Toy Story LX03 'To Autonomy and Beyond'

It’s not very often that we see a model toy become a real-life working machine, more often than not, its original full production machines that become much loved scale models, but just last week Volvo revealed its new fully-autonomous wheeled loader concept machine which was inspired by an earlier collaboration between Volvo CE and LEGO Technic engineers and designers.

In this instance Volvo CE and LEGO have flipped that concept on its head, by first creating the Technic model and then turning it into a real machine in the metal.

The LX03 is a remarkable piece of kit which according to Volvo has been designed to have the capability to make decisions, perform repetitive tasks, and can even interact with humans.

This machine represents both the next stage in Volvo CE's exploration into machine intelligence and its determination to decarbonize the construction industry. 

LEGO has come a long way since I played with it as a kid, I recall building two rather crude looking motor scrapers with it back in the day, which provided me with many hours of fun and building skills lessons.

This is the first time a LEGO Technic model has been transformed into a real machine. However, at this stage Volvo do not plan to make this machine commercially available. The LX03 will without doubt offer valuable insights for Volvo’s design team, which will potentially be applied into future applications coming down the line.

Check out the promotional video on the LX03 from Volvo Construction Equipment.

The road to autonomy is definitely on track for Volvo CE, and its looking like an interesting journey ahead.