Last week, Hyundai unveiled the Mobile Eccentric Droid (MobED), a new mobility platform for taking on even the trickiest surfaces and uneven ground. The company’s Robotics Lab says it developed MobED to overcome the limitations of existing indoor and service robots. Each of the robot’s wheels features independent power and steering control systems that allow it to rotate in place and move in any direction. It also has an eccentric drive system, hence the name, that allows it to independently adjust the height of each of its wheels. As you can see from a video, that means it can provide a stable platform for something as delicate as glasses. MobED can expand its wheelbase up to about 64 centimeters when it needs as much stability as possible. It can also contract to about 43 centimeters when it finds itself in more complex environments. All told, the platform is approximately 66 centimeters long, 58 centimeters wide and 33 centimeters tall. A 2-kWh battery allows the robot to drive for approximately four hours on a single charge. Outside of working as a service robot, Hyundai envisions MobED helping out in places like the movie industry where film crews could mount their equipment to the platform. It could also be used for deliveries and other purposes where stability is essential.(SD-Agencies) | 