Hyundai has revealed its concept for a system called the "Mobility of Things", which would turn previously inanimate objects into robots and allow people to reconfigure spaces on demand.
Putting a twist on the last decade's Internet of Things, which was about giving objects the ability to send information between each other, the Mobility of Things gives objects the power to move, either autonomously or through human operation.
As part of the system, Hyundai has created a "Plug and Drive" (PnD) module that can be integrated with everyday items to make them mobile.
Hyundai has invented a "Plug and Drive" module that can bring mobility to objects such as hotel luggage trolleys
The South Korean automaker suggests that it could be used on objects such as tables, containers or bassinets, and that when applied more widely it could reconfigure whole spaces at the click of a button. The company envisions this being useful for shared office spaces as well as retail and living environments.
"In the world to come, you won't move your things ? they will move around you," said Hyundai vice-president and head of robotics lab Dong Jin Hyun in a presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week. "The PnD Module is adaptive and expandable to match human needs."
Each Plug and Drive module contains steering, braking, electric drive, suspension, LiDAR and camera sensors in a single unit
"It's this ability that makes changing pra...