Volvo has been thinking to create a project called Robot-based Autonomous Refuse handling or "ROAR" that uses robots to come and collect people's trash.

According to Mashable Asia, within a few years after having a self-driving car parked in people's garage, the automation of robots to collect trash might come to fruition someday. This is a joint venture of Volvo, Pennsylvania State, Chalmers University of Technology, Mälardalen University of Sweden, and Renova, a refuse recycling company.

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This project has a vision for a world where human-guided, autonomous and supervised robots collect garbage from homes.

A robot is paired to a trash truck that is driven by a human driver. Then, the robot would go around the community to gather the garbage bins, dump the trash in the truck, and finally return the trash cans to the curb as directed by the human driver.

The project ROAR aims to remove the people from the physically taxing and messy job of lifting, carrying and emptying of heavy trash receptacles. It is indeed not an easy job for anyone.

It is also stated on Malaysian Digest that Volvo Group foresees a future wherein more automation technologies are created. Per-Lage Götvall, the project leader for the Volvo Group, also added that the "project provides a way to stretch the imagination and test new concepts to shape transport solutions for tomorrow."

Meaning, it does not only involve with the ROAR project but also other means in which transportation is involved. However, the development phase will still continue in 2016. After that, the robots will be tested alongside the Renova-designed trash trucks, and of course, with their human drivers that direct the robots.

Nevertheless, none of the two companies, Volvo or Renova, have made a statement on when is the exact date for the public rollout of the autonomous trash-collecting robots. It is going to be good to have the Volvo vision come to life in the near future wherein ROAR-like garbage men are rolling through the neighborhood.

TagsROAR project, autonomous robots, Garbage, trash truck, volvo