Mark Preston of StreetDrone shared exciting advancements at the Cenex Expo. He detailed future plans in vehicle autonomy. These plans focus on industrial and logistics environments. The conversation centered on StreetDrone’s successful work at Nissan’s Sunderland plant. The company transitioned from their 5GCal project to a newly funded endeavor. This new project is focused on scaling and commercialisation.
Scaling Autonomy in Real-World Industrial Settings
Preston highlighted that StreetDrone is expanding its autonomous fleet from initial trials to four operational trucks within the Nissan facility. These trucks are tasked with moving goods throughout the site. The real innovation, according to Preston, lies in targeting environments like factories and ports. This includes upcoming deployments at the Port of Rotterdam. These environments have private roads and controlled speeds, which allow for faster, safer commercialization of autonomous technology.
From Proof of Concept to Commercialization
The proven success at Nissan opened doors for StreetDrone to secure new projects abroad. Preston emphasized that areas like industrial logistics and port operations are the most immediate opportunities. They are viable and revenue-generating in terms of autonomy. This places StreetDrone among the UK’s leading players in this space.
Collaborating for Scale and Future Growth
The interview concluded with Preston stressing the importance of partnerships, industry collaboration, and continued outreach. StreetDrone is engaging with potential customers at events like Cenex. They also connect with industry supply chain partners. By doing so, StreetDrone is positioning itself at the forefront of commercializing autonomous vehicle technology for logistics. They are also focusing on industrial use cases.