The term "driving robot" originates from the fields of automation, industry and Factory 4.0 as well as robots. Driving robots are special machines that can control vehicles - without any human intervention. They are mainly used in test environments, for example in the automotive industry to test new cars or safety systems.
A driving robot can turn a steering wheel, accelerate, brake and shift gears just like a human. The big advantage: it always works smoothly, repeats sequences exactly and does not make mistakes due to fatigue or distraction. This makes the results of vehicle tests much more reliable and comparable.
An illustrative example: a car manufacturer is developing a new brake assistant. To test its effectiveness, a driving robot steers the car towards an obstacle hundreds of times at an identical speed and with exactly the same braking manoeuvre. This makes it possible to measure exactly how quickly and safely the system works.
Driving robots are therefore an important component in making vehicles even safer - and make automation in industry tangible.