TrainMate Robotic System Making Public Transportation, Public!

The use of robotic assistance in public transportation has been a critical research topic for improving accessibility to transportation for people with disabilities.

TRB's Transit IDEA Program Final Report 100: TrainMate Robotic System Making Public Transportation, Public! details the conceptual TrainMate robotic system, designed to be a cost-effective, ADA-compliant train-station assistant robot for helping passengers with mobility disabilities independently board and deboard trains at non-accessible, street-level train stations.

The final simulation results indicated a 350 percent increase in efficiency in boarding or deboarding a passenger using a mobility device compared to the average time taken by train-station staff.