Robot company acquired by Hyundai Motor Company unveils remote control and self-charging function… ‘Walking car’ strides

Input 2021.02.04 14:24

Hyundai Motor Company (005380)Boston Dynamics, an American robot developer acquired by the group last year, added a new function to the artificial intelligence robot dog’Spot’. A robot arm can be installed to pick up objects or open and close doors, and remote control and autonomous charging have become possible. In the industry, Hyundai Motor Company is expected to improve the technology of’walking cars’ through the acquisition of Boston Dynamics, and Boston Dynamics is raising expectations as it announces a new technology.

On the 3rd (local time), Boston Dynamics released three new features added to Spot on YouTube. Spot has four legs under its body and the knees and hip joints move smoothly like a real animal, including Spot Arm, a robotic arm, Spot Enterprise, a self-charging system, and a Scout function that can be remotely controlled. Is added.

Previously, the spot moved in all directions, front, back, left, and right, and the stairs were able to move up and down freely. However, there were limits to more active movements. It was limited to the degree of collecting data and detecting terrain information with a camera mounted on the back. However, the newly developed spot arm is mounted on the head of the spot, so it can open and close doors or valves, pick up items, and put them in the basket.

The video released by Boston Dynamics includes spots digging the ground with a shovel or jumping a group rope. Especially, elaborate work such as drawing the words’BOSTON DYNAMICS’ with chalk on the floor became possible.

Spot Enterprise is a function to find a dock by itself when the battery capacity is low. In case of manual operation, you only need to move it to the location of the charger. This increases the operating time of the Spot and enables long-term data collection without human involvement. In particular, it is possible to collect and transmit large amounts of data through high-performance Wi-Fi.

Scout is a web-based software that allows you to remotely manipulate Spot from anywhere. Operators can remotely control multiple spots and view the workplace through robotic cameras. It is possible to perform work by remotely controlling the spot without having to go to remote or dangerous sites such as construction sites and offshore oil fields. You can tell the spot where to sit through the remote control, or when the spot falls, you can press a button to get it upright.

Previously, Hyundai Motor Group announced that it will first advance into the logistics robot market with a large market size and high growth potential by acquiring Boston Dynamics, and then focus on the service-type robot business that serves as a guide and support in various industries such as construction site supervision and facility security. There is a bar. Until now, Hyundai Motor Company has introduced wearable robots and walking cars, but it is reported that it acquired Boston Dynamics in order to secure the original technology that can be manipulated and moved freely in rough terrain.

Hyundai Motor Company also unveiled the walking concept car’Elevate’ at’CES 2019′ held in Las Vegas, USA in January 2019. Through simulation, Elevate secured driving and walking ability by completing a virtual driving course of the Rubicon Trail in California, USA, which is considered a harsh off-road course. By moving the four wheeled robot legs, it can be used in areas and situations where access is difficult with existing means of transportation.

Hyundai Motor Company is also planning to enter the humanoid (humanoid) robot business, which is expected to grow significantly in the long term. “We will transform from automobile manufacturers to service companies that provide new experiences to customers,” said Eui-sun Eui-sun, chairman of Hyundai Motor Group. “In the future, we will produce 50% automobiles, 30% personal aircraft (PAV), and 20% robots.” It has been revealed.