Crain’s Detroit Business
People are constantly talking about advancements in robotics, with many events taking place showing the latest in this technology. The city of Detroit, however, is pushing forward in a much more practical way. While pushing robotics technologies forward is important, it is also somewhat useless if nobody is using the level of tech that is available today.
If you visit the city of Detroit, you will likely see some type of robot performing some common task all on its own, and doing it quite successfully. The city has deployed a variety of different types of robots to do a wide range of things to help keep everything running smoothly.
For example, the “BeBot Litter Robot” roams the city picking up trash and focusing on keeping the beaches free from litter. This is an important task because things are constantly washing up on the shore, and having a litter-free beach makes it more accessible for everyone.
BeBot Litter Robot
Then there is a robot called “Penny Pickup” that goes around to various restaurants throughout the city to pick up food scraps. These scraps are collected and brought for composting, which helps to reduce food waste in the trash cans and helps to create healthy soil.
The Snowbotix robot is essentially a small tractor with a snowplow on it. This little robot does exactly what you would expect. During the winter, it goes around and plows different areas, including sidewalks, alleys, driveways, and more, to help keep the city clear and safe.
Snowbotix
Another robot might be hitting the streets soon, known as the FlashBot. This robot carries with it a battery that can be used to charge electric vehicles (and buses). If a city EV runs out of power in an area where there isn’t a charging station, this bot can come give it a boost. This service may also be available to private citizens, which helps to reduce the range anxiety that many people feel when purchasing an EV.
These robots also help to reduce the risk of injury to human workers. A remotely controlled robot was designed to cut the grass near highways so that the roads can remain beautiful without the risk of injury that is present when human crews are taking care of things.
In a report from Crain’s Detroit Business, Detroit’s Chief Officer of Mobility Innovation said:
“The automotive industry, and Detroit in particular, has a deep history of building things to make the world move. Today, we are seeing those skillsets grow in the field of robotics and other emerging technologies aimed at improving core city services. Detroit is working across multiple platforms to bring the next generation of solutions to our city and put them to work.”
Shutterstock
It isn’t just the city government either. Recently, a private company had its humanoid robot walking around and interacting with people. It is an AI-powered robot that was designed for fighting. The makers wanted to get it out on the streets to help promote their Interactive Combat League, which is a Detroit-based robot fighting league.
While robotics is continuing to advance quickly, Detroit is showing that these aren’t just great options for the future. Robots can be effectively used today.
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