An All-new Mobility Platform for Versatile Applications
Hyundai Motor Group took the wraps off its small mobility platform, the Mobile Eccentric Droid (MobED), which combines advanced robotics technologies, on Dec. 16.
The MobED is a flat rectangular parallelepiped on four functional wheels. Its body can be maintained horizontally on inclined roads or irregularities and its wheelbase and steering angle can be easily adjusted, making it optimized for a narrow and complex urban environment.
This function is possible due to an eccentric wheel mounted on the MobED. A motor mounted on each wheel controls the power, steering, and posture of the wheel. The wheeled machine can move in a narrow environment as it can rotate in a place or move in any direction, and keep its balance by adjusting the height of each wheel depending on ground conditions. When running at a high speed, the gap between the front and rear wheels can expand to 65 cm. When running at a low speed, its gap can decrease to 45 cm, enabling it to get out of a narrow road.
The MobED unveiled on the same day is 60 cm wide, 67 cm long, and 33 cm tall and weighs 50 kg. It is powered by a 2 kwh battery and can run at 30 km/h. It can run for about 4 hours on a single charge. Increasing the size of its body can increase its battery size, which can boost its mileage.
The MobED has many applications. Its wheel and body can be freely adjusted, resulting in no shaking of the machine. This feature makes it perfect for deliveries, guidance, serving and filming. If the size of the MobED is expanded to the size enough to carry a person, it can enhance the mobility of senior citizens and the disabled, or carry a baby or toddler like a stroller.
The MobED will be displayed as a guide robot at CES 2022 in Las Vegas, to be held next month. Hyundai Motor is planning to introduce its future vision and new concept robots under the theme of robotics at CES.