A few days ago, according to foreign media reports, the new BMW 7 Series/i7 (G70) completed Automatisiertes Fahren im Werk (AFW, Autopilot in the Factory), a pilot project jointly implemented by BMW Group, Seoul Robotics and software startup Embotech, which aims to improve the efficiency of new car logistics in factories and distribution centers.
It is worth noting that AFW is not the same as the concept of autonomous driving on the open road, which is based on external sensors and controls equipped with sensors on specific routes that enable the vehicle to precisely identify its position. Combined with environmental detection, it ensures that there are no obstacles on the planned route while controlling the vehicle’s acceleration, braking, steering and parking.
Within BMW plants, autonomous driving is actually nothing new, such as automated forklifts and traction trains that can move parts from point A to point B without a driver, also through similar technology. In the future, the project will also be piloted in more BMW models and plants to further automate operations such as driving vehicles onto logistics trucks or trains.
