, something that up to know was very difficult for such equipment.

Furthermore, Flanders Make also focuses on the safety of electric vehicles on the public road. Specialists have developed a demonstration version of an electric car, in which every wheel is powered by a motor and the failure of one motor during an evasive manoeuvre is corrected by the other three motors. 

“As a result, our car will after the failure still be perfectly capable to complete the initiated manoeuvre correctly, after which it will bring itself in safety, for instance by coming to a stop on the side or by driving at a low speed to a service station”, explains Engels. “Obviously, this backup system is not only useful for electric cars, it can also improve the safety of all kinds of mobile vehicles and machines.”