Robots come to cities – Publication about the latest developments

Robotics can make many jobs easier in the near future and free people from repetitive, monotonous or dangerous work. Robots are already working in ports and factories and mowing lawns, but what could they do in cities? 

Robots have so far been a rare sight around people. AutoMod – Autonomous and Modular Utility Vehicle concepts in CE, a joint project of Forum Virium Helsinki, the City of Espoo and Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, examined whether this could change. In the summer of 2023, the project compiled its findings into a portfolio, which has now been published. 

Over the course of two years, urban robotics was explored through demos, pilots, development work and studies. This included pilots such as a robot carpool – a platform that can transport multiple robots with different tasks – as well as concepts and prototypes selected from innovation competitions. Pilots were conducted to explore how a robotic arm could help remove unwanted graffiti from walls or how a new type of interface could help streamline transport by combining robots with loading solutions. 

The Robots for Cities publication brings together all of this work, as well as many examples of mobile robotics from cities around the world. 

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