Ford recruits two robot drivers for testing in its 'weather factory'

Ford is using two robotic test drivers – affectionately named Shelby and Miles – to trial its vehicles in extreme temperatures. The robots are conducting tests in environmental conditions that are too treacherous for any human worker to endure. Shelby and Miles can operate at temperatures ranging from -40 F to 176 F (-40 C to 80 C) as well as at extreme altitudes, Ford says. Their robotic legs extend to the accelerator, brake and clutch pedals, with one arm positioned to change gear and the other used to start and stop the engine. The tests are taking place at Ford's secretive'weather factory' in Cologne, Germany – a building the size of a football pitch that's dedicated to R&D work.