Top Hat Robotics is developing safe and efficient sidewalk robots. They are building these robots to do important daily tasks interchangeably, whether it is sidewalk inspections or snow removal.
These robots are on track to be semi-autonomous and designed to decrease cost while increasing safety. Top Hat Robotics are booking pilots for their solutions to demonstrate the cost savings and introduce the robots to the public.
Top Hat Robotics will ensure these sidewalk robots are safe by thorough practices. The robots will be monitored by humans in-person or remotely, they will have multiple cameras with 360° of sensors, and take up less than half of the sidewalk, allowing people to walk by. In addition the robots will travel at walking speed and stop when pedestrians are within 10 feet of them, all while operating on off-peak hours, providing less pedestrian interruptions.
They will be starting pilot inspections of sidewalks in the summer of 2020. The robots are able to provide accurate judgement within 1mm, while the cameras will detect chips, cracks, and other sidewalk deficiencies. The sidewalk robots will allow for reduced labour costs by manually inspecting sidewalks, and reduced time by having multiple robots operating at one time.
Top Hat Robotics’ goals for the summer inspection pilots is to gain accurate data to demonstrate costs savings, introduce robots to the community in a safe and engaging way, and demonstrate the effectiveness of the cameras compared to the human eye.
The SPUR will work along side with Top Hat Robotics to promote the development of these sidewalk robots.
