Ford North America using robots to test new Transit vans
Safety ratings are an important factor to consider when deciding which van to purchase. Here in the UK, we have Euro NCAP that tests new vehicles and rates their safety performance for us and of course, we can consider the individual manufacturers reports as well. But as with the true MPG controversy, can we really trust the auto makers’ safety claims and just how do they perform such tests? Well, Ford in North America, in partnership with Utah-based Autonomous Solutions Inc., has come up with an ingenious method of using robots to test the durability of their trucks, including the new full-size Transit van range which is scheduled to launch there sometime in 2014.
Some of the test vans are taken to task repeatedly in all types of driving conditions, performed on and off road, which would be unsuitable and too uncomfortable or dangerous for human testers. The vans, that must pass a whole slew of tests and must prove they are “Built Ford Tough”, are driven on course tracks filled with broken concrete, cobblestones, metal grates, rough gravel, mud pits, and oversized speed bumps.
This new technology being implemented at its Michigan Proving Grounds, uses a robotic control module installed in the test vehicle that can regulate steering, acceleration, and breaking. The robot driven van follows a pre-programmed course and the vehicle’s position is tracked via cameras in a central control room. It’s GPS accurate to plus/minus one inch.
Ford says that their engineers designed and deployed the robotic technology with two goals in mind: protecting human drivers and engineering Ford trucks to be tougher than ever.
To read Ford’s North American press release on the development of the industry’s first robotic test driving program, which also includes a two minute video of the automated robotic testing, please click here.
What are your views on this new way of testing vans for safety performance and will we see more manufacturers implementing robots in their testing in the future?
Some of the test vans are taken to task repeatedly in all types of driving conditions, performed on and off road, which would be unsuitable and too uncomfortable or dangerous for human testers. The vans, that must pass a whole slew of tests and must prove they are “Built Ford Tough”, are driven on course tracks filled with broken concrete, cobblestones, metal grates, rough gravel, mud pits, and oversized speed bumps.
This new technology being implemented at its Michigan Proving Grounds, uses a robotic control module installed in the test vehicle that can regulate steering, acceleration, and breaking. The robot driven van follows a pre-programmed course and the vehicle’s position is tracked via cameras in a central control room. It’s GPS accurate to plus/minus one inch.
Ford says that their engineers designed and deployed the robotic technology with two goals in mind: protecting human drivers and engineering Ford trucks to be tougher than ever.
To read Ford’s North American press release on the development of the industry’s first robotic test driving program, which also includes a two minute video of the automated robotic testing, please click here.
What are your views on this new way of testing vans for safety performance and will we see more manufacturers implementing robots in their testing in the future?
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