Heiwajima Autonomous Driving Council expands to 60 members

The Heiwajima Autonomous Driving Council, based at the Tokyo Distribution Center (TRC), has expanded its membership to 60 organizations following the addition of 11 new companies. The group includes diverse sectors such as logistics, robotics, mobility, AI, and insurance providers.

During its third general meeting, the council reported on various working groups, including those focused on autonomous driving within buildings, circular last-mile delivery, and physical AI cargo handling. The council also showcased demonstrations of Level 4 autonomous vehicles and remote monitoring systems, such as Macnica’s ‘everfleet’ platform, to advance the social implementation of autonomous technology.

A key development includes the adoption of a demonstration project for horizontal transport within logistics facilities using autonomous vehicles, a collaborative effort that evolved from the council’s working groups into a proposal accepted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.