In five US cities, an unusual employee has started working—a robot named Dax, designed to inspect sidewalks. The device quickly won the affection of locals, especially children, reports infohub.kz.
The small white robot, developed by an Oregon-based company, moves at pedestrian speed and scans sidewalks, recording slope, surface width, and any damage. The collected data is automatically transmitted to planners, allowing authorities to quickly determine which pedestrian areas need repairs first.
The new helper has already been deployed in Bangor, Hoboken, Hollister, Tyler, and Hilton Head. Working on scorching asphalt in summer is extremely hard for people, so automating the process has become an excellent solution. Moreover, quality sidewalks reduce the risk of pedestrians, cyclists, or children on scooters veering onto the roadway, directly helping to lower the number of road accidents.
Six such robots, about 90 centimeters tall, wear bright vests in Bangor and can inspect up to 10 kilometers of sidewalks per day. The unusual helper, resembling a character from the animated film WALL-E, has already won the hearts of locals. Children happily take photos with it, and city authorities encourage people to share pictures on social media.