Kodiak SensorPods
In trucking, every minute off the road matters. That’s why at Kodiak, we have built an autonomous freight solution designed to maximize fleet up-time.
Inspired by conversations with our fleet, carrier, and maintenance partners, we’ve heard over and over the importance of keeping trucks on the road. As they say, “If the wheels ain’t turnin’ you ain’t earnin’.” One of the most meaningful promises of autonomous trucking technology is increasing utilization: self-driving trucks don’t get tired and can operate close to 24/7, only stopping to fuel, be inspected, pick up new loads, and complete required maintenance. But the near limitless ability for self-driving trucks to operate is only meaningful if the trucks remain operational and can be easily maintained when out in the world.
To ensure we maximize the Kodiak Driver’s time on the road moving loads for partners, we’ve developed a unique hardware system we call SensorPods™. Our SensorPods replace the truck’s stock side-view mirrors and house the sensors necessary for the Kodiak Driver to operate. Traditionally, servicing and maintaining autonomous sensor systems requires significant time and specialized training – after all, these systems include the world’s most advanced LiDAR, cameras, and radar. However, our thoughtfully designed approach has taken serviceability and maintainability into account from the beginning. Kodiak’s SensorPods can be changed without any specialized training or equipment, allowing for an easy and fast service at any time and any location, even out on the open road. The SensorPods come pre-built and pre-calibrated: replacing a SensorPod is as easy as changing a tire. But faster.
In collaboration with Southern Tire Mart / Southern Tire Mart at Pilot, we have been working to evolve the thinking regarding the maintenance needs of autonomous trucks and evaluate how we can integrate maintenance processes for the Kodiak Driver into the existing trucking ecosystem. Working together, we’ve demonstrated that a truck technician can change a SensorPod without a hitch, in under ten minutes.
Kodiak SensorPods are the most integrated sensor solution in the autonomous vehicle market and clear an important hurdle towards the commercialization and integration of our autonomous trucking technology, the Kodiak Driver, into our partners’ fleets.
