Gojirra99
03-14-08, 11:19 AM
http://www.blogsforcompanies.com/TTimages/robucab_on_the_road.jpg
Robotic robuCAB takes you on a slow speed, autonomous ride of doom
Posted Mar 13th 2008
We've already seen strikes caused over the introduction of some relatively minor technology in taxis, but that's nothing compared to the brouhaha that could be in store one day in the future, at least if things like the robuCAB are any indication. That seemingly innocuous vehicle pictured above (along with an approximation of a future model) is developed by France's Robosoft, and has apparently proven itself successful in the limited uses it's been put to so far, with it relying a a series of cameras that keep track of the curb and some sensors placed beneath the ground. Needless to say, those requirements should let cabbies rest easy for now but, given other recent developments, it seems pretty likely that the Great Taxi Strike of 2025 is becoming more and more inevitable.
The taxi business is quickly changing, with the Ford Crown Victoria set to take a permanent buyout, hybrids ready to invade Manhattan by 2012, and now robuCab. It's a 4WD electric vehicle relying on a camera that reads a nearby curb and sensors reading both the curb angle and devices planted in the ground.
The slow-moving robuCab prototypes can carry four passengers, but we're not seeing a lot of luggage space in the pictures above. We also don't see robuCab taking jobs from New York's finest any time soon, as the technology still isn't close to being ready for prime time. Then again, we've already seen enough success with recent driverless car challenges to know anything is possible.
The taxi business is quickly changing, with the Ford Crown Victoria set to take a permanent buyout, hybrids ready to invade Manhattan by 2012, and now robuCab. The driver-free robuCab was developed in France by Robosoft, and the technology is limited for now. It's a 4WD electric vehicle relying on a camera that reads a nearby curb and sensors reading both the curb angle and devices planted in the ground.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/13/robotic-robucab-takes-you-on-a-slow-speed-autonomous-ride-of-do/
Robotic robuCAB takes you on a slow speed, autonomous ride of doom
Posted Mar 13th 2008
We've already seen strikes caused over the introduction of some relatively minor technology in taxis, but that's nothing compared to the brouhaha that could be in store one day in the future, at least if things like the robuCAB are any indication. That seemingly innocuous vehicle pictured above (along with an approximation of a future model) is developed by France's Robosoft, and has apparently proven itself successful in the limited uses it's been put to so far, with it relying a a series of cameras that keep track of the curb and some sensors placed beneath the ground. Needless to say, those requirements should let cabbies rest easy for now but, given other recent developments, it seems pretty likely that the Great Taxi Strike of 2025 is becoming more and more inevitable.
The taxi business is quickly changing, with the Ford Crown Victoria set to take a permanent buyout, hybrids ready to invade Manhattan by 2012, and now robuCab. It's a 4WD electric vehicle relying on a camera that reads a nearby curb and sensors reading both the curb angle and devices planted in the ground.
The slow-moving robuCab prototypes can carry four passengers, but we're not seeing a lot of luggage space in the pictures above. We also don't see robuCab taking jobs from New York's finest any time soon, as the technology still isn't close to being ready for prime time. Then again, we've already seen enough success with recent driverless car challenges to know anything is possible.
The taxi business is quickly changing, with the Ford Crown Victoria set to take a permanent buyout, hybrids ready to invade Manhattan by 2012, and now robuCab. The driver-free robuCab was developed in France by Robosoft, and the technology is limited for now. It's a 4WD electric vehicle relying on a camera that reads a nearby curb and sensors reading both the curb angle and devices planted in the ground.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/13/robotic-robucab-takes-you-on-a-slow-speed-autonomous-ride-of-do/