Let's put it like this: Imagine a robotic dog that has wheels instead of legs, but can still climb stairs when needed. Now add the ability to detect a box, position itself on top of it, lower itself, hook it with internal motorized hooks and carry it away. That's the cargo robot LEVER, created by a team of Swiss engineers and designers from the University of Zurich (the same ones who some time ago developed the "father" of this robot, Anymal, of which we have spoken here).
Unlike current delivery robots, which still need to be loaded and unloaded by humans, LEVA does it all by itself. With strategically placed cameras and independently steered wheels, this cargo robot can autonomously navigate city streets, avoid obstacles, and transport Euro boxes weighing up to 85 kg.
The best of both worlds
I really like this hybrid approach to mobility. LEVA has four articulated legs, each with a motorized wheel at the end. This configuration allows it to use the best of both worlds: when on smooth surfaces like sidewalks, it can simply roll on its wheels like a car, moving quickly and using little energy.
And here's the fun part: when you have to climb stairs or cross a curb, lock the wheels and start walking like a quadruped. This feature also allows it to traverse rough terrain where wheels alone would be useless. It's a bit like having a jeep that, when the terrain gets too rough, pops out mechanical legs and keeps going. Awesome, isn't it?
Cargo robots and autonomous trucks, the era of the independent โdelivery boyโ
Another interesting feature of LEVA is its ability to manipulate loads without human assistance. The robot is equipped with five cameras strategically positioned: one on each vertical side of its rectangular body and one on the lower part. Furthermore, as mentioned, thanks to the steering wheels it can move without problems, even laterally.
When it detects a box to transport, it positions itself directly over the box, bends its legs to lower its body, and uses internal motorized hooks to latch onto the top of the box. It then stands up and heads toward its destination with the load safely under its body. Its impressive lifting capacity makes it useful for a wide range of logistics applications.
We don't yet know when we will see LEVA in action on our streets, because scientists are still perfecting its functionality in the real world. But it is clear that with robots like this, the future of urban logistics will change radically, eliminating the need for human intervention in loading and unloading operations (in transport operations, with autonomous trucks the situation it is already in an advanced stage).
I just wonder if robots like LEVA will one day also learn to ring the bell when they deliver a package, or not always show up when I'm sitting on the toilet.
