UNIVERSAL CITY, Texas — Small robots will soon patrol selected sidewalk corridors in Universal City as part of the city’s effort to evaluate accessibility and support compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The city is partnering with Oregon-based Daxbot to collect detailed measurements along about 12 miles of high-priority sidewalks. The data will help officials create a record of pedestrian infrastructure and identify areas where improvements may be needed.
The robots will measure sidewalk width, running slopes and cross-slopes, curb-ramp geometry, surface conditions and other features that can affect accessibility.
The information will be mapped and analyzed to help engineers and planners prioritize future sidewalk projects.
The corridors included in the survey are Universal City Boulevard from Mount Helicon to Northlake Pass; Kitty Hawk Road from Lone Shadow Trail to Pat Booker Road; Old Cimarron Trail from Kitty Hawk Road to FM 1976; East Aviation Boulevard from Travis Drive to Aztec Way; and Athenian Drive from Forum Road to Phoenix Drive.
City officials said the robots may encounter pedestrians but will not collect data from those interactions.
A launch date has not been announced.