As time is passing, technology and automation are overtaking the operations of the world. The automotive industry is one of the areas where automation has excelled and is already implemented in a lot of its endeavors. People are becoming more comfortable with the idea of letting the car do the driving and navigation for you. Driverless cars are becoming more common than ever.
This fast shift towards automation has made it incumbent for the leading automakers to deliver what is expected with the changing trends. Along with the upside of automation in the driving arena, there are safety concerns for car enthusiasts as well. The companies are coming up with innovative and smart ways to make these vehicles as safe as they possibly can for car enthusiasts and riders.
Ford is one of the leading companies when it comes to delivering the most in-vogue cars with remarkable features and specifications. Recently, the company has introduced robot drivers to check the safety of their vehicles. It is not like these robot drivers will replace manual and human test drives. In fact, the company is thinking one step ahead.
These robot drivers are being used to test the vehicles’ performance under extreme natural disasters or extreme conditions. This is not possible to achieve with manual testing as the safety of the drivers is jeopardized. Hence, this is a smart way to check the vehicles’ endurance without the probability of hurting the employees.
The robots are being used in Ford’s Weather Factory test facility in Cologne, Germany. These robots are named Shelby and Miles. They can work in a wide temperature range of -40 °C to 80 °C (-40 °F to 176 °F), at alpine altitudes, and can be programmed to carry out different driving styles. It is one step forward in ensuring the complete technical safety of vehicles.