Hyundai unveils innovative Plug and Drive Robotic Module
Hyundai Motor Company has revealed its Plug & Drive (PnD) modular platform that enables mobility of traditionally inanimate things, from small objects to large community spaces, at CES 2022.
At the event, the leaders of Hyundai Motor and Boston Dynamics presented a shared vision for robotics in both the real world and metaverse under the main theme of ‘Expanding Human Reach’. Hyundai Motor also revealed its plans for creating an advanced mobility experience with an unlimited Mobility of Things (MoT) ecosystem, and showcased a range of robots and robotic concepts.
“We are directing all our robotics engineering and creative efforts toward building the unlimited Mobility of Things ecosystem,” said Dong Jin Hyun, Vice President and Head of Robotics Lab of Hyundai Motor Group. “The goal is for robotics to enable all kinds of personal mobility, connected to communicate, move and perform tasks autonomously.”
The PnD modular platform is an all-in-one mobility solution that combines intelligent steering, braking, in-wheel electric drive and suspension hardware.
The single wheel unit uses a steering actuator for infinite wheel rotation, meaning it can turn 360 degrees, which enables holonomic movement, like a figure skater. LiDAR and camera sensors allow a PnD-enabled object to move autonomously.
Also at CES 2022, Hyundai exhibited the MobED (Mobile Eccentric Droid) small mobility platform with the Drive & Lift (DnL) module, an all-in-one robotics solution based on an eccentric wheel mechanism that combines the drive, steering and braking systems into one structure.
