Jonathan Hurst has a PhD in robotics from Carnegie Melon University. He teaches robotics at Oregon State University in nearby Corvallis and founded Agility Robotics years ago. Early versions of his machines were just two legs, getting them to move correctly and sense steps or a slope, took years to get right. Then arms were added.

“The robot can now lift a 40 pound package. It can catch itself when it falls and reorient to get back up,” Hurst said.

Now, things are significantly ramping up at Agility. Our insatiable demand for online shopping is the fuel. Market pressure is huge to get that stuff to you fast and free. But the cost to pay and insure drivers is even bigger. There are at least 16 U.S. companies working on driverless fleets that would drop costs dramatically.
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