[Courtesy of Hyundai Motor]
SEOUL -- South Korea's Hyundai auto group revealed a small mobility platform using robotics technologies that can move through complex urban environments by freely adjusting its wheelbase and steering angles. The platform's wheel adjustability, compact body size and low vibration capabilities will make it an optimal technology solution for delivery, guiding and filming equipment.
The flat, rectangular body rides on four wheels, with an independent suspension that enables optimal body posture and stable movement even on inclined and uneven roads. The platform called "Mobile Eccentric Droid (MobED)" will be showcased at the CES trade show in Las Vegas.
"We have developed the MobED platform to overcome the limitations of existing indoor guide and service robots while maximizing its usability in cities by dramatically improving the platform’s overall mobility," Hyun Dong-jin, head of Hyundai Motor Group's robotics lab, said in a statement on December 16.
The platform can be used for indoor and outdoor service robots, and a stroller or leisure vehicle. Hyundai Motor said that if it is sufficiently increased, the platform can be used as a mobility device for the elderly or the disabled.
Equipped with high-tech steering, braking and altitude control systems, the platform adapts and realizes optimum posture on various road surfaces and environments. The three motors mounted to each wheel provide power and precise steering to the wheels while controlling the overall posture of the body. The arrangement of each wheel featuring an individual power and steering control system enables in-place rotation and omnidirectional movement, which allows for highly effective mobility even in narrow situations.
The eccentric mechanism-based posture control system stabilizes the body attitude by adjusting the height of each wheel according to the ground environment, and 12-inch pneumatic tires absorb bumps and vibrations. Its maximum speed is 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) per hour, allowing for around four hours of driving on a single charge.
MobED measures 67 centimeters long, 60 cm wide, 33 cm high, and weighs 50 kilograms. Its wheelbase expands to 65 cm for optimum stability in high-speed driving and then scales down to 45 cm for low-speed maneuvers in more complex environments.
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