SENNA

Dangerous accidents occur time and again when using large and complex construction machinery or commercial vehicles with attachments. A common cause is that people are in the blind spot of the large and complex construction machinery and therefore cannot be seen by the machine operators. Other causes include fatigue, distraction during work or insufficient experience with the complex equipment. Equally
problematic is the incorrect assessment of the surroundings, such as the rigidity of the ground, distances to objects or the dynamics of the equipment. This is particularly relevant when working with crane-like booms. These circumstances can lead to serious accidents, sometimes resulting in death. The aim is therefore to realize safe control of autonomous attachments in order to avoid dangerous situations or accidents and at the same time increase productivity and precision. A particular focus is on the realization of a universal autonomy and safety concept that can be applied to any commercial vehicle and its attachments. The results will be demonstrated with (1) an autonomous Daimler Unimog U5023 truck with mowing arms, (2) a Palfinger forestry crane and (3) an MTS suction excavator in real and simulated conditions.
The project addresses the safe autonomous operation of commercial vehicles with attachments, such as excavator arms or crane systems. Various objectives are being pursued to facilitate the automation of attachments and at the same time increase safety and availability. The results should serve as a blueprint for the realization of any autonomous commercial vehicles and the autonomous control of equipment interfaces.