DSEI Japan 2019: NEC showcases autonomous driving technology

Japanese company NEC showcased at the 18–20 November DSEI Japan 2019 defence exhibition in Chiba one of the two vehicles it has used to integrate and test the autonomous driving technology it has developed as part of the Multipurpose Autonomous Driving Robot project launched by the Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD) in 2015.

NEC displayed at DSEI Japan 2019 one of the two vehicles it has used to integrate and test its autonomous driving technology. (IHS Markit/Gabriel Dominguez)

The platform displayed at the show is a tracked, crawler-type vehicle, while the other one is a 4×4. Both vehicles, which NEC acquired from another company, are 3.35 m long, 1.8 m wide, and 2.45 m high. The previously manned platforms have been fitted with a number of sensors, including two 3D and one 2D LIDAR systems, a camera, a millimetre-wave radar, and a bumper sensor.

The sensors, in combination with software modules developed by NEC, enable the vehicles to drive autonomously, as well as under bad weather conditions, and avoid obstacles, a company official told Jane’s , adding that the platforms can also drive on unpaved roads and rough terrain.

Navigation is mainly provided by GPS. However, when satellite navigation signals are disturbed, the vehicles use inertial navigation units (INUs), real-time positioning, and 3D mapping to acquire their positioning information, he added.

The official pointed out that NEC has completed development and testing of its autonomous driving technology and the MoD is now expected to decide on the various applications of this technology for the Japan Self-Defense Forces.