WeRide, a company founded in 2017 by a former chief scientist at Baidu's Autonomous Driving Laboratory, continues to expand its presence in the autonomous vehicle industry. The company's latest innovation is the S1 robot sweeper, which promises to revolutionize street cleaning by offering an efficient, autonomous solution capable of cleaning large areas on a single charge.
At the beginning of 2022, WeRide announced the development of an autonomous street sweeper, which underwent large-scale testing in Guangzhou's Nansha District. Stripped of traditional controls, this van-sized L4 machine uses NVIDIA's AI computing platform to process data and was connected to the cloud for efficient control and tracking.
The original S6 model is now joined by the more compact and advanced Robosweeper S1 model. Designed for universal cleaning of open roads, parks, pavements, green areas, riverbanks and carriageways, the S1 is 2,570 mm long and has a turning radius of 2.7 metres.
Equipped with 360-degree sensors and cameras, the car provides comprehensive situational awareness, including blind spot detection, traffic signal recognition and obstacle avoidance.
Powered by a battery that allows it to clean 120,000 square meters on a single charge, the Robosweeper S1 also has a 400 liter water tank and a 240 liter waste tank.
It can autonomously unload collected trash at disposal points and return to base to refill with water and recharge batteries. Commercial use of the Robosweeper S1 began this week in Guangzhou, and WeRide has already secured several contracts for the new model. See the innovation in action.