Over in Japan, home of technology, the latest and most exciting new development is the Ropit – a robot car that can drive itself. Developed by Hitachi, the Ropit can take you wherever you want at the touch of a button. It looks set to make annoying things like needing to know how to drive a thing of the past.
Ideal for disabled or elderly passengers, this is a little, one person vehicle, roughly the same size as a mobility scooter. Similarly to a mobility scooter, the Ropit is suitable for pavements rather than actual roads.
A complicated system of technology reads where you need to go and takes you there. A touch-screen map is linked to a GPS device to provide the overall direction, supplemented by 3D laser distance sensors and stereo cameras fixed to the front of the car to detect obstructions in its path. When one of these obstructions – for instance, a curb – approaches, actuators fitted to the wheels can dynamically adjust their height as they encounter shifts in depth, while a gyro sensor ensures that the vehicle stays upright when negotiating uneven ground.
If an emergency occurs, such as the vehicle losing control a bit or the driver fearing that we’ve given robots too much control over our lives, there is a manual override system.
This could be a brilliant invention to help the less able get around. Like a mobility scooter but even easier!
Or it could be the April Fool! It’s April Fools’ Week at Blue Badge Style. If you think we’ve made this up then get in touch and you could win a meal for two. But if we haven’t you’re out of the competition for the rest of the week.