Self-driving robot ‘Survival’ joins the Ford team

Autonomous vehicles are still a few years away, but one little robot is already showing what’s possible.

Nicknamed “Survival”, because of its ability to adapt to its environment, Ford's self-driving robot delivers spare parts around one of their European manufacturing plants, dodging unforeseen objects, changing its route if obstructed and stopping whenever necessary.

“We programmed it to learn the whole of the plant floor so, together with sensors, it doesn’t need any external guides to navigate” said Eduardo García Magraner, manufacturing manager, at Ford's body plant in Valencia, Spain, where the robot is being trialled.

“When it first started you could see employees thinking they were in some kind of sci-fi movie, stopping and staring as it went by. Now they just get on with their jobs knowing the robot is smart enough to work around them.”

Delivering spare parts and welding material to different stations around the plant is a crucial element in keeping Kuga, Mondeo and S-MAX production going. For Ford's employees though, the task is time-consuming and relatively mundane. The robot does not replace employees but can save up to 40-employee hours every day by taking over this role, allowing operators to use their time on more complex tasks.

The robot is equipped with an automated shelf that has 17 slots to hold materials of different weights and sizes. To avoid errors, the opening and closing of these slots is automated, meaning operators in each area only have access to the materials assigned to them.

Eduardo García Magraner

“It’s been on trial for almost a year now and has performed faultlessly to-date. It’s become quite a valuable team member. Hopefully we can put it into full-time use shortly and expand into other facilities.”

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