RPS Platooning

Platooning is a technique that consists in grouping trucks into a platoon that follow the trajectory of a first vehicle which is called Leader. Platooning increases the capacity of roads and reduces fuel consumption by decreasing the distances between trucks to several meters thanks to an electronic coupling.

The patented RPS Platooning solution improves Platooning by reducing this distance to 1 meter. This short distance makes possible a mechanical coupling between trucks through a helicoidal whose. Thus, the wire provides a secure communication channel for guaranteeing the required safety distance between trucks and also enables energy transference between vehicles.

The Leader determines its precise trajectory by reading RPS road markings and transmits it to the rest of follower trucks which repeat exactly the same trajectory. In this way, a single driver can manage multiple trucks. The load of some of them can be batteries that, doing an appropriate battery-truck replacement every 200 km, enables unlimited autonomy to the electrical trucks of the Platoon. Thanks to these features of RPS Platooning, freight transport costs can be reduced till 40% of current costs while providing a clean mean of transport.

Autonomous Driving

Every year, 1.2 million people die in traffic accidents in the world and x5 times more are seriously injuried. 90% of these accidents can be avoided thanks to ADAS systems. Nowadays, many companies have achieved Level 3 of automation(SAE) but, unfortunately, it cannot be deployed massively. When the on board computer fails, the driver has to take the handover in less than 1 second but humans needs more than 6 seconds to react properly.

Autodrive solutions solved it by using RPS technology. RPS uses 3D paintdrops for encoding information in a similar way of the Braille code (the reading system for the blind) and vehicle-borne radar sensors for reading them in a reliable way. In this way, radar reliability is independent to sunlight conditions, fog, rain or a bad retro-reflectivity of RPS road markings.

Due to the extreme accuracy in vehicle location and vehicle orientation, when the ADAS computer fails, the RPS deadreckoning guidance system can guide the vehicle safely during another 200 meters. This distance can be used for reducing the speed and provide more time to the driver for the handover while providing more time to the ADAS computer for a potential re-engage. In worst case, I could be used to stop the vehicle in a safe stop area.

Althoug paint the roads with RPS road markings sounds crazy, paint the roads with encoded 3D markings is feasible and affordable. RPS road markings can be printed at 12 km/h. This means that 50 trucks can paint the complete European Road Network in less than 3 years. In addition, RPS saves money since the total investment for road adaptation is less than 2% of current costs of traffic accidents.Taking into account that RPS road markings are very strong against abrasion, the maintenance is free since they will last at least 15 years with no damage and re-asphalt tasks will be required first.