Driverless cleaning vehicle runs in Longhua

An autonomous cleaning vehicle was put into use to clean the streets in Longhua District recently, Shenzhen Evening News reported yesterday.

The vehicle looks like a panda and was named Panda AI Road Sweeper. It was developed by DeepBlue Technology Co. Ltd. based in Longhua District.

A Panda AI Road Sweeper unloads trash to a garbage bin. Zhang Yanyan

As the vehicle passes, items like cigarette ends, dust, pebbles and fallen leaves get picked up; the vehicle automatically avoids pedestrians and other vehicles it detects. After cleaning, the vehicle unloads the waste it has collected at the designated garbage bins on its own.

Compared to regular cleaning vehicles, the Panda AI Road Sweeper has deep-learning and sensing systems installed in it. The radar, sensors and cameras installed in the front, rear and flanks help the vehicle detect road conditions, recognize blockages and avoid collisions. The vehicle’s embedded positioning system enables it to recognize directions and not get lost while cleaning.

“The vehicle is a good substitute to street cleaners during their rest time and it improves efficiency in cleaning. It can be remotely controlled and dispatched through a mobile phone with 5G technology,” said Cheng Wei, a technician with the company said.

In addition, Cheng said that with the advancement of technology and introduction of related laws, the company will offer cleaning solutions that can coordinate different types of cleaning vehicles, which can be used in commercial centers, public and industrial parks and semi-enclosed venues.