In the rapid development of science and technology today, unmanned operation technology has become increasingly mature, unmanned sweeping vehicles, unmanned sweeping robots and other intelligent equipment on the street, how to provide insurance protection for these intelligent equipment in the course of operation has become an important topic of concern for sanitation operators.
In 2022, Dinghe Property & Casualty Insurance Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of Southern Power Grid Corporation, landed the first robot product quality liability insurance in China. 2024, Dinghe Insurance, together with Shanghai KUSA Technology and Ningbo Huabao Technology, participated in the landing of an innovative unmanned sanitation robot policy, which created a precedent of commercialised risk transfer for unmanned sanitation robots.
In urban scenarios, busy streets, complex traffic and unforeseen pedestrian behaviour are challenges that must be addressed for the safety and reliability of technology in the field of artificial intelligence. Driverless, as a cutting-edge technology industry, is highly specific in terms of the risks it faces, both in the R&D testing phase and in the actual operation phase. The losses that may be caused by such risks are difficult to quantify, and insurance, as a well-known way of risk transfer, with its powerful financial functions, risk assessment, identification and management functions, can provide risk solutions and strong risk protection support for enterprises to the greatest extent possible, and form an effective, favourable and win-win risk protection model through the model of insurance + technology + green.
Tinghe Insurance will give full play to its role as a central enterprise and its spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, and focus on its own experience in insurance services and risk management. Combined with KUSA Technology's experience in defect management during the product design and manufacturing process and its in-depth understanding of the operational needs of sanitation operators, the design of the insurance product was completed. KUSA Technology's insurance service platform provides digital support for the subsequent loss determination and claims service.
Facing the rigorous on-road test, KUSA Technology has made great efforts in R&D, manufacturing and operation. In the R&D process, KUSA Technology strictly follows the V model of automotive design and complies with the ISO 26262 functional safety standard in functional safety design to ensure the safety and reliability of the product; in manufacturing, KUSA Technology introduces the automotive supply chain and selects automotive-grade components for key devices, which provides a solid technical guarantee for the operation of unmanned cleaning robots; in operation, KUSA Technology provides a solid technical guarantee for the operation of unmanned cleaning robots. During operation, KUSA Technology's unmanned cleaning robots are able to collect real-time video and trajectory data and upload them to the cloud-based operation management system and risk management platform. While ensuring the stable operation of the robot's software system, KUSA Technology's unmanned cleaning robots can achieve senseless upgrading of the software system, and also provide credible video evidence based on digital signatures in the event of accidents, which can provide strong support for accident investigation and responsibility determination, as well as digital claims settlement.
This insurance product breaks the convention of the traditional insurance industry by extending the insurance object from traditional personal and property protection to intelligent robots. It covers the unmanned sanitation robot's own operational risks and various third-party risks that may be caused by the unmanned sanitation robot, creating an all-round, multi-faceted, full-life-cycle protection programme for the unmanned sanitation robot's own safety, the safety of application scenarios, and the safety of the third-party's personal and property. For example, for the risk of unmanned sanitation robots, we will develop exclusive property insurance and machine damage insurance products, and for the testing and application scenarios of unmanned sanitation robots, we will develop product liability and public liability insurance products. Under the coverage of insurance, once the robots suffer from traffic accidents, natural disasters, malfunctioning of control, hardware and software failures, procedural disorders, and third party personal and property damages caused by the robots in the course of operation, both parties will be able to receive timely, adequate and adequate compensation for their risks. In the event that the robot encounters risks such as traffic accidents, natural disasters, control failures, hardware and software malfunctions, programme disorders, or personal and property damage caused by a third party during operation, either party will be able to receive timely and adequate financial compensation and considerate, high-quality insurance services.
At present, KUSA Technology has already applied this innovative insurance product in actual projects. During the production, R&D, testing and landingprojects, Ting He Insurance provides underwriting services for KUSA Technology and its customers to ensure that these unmanned cleaning robots are covered by the risk of the whole life cycle. This not only demonstrates the importance that KUSA Technology places on risk management, but also reflects its responsible attitude towards its customers and society.
In the future, with the further development and popularisation of autonomous driving technology, insurance will become an indispensable and important supporter, service provider and escort for all kinds of unmanned vehicles. It is expected that in the future, with the launch of more innovative insurance products, driverless technology will be able to better serve mankind under the premise of safeguarding safety.
