My latest at Forbes:
Forget about self-driving cars on open roads; the real challenge for autonomous machines lies in navigating the chaotic, unpredictable dance of a crowded space. That’s the complex problem A&K Robotics claims to have cracked with their innovative Cruz pods, evidenced by an impressive $8 million CAD funding round and major deals with Vancouver International Airport and Madrid-based Aena. CEO Matthew Anderson boldly states: “If you can solve autonomous navigation through a crowded airport, you can solve autonomous navigation through almost anything.”
Their solution isn’t just about avoiding static obstacles, but mastering what Anderson calls “crowd-centric AI.” Each Cruz pod, designed to autonomously transport travelers with mobility challenges, deploys over 30 sensors to track thousands of variables per minute — understanding not just where people are, but how they’re moving and at what speed. Unlike typical robots that constantly yield, making them slow, A&K’s pods move with the crowd.
A genuinely clever innovation: directional audio aimed only at the specific person who needs to adjust, with auto-adjusting volume — so the traveler reading a book on the next bench hears nothing.
Built with sonar, 2D/3D LIDAR, IMUs, and heat sensors — and notably no GPS, by design — Cruz proves its capability in GPS-denied indoor environments and can even run fully offline using SLAM navigation. A&K mapped each site (about half a day per 500,000 square feet), so the pods know exactly where they’re allowed to go. With $8M raised and pilots at two major airport operators, the company is finally able to stop turning down pilot projects. My latest at Forbes.