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The University of Texas is getting some four-legged autonomous delivery robots early next year. The move is part of a five-year campus study on interactions between people and robots, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
UT researchers received $3.6 million from the National Science Foundation to support a robot delivery network on campus. The team plans to use that money to study how robots and a community can safely co-exist.
Luis Sentis, a professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering's Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics said in a news release from the university, "Robotic systems are becoming more ubiquitous. In addition to programming robots to perform a realistic task such as delivering supplies, we will be able to gather observations to help develop standards for safety, communication and behavior to allow these future systems to be useful and safe in our community."
So how will it work? UT community members can order supplies, such as wipes or hand sanitizer, and the dog-like robots will deliver them door-to-door. The robots will deliver in pairs and will be monitored by chaperones remotely.
According to the news release, the researchers hope to understand what people expect of robots, ensure the robots' tasks are successfully completed, and find ways to improve oversight of the fleet of robots.