Outside of manufacturing, the implementation of robotics in transportation is a relatively recent phenomenon. Despite this relative novelty, robots have already made significant strides in the transportation industry, driving innovation across multiple sub-sectors and applications. Modern transportation wouldn’t be the same without robots, and the future will only serve to solidify this.
Here’s how robots are pushing the transportation industry forward and where they could go from here.
Bridgestone and Einride announced a partnership aimed at co-creating innovative and sustainable mobility solutions for electrified and autonomous Class 8 vehicles. The collaboration will allow Einride to collect new layers of safety and efficiency-related data from Bridgestone’s smart-sensing tires, while enabling Bridgestone to integrate its advanced mobility technologies into Einride’s onboard vehicle platforms. Together, the companies will work towards a more sustainable future for large commercial truck fleets.
Mobility company Bolt launched its e-scooter rental service in Sibiu, central Romania, last weekend. According to Sibiu City Hall, a total of 240 scooters are available to riders in the Transylvanian city as of Sunday, August 22.
Argo AI and Ford will deploy Ford self-driving cars, with safety drivers, on the Lyft network, as part of a network access agreement, with passenger rides beginning in Miami later this year and in Austin starting in 2022. In an industry-first collaboration, Argo AI, Lyft and Ford Motor Company are working together to commercialize autonomous ride hailing at scale.
Continental’s development and production service provider, Continental Engineering Services (CES) is cooperating with the battery specialist Varta. The aim of the partnership is to develop new technologies and products that particularly lead to advances in sustainable solutions in the field of electro mobility. In a first pilot project, both partners have jointly developed an innovative product for the two-wheeler market: A replaceable 48-volt battery pack for electrically powered two-wheelers with a power of 10 kW and more.
IDS Imaging Development Systems has unveiled new industrial camera models for special requirements in factory automation. The uEye FA camera series integrates new sensors – the 12 and 20 MP Sony Starvis and 5 MP polarisation sensor. uEye FA industrial cameras are particularly robust and therefore ideally suited for demanding environmental conditions, for example in factory automation. Starting in August, IDS will offer three new sensors in the family.
In recent years, EV-producing automakers have focused on expanding choices for all-electric, long-range sedans, SUVs, and pickups. That leaves an opening for smaller electric cars at the lowest price points for mass-market consumers, mostly in Europe and Asia. Volkswagen is planning to fill that gap with a new brand of EVs selling for less than €20,000.