Autopilot
The self-driving ice resurfacer
WM technics took their first step towards the future with their innovative, one-press, integrated automatic mode: At just one press of the button, all operations are activated in a predefined order.
WM technics have now taken the next leap forward and, with the WM Autopilot, automation in the work place has reached a new peak. The self-driving vehicle is capable of completely resurfacing the ice rink without a driver, proving itself to be of invaluable assistance both to the stadium managers and the resurfacer operators: While the ice resurfacer is resurfacing the ice, the operator has time to get on with other things.
The autopilot mode is ideal for the last cleaning of the day and for interim cleans. The innovative Autopilot function is available for the WM Mammoth, WM Shira and WM evo2 ice resurfacers, and these WM models can also be retrofitted with the Autopilot system at any time.
How does it work?
WM Autopilot ice resurfacers are fitted with a positioning system: The sensors are mounted to the vehicle and in the ice stadium. A powerful computing unit within the vehicle processes the immense amount of data required for autonomous driving.
The positioning system allows the vehicle to cover the whole ice rink on a predefined route and carry out resurfacing independently. WM Autopilot is controlled by means of a mobile phone app: A variety of cleaning configurations are available to choose from, including non-standard drive cycles. Resurfacing times can be calculated with pinpoint precision. With the WM Autopilot, ice stadium managers and events’ organisers have the certainty of adhering to scheduled ice resurfacing times during competitions.
APP-controlled
The self-driving WM resurfacing vehicles with autopilot are easily controlled by means of a mobile phone app. When paired with the vehicle you wish to run on autopilot, the app will display the battery status and water levels of the vehicle and allow you to set all the most important parameters such as blade depth, water application and driving speed.
These settings can be changed and fine-tuned at any time, even during resurfacing. The app also displays a variety of cleaning patterns, from a quick clean of the ice right through to classic resurfacing. Simply choose the configuration you want, set Autopilot in motion and off it goes! The vehicle will now begin to resurface the ice, and the time required for job completion is shown on the display.
Safety comes first
A self-driving vehicle. And what happens if it goes out of control? Naturally, even though the risks are limited in an ice stadium compared to the dangers posed by a public street, this is an unavoidable worry.
WM technics adopt the highest of safety measures: A 5-level redundant safety system enable the vehicle to stop at any moment in the event of impending danger. In case of emergency, there are also a number of emergency buttons on the outside of the vehicle.
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