Autonomous Convoying: A Survey on Current Research and Development

Abstract

Convoying or platooning with a fleet of autonomous vehicles, which is denoted as autonomous convoying in this paper, has attracted increasing attention from the research communities, governments, and private sectors in recent years. Autonomous convoying offers immense opportunities due to its potential in enhancing logistical efficiency as well as reducing road incidents/accidents by eliminating human errors due to stress and fatigue. While humans can make complex decisions, involving humans in decision-making processes often causes delays as compared with those of automated machines. Indeed, human errors cause approximately 90% of road accidents and fatalities. Efficient platooning techniques can also reduce fuel consumption and carbon footprints. This paper presents a concise survey on current research and development initiatives in autonomous convoying while critically discussing the underlying techniques and technologies developed in this domain. Implications of autonomous convoying toward different industries are also analyzed and discussed.

Keywords

• Autonomy
• convoying
• sensor fusion
• defense
• platooning