Sprint has partnered with Adaptive Motion Group (AMG) to introduce the “Mobi” self-driving robot – designed to charge electric buses, cars and industrial vehicles — to New York City beginning in the first half of 2019.
“We are thrilled to demonstrate just how an intelligent robot like Mobi will dramatically reduce CO2 emissions across New York City by making electric vehicle use more practical,” said Ivo Rook, senior vice president, IoT at Sprint. “AMG’s impressive self-driving and positioning will come alive through Sprint IoT technology and the next-generation Sprint 5G mobile network we are building – allowing it to travel to parked vehicles across the city. The current reality of vehicles taking turns at electric charging stations is just not efficient and slows the real-world adoption of EVs. We believe that this is the ultimate solution for a cleaner, healthier New York City.”
The robots are equipped with an efficient energy storage solution that uses solar energy cells and a lithium-ion battery by LG Electronics. They will use information from small 5G signal units mounted on street fixtures to enable accurate location navigation, which is known as micropositioning and will move to where they are needed using artificial intelligence, advanced Sprint Internet of Things (IoT) technology and the Sprint 5G mobile network (which is planned for early 2019).
“5G enabled micro-positioning will enable new applications from connected vehicles to augmented reality,” said David Bruemmer, CEO of AMG. “We are starting with parking lots, but smart parking will become smart roads and, eventually, smart cities.”
