Mexican Media Brands
Ford Teams with Agility Robotics on Walking Bots
Ford Motor Co. is partnering with Agility Robotics, an Albany, Ore.-based tech startup, to integrate walking robots with future self-driving delivery vehicles.
#robotics
Share
Ford Motor Co. is partnering with Agility Robotics, an Albany, Ore.-based tech startup, to integrate walking robots with future self-driving delivery vehicles.
Agility says its two-legged Digit robot can climb stairs and traverse uneven terrain. The android can carry 40-lb packages and maintain its balance if jostled, according to the supplier.
When not in use, Digit folds up and stores itself in the vehicle. Upon arriving at a home delivery stop, the robot would climb out, pick up the package and take it to the customer’s door.
Ford says Digit will be wirelessly connected to its host self-driving vehicle’s sophisticated network of sensors and processing capabilities to plot its route and avoid obstacles. The robot also will be equipped with its own cameras and lidar to help keep on track as it moves.
Ford plans to test delivery vans with Digit in real-world applications in Michigan and Pennsylvania in coming months. Tests also will be conducted within Ford factories.
The carmaker aims to launch commercial applications with the robot as early as 2021. That’s the same timeline Ford has for introducing its first fully autonomous vehicles.
Watch a video about Digit HERE.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Rage Against the Machine
There have been more than 20 reported attacks against Waymo’s self-driving fleet in Chandler, Ariz., since the company began testing the technology on public roads there two years ago.
-
Toyota Employees to Aid Michigan V2X Research
Toyota Motor Corp. is encouraging employees at its research and development center near Ann Arbor, Mich., to participate in an on-going program there to test connected vehicle technologies.
-
FCA Opens the Door to The Future
FCA introduced a high-tech concept vehicle today, the Chrysler Portal, at the event previously known as the “Consumer Electronics Show,” now simply CES.
