Hyundai’s charming autonomous robot can be everything from a golf trolley to an e-scooter – and it's going on sale soon

• The Mobile Eccentric Droid is going into production
• It is designed to operate indoors and on rugged outdoor terrain
• Hyundai promises automotive-grade engineering

No, this isn’t the star of Disney's latest animated movie – Hyundai has announced a fully-autonomous robotic platform that can be engineered for pretty much any use case, and it could be the answer to a lot of mobility problems.

The Mobile Eccentric Droid – or MobED for short – features a unique Eccentric Control Mechanism that allows all four wheels to swivel and articulate, blurring the boundaries of wheels and legs. It can even cock a wheel and give a little wave, like a well-trained dog.

Far from a gimmick, Hyundai says the mechanism stabilizes the platform by dynamically adjusting the posture, so it can effectively traverse small bumps and even clamber up a step.