CNN Business: Ford, world renowned for its cars, is experimenting with something completely new: a parcel-carrying robot.
The automaker announced on Tuesday that it is testing a robot that will deliver goods from self-driving Ford vehicles to a customer's door.
Ford has previously piloted autonomous vehicles inspired by the popularity of online shopping. However, the company soon discovered that it was sometimes uncomfortable for people to leave their homes and pick up a package from a car waiting at the sidewalk. As a result, Agility Robotics, a startup based in Albany, Oregon, became Ford's partner.
By now, Agility Robotics has already created a humanoid robot capable of carrying 40-pound bags. But the next robot, called Digit, can not only walk, but also climb stairs, move over rough terrain and avoid dynamic obstacles (for example, people walking towards them). However, the most important thing is that the robot always remains perfectly balanced and does not fall, even if it stumbles.
At the moment, Ford declined to say whether it plans to immediately launch a delivery service or whether there will be limited shipments of robots for partners so far. However, the automaker is already reporting that it intends to focus on electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles as it now faces stiff competition from Google Alphabet (GOOG) and Tesla (TSLA).
Autonomous vehicles are expected to revolutionize logistics and transportation, however, while cars and trucks can drive on the road on their own, they cannot climb the steps and put the package on the doorstep. And here Digit can change a lot, gaining a leading position in the market.
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Editorial comment
The progress in modern robotics is truly amazing and although it pleases many with its uniqueness, it frightens many. And there is something to be afraid of, first of all - the loss of jobs:
Thus, if over the past decades, companies have ceased to need first workers on conveyors, and then skilled locksmiths (most of them have replaced programmed machines), now robots take away work from loaders and couriers. And since there are a lot of people engaged in this type of activity, serious social upheavals await the world.
To illustrate the second reason for fear, let's look at other robots made by Boston Dynamics:
While the balancing act of the two previous creations is impressive, the more advanced ones are generally astounding. If you add weapons and at least remote brains to a robot jumping on boxes, it will no longer be a toy, but a soldier or a policeman, which we previously saw only in science fiction films.
And since the robot will surpass the human in everything, the control of society by such an army will be such that no John Connor dreamed of. And although Ford, Boston Dynamics and others like them now say that these are "demonstration units" - there is a suspicion that the mass production of similar (more precisely, much more advanced) androids has long been launched and these soldiers are just waiting for the command and their time.