We are seeing autonomous technology starting to become a reality in more and more industries. The technology is now ready to move from vision to practical application. The transformation will be rapid.

—Markus Granlund, CEO of Semcon

At present, Born to Drive is designed to steer vehicles from the production line out to a collection point to await further transport. However, the system can be evolved to streamline other parts of the logistics chain, such as moving the vehicles onto trucks, trains or ships. The new software works with the sensors that already exist in today’s vehicles, which means that no extra hardware is needed.

Besides the software in the vehicles, Born to Drive also consists of a back-end system. The system controls the entire logistics flow and keeps track of the cars’ locations and fuel levels.

Born to Drive has been under implementation for two years and is a collaboration between technology companies, government agencies, component manufacturers and Volvo Cars. Vehicle ICT Arena at Lindhomen Science Park is coordinating the innovation project with a number of key players involved in system and software development connected to the automotive industry. The project is mainly financed by ViNNOVA’s FFI program.

Semcon has had a central role in the project, with overall technical responsibility including the development of the vehicle’s control algorithms, positioning and communication with the traffic routing system.