RGo Robotics, a company developing artificial perception technology that enables mobile robots to understand complex surroundings and operate autonomously, announced significant strategic updates. The announcements include leadership appointments, new customers and an upcoming product release.

RGo develops AI-powered technology for autonomous mobile robots, allowing them to achieve 3D, human-level perception. Its Perception Engine gives mobile robots the ability to understand complex surroundings and operate autonomously. It integrates with mobile robots to deliver centimeter-scale position accuracy in any environment. In Q2 2023, RGo said it will release the next iteration of its software that will include:

• An indoor-outdoor mode: a breakthrough capability for mobile robot navigation allows them to operate in all environments – both indoors and outdoors.
• A high-precision mode that enables millimeter-scale precision for docking and similar use cases.
• Control Center 2.0: a redesigned configuration and admin interface. This new version supports global map alignment, advanced exploration capabilities and new map-sharing utilities.

RGo separately announced support for NVIDIA Jetson Orin System-on-Modules that enables visual perception for a variety of mobile robot applications.

RGo will exhibit its technology at LogiMAT 2023, Europe’s biggest annual intralogistics tradeshow, from April 25-27, in Stuttgart, Germany at Booth 6F59. The company will also sponsor and host a panel session “Unlocking New Applications for Mobile Robots” at the Robotics Summit and Expo in Boston from May 10-11.

Leadership announcements

RGO also announced four leadership appointments. This includes Yael Fainaro being named chief business officer and president; Mathieu Goy being named head of European sales; Yasuaki Mori being named executive consultant, APAC market development; and Amy Villeneuve as a member of the board of directors.

“It is exciting to have reached this important milestone. The new additions to our leadership team underpin our evolution from a technology innovator to a scaling commercial business model including new geographies,” said Amir Bousani, CEO and co-founder, RGo Robotics.

Goy, based in Paris, and Mori, based in Tokyo, join with extensive sales experience in the European and APAC markets. RGo is establishing an initial presence in Japan this year with growth in South Korea planned for late 2023.

“RGo has achieved impressive product maturity and growth since exiting stealth mode last year,” said Fainaro. “The company’s vision-based localization capabilities are industrial-grade, extremely precise and ready today for even the most challenging environments. This, together with higher levels of 3D perception, brings tremendous value to the rapidly growing mobile robotics market. I’m looking forward to working with Amir and the team to continue growing RGo in the year ahead.”

Villeneuve joins RGo’s board of directors with leadership experience in the robotics industry, including her time as the former COO and president of Amazon Robotics. “I am very excited to join the team,” said Villeneuve. “RGo’s technology creates disruptive change in the industry. It reduces cost and adds capabilities to mobile robots in logistics, and enables completely new applications in emerging markets including last-mile delivery and service robotics.”

Customer traction

After comprehensive field trials in challenging indoor and outdoor environments, RGo continued its commercial momentum with new customers. The design wins are with market-leading robot OEMs across multiple vertical markets ranging from logistics and industrial autonomous mobile robots, forklifts, outdoor machinery and service robots.

Capra Robotics, an award-winning mobile robot manufacturer based in Denmark, selected RGo’s Perception Engine for its new Hircus mobile robot platform.

“RGo continues to develop game-changing navigation technology,” said Niels Juls Jacobsen, CEO of Capra and founder of Mobile Industrial Robots. “Traditional localization sensors either work indoors or outdoors – but not both. Combining both capabilities into a low-cost, compact and robust system is a key aspect of our strategy to deliver mobile robotics solutions to the untapped ‘interlogistics’ market.”

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Yaskawa’s Pallet Builder extension (left) and a Yaskawa robot using the company’s new MotoPick 4 software (right). | Source: Yaskawa

Yaskawa released its MotoPick 4 software system that adds no-code capabilities for high-speed pick and place. The company is also expanding its Smart Pendant’s capability with its new Pallet Builder extension. 

With the building blocks to create systems for up to 16 robots and up to 6 conveyors or 16 tables per robot, the Yaskawa MotoPick 4 software can synchronize multiple robots equipped with vision to pick fast-moving products off a conveyor and place them on an outfeed device, tray or box in an organized arrangement.
 
MotoPick 4 provides precise control and coordination for conveyor speed, accommodating tracking speeds up to 1 M/sec. If the advancement of either the infeed or outfeed conveyor falls behind, the software can be configured with an area that slows or stops conveyors until the operation is equalized. Additionally, the software features a pause function that allows for the system to be paused and later resumed without losing track of item positions.
 
Dynamic load balancing for single or multiple robot systems is accommodated. The ability to asynchronously pick up to four parts with multiple placements per cycle is also offered, with up to 32 different product types to be easily picked and sorted. The gripper is allowed up to eight zones.
 
Supporting multiple encoders and cameras, a robot interface board reduces the integration wiring and panel real estate required for multiple robot cells. Cameras are supported based on conveyor width, workpiece size, target accuracy, production volume and conveyor speed, and they do not need to be aligned in a pre-defined way.
 
Multi-layer tray support allows multiple-layer pattern picking or placing with trays. MotoPick 4 is compatible with the FS100 and YRC1000micro controllers, as well as the MLX300 controller software solution.

Pallet Builder

Expanding the Smart Pendant capability, Pallet Builder enables the development and deployment of palletizing cells. Designed for single pick-and-place tasks, this user interface uses a robust database and guided prompts to facilitate no-code programming for work cell configuration and pallet pattern setup.
 
Designed for small- to medium-sized enterprises with high-mix, low-to-medium-volume production that may have insufficient access to experienced robot programmers, Pallet Builder provides general functions for cell definition, gripper definition, and single pick and place jobs. Multiple infeeds, build stations and dispenser stations (for slip sheet separators) support up to eight combined stations.
 
Job editing is available for specific system requirements. Pallet Builder can accommodate a variety of grippers and end-of-arm tooling and adjusts for product variation. Capable software includes multiple automatic pattern styles as well as full custom pattern support. Single drop positions with selectable label orientation are also available.
 
Compatible with the YRC1000 and YRC1000 micro controllers, Pattern Builder is available as a complimentary download for use with GP-series and HC-series robots. Smart Pendant V3.0 or newer is required.

Yaskawa Motoman launched its newest robot in the PL-series line, the PL800, in October 2022. This industrial robot features an 800 kg (2,140 lb) payload capacity and is designed for a variety of palletizing applications, layer picking, and other logistical tasks for end-of-line or distribution automation.

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Times Microwave Systems, a leading brand in innovative RF and microwave interconnect assemblies, cables, and connectors, released its XtendedFlex 178 continuous flex coaxial cable. Designed for plastic cable drag chains, the XF-178 cable is built for applications requiring constant motion and flexibility, such as robotics and industrial automation technologies in large distribution centers.

Constructed with a unique combination of materials, including a stranded silver-plated copper-clad steel center conductor, FEP dielectric, tin-plated copper braid, and a rubber jacket, the cable is both flexible and durable to survive the rigors of millions of flexures. Here is a datasheet (PDF) about the new cable.

Additionally, Times Microwave Systems’ performance testing has proven the XtendedFlex 178’s reliability. Using a rolling flex tester robot, the cable was subjected to one million flexes and maintained low insertion loss and VSWR specifications while preserving mechanical flexibility. The cable continued to perform well even after five million flexes.

“The XF-178 combines flexibility and performance, making it a highly reliable option for industrial automation applications,” said Kevin Moyher, product manager, Times Microwave Systems. “This new product builds on our unparalleled legacy of designing, manufacturing, and testing high-performance coaxial cable assemblies for ultra-demanding applications, including aerospace, medical, military and defense, space, and more, to enable new technological innovations.”

The XtendedFlex 178 is the first cable introduction in the new XtendedFlex product line. As the industrial automation landscape continues to grow and become increasingly sophisticated, the XtendedFlex family will evolve to help support a wide range of industrial automation applications, including autonomous vehicles such as skid loaders, as well as unmanned technologies such as electric vertical takeoff vehicles, drones, and more.

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What is the best architectural approach to use when developing medical robots? Is it ROS, ROS 2 or other open-source or commercial frameworks? The upcoming Robotics Summit & Expo (May 10-11 in Boston) will explore engineering questions concerning the level of concern, risk, design controls, and evidence on a couple of different applications of these frameworks.

In a session on May 10 from 2-2:45 PM, Tom Amlicke, Software Systems Engineer, MedAcuity will discuss the “Keys to Using ROS 2 and Other Frameworks for Medical Robots.” Amlicke will look at three hypothetical robotic systems and explore these approaches:

• 1. An application based on the da Vinci Research Kit through regulatory clearance
• 2. ROS as test tools to verify the software requirements for a visual guidance system
• 3. Commercial off-the-shelve robot arm used for a medical application

If you attend his session, you will also learn how to create trade-offs with these different architectural approaches and how to validate the intended uses of these architectural approaches to ensure a successful submission package for your FDA, EMA, or other regulatory approval.

Amlicke has 20-plus years of embedded and application-level development experience. He designs and deploys enterprise, embedded, and mobile solutions on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Linux/UNIX platforms using a variety of languages including C++. Amlicke takes a lead role on complex robotics projects, overseeing end-to-end development of ROS-based mobile robots and surgical robots.

You can find the full agenda for the Robotics Summit here. The Robotics Summit & Expo is the premier event for commercial robotics developers. There will be nearly 70 industry-leading speakers sharing their development expertise on stage during the conference, with 150-plus exhibitors on the showfloor showcasing their latest enabling technologies, products and services that help develop commercial robots. There also will be a career fair, networking opportunities and more. 

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The ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) Institute is pleased to announce that Dr. Larry Sweet has joined the organization as Director of Engineering. In this role, Larry will be responsible for developing and managing the Institute’s engineering activities, including all aspects of sourcing, securing, and directing a portfolio of engineering projects while growing and maturing the engineering team. He will accelerate the transition of the ARM Institute’s advanced robotic manufacturing technologies to industry through collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to expand partnerships, secure funding, and support members.

This responsibility includes supporting the technical services for small and medium-sized businesses, currently being developed with funding from the EDA Build Back Better Regional Challenge Grant awarded to the ARM Institute in September 2022 as well as accelerating our work in the deployment of AI in robotics for manufacturing.

Larry is a widely recognized robotics and automation expert, working in both commercial organizations and academia. He provides experience in bringing emerging technologies into production by increasing their Technology Readiness Level (TRL), concurrent with improvements in factory floor processes and workforce skills. Prior to joining the ARM Institute, Larry was the Director of Worldwide Robotics Deployment at Amazon Robotics, where he led the system integration and deployment for all internally developed automation globally into Amazon Fulfillment, Ground and Air, and Last Mile networks.

Larry also held executive and senior manufacturing and technology roles at Symbotic, the Frito-Lay Division of PepsiCo, United Technologies, ABB, Fanuc, and General Electric. Industry recognition for robotics developed under his leadership includes 27 patents, the Edison and IR-100 Awards, and the Manufacturing Leadership Council Outstanding Achiever Award for Supply Chain Excellence.

Larry was a professor of the practice in robotics and associate director of technology transition at the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines at Georgia Institute of Technology, where he focused on technology transition to major industrial sponsors.

Larry received his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees from MIT, and a B.S from the University of California, Berkeley. He was a tenured faculty member at Princeton University, where he received a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, the Rheinstein Outstanding Faculty Award, and the ASME Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control “Best Paper of Year” award with his courses twice recognized as the “Ten Best” at Princeton.

“We are delighted that Larry Sweet has joined the ARM Institute to direct and grow our robotics engineering capabilities”, said Chuck Brandt, ARM Institute Chief Technology Officer. “His expertise across a broad spectrum of robotics manufacturing applications and solutions will be invaluable to our consortium members, projects, and future opportunities.”

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All of the new tooling solutions are compatible with cobots that have an ISO 9409-1-50-4-M6 end-of-arm mounting pattern. Blank robots and tool plates are offered for those who wish to use their own mounting patterns.

Destaco highlighted its Microtool End Effectors, which it said enable cobots to perform palletizing functions. Users that know the length, width and weight of the packages to be lifted and transferred can select the palletizing kit type and pre-determined vacuum cup size necessary for the application, eliminating tool design work with off-the-shelf kits.

Destaco’s other cobot tooling solutions include:

CB-200 Quick-Move Base: Allows the cobot to be moved from one workstation to another without the need to reprogram the robot.

ARV-C Vacuum Gripper: Can pick up and move product via one airline with an auto-release vacuum generator; available in nine sizes and shapes.

MG Magnet Gripper: Allows the picking of ferrous material or components with one pneumatically actuated airline; available in two sizes.

MultiMount Tool Array: Mounts up to five different tools to the cobot wrist via various tool mounting plates and multiple extension lengths.

MultiMount Machine Tending: Can accommodate two grippers or two tools for use in work-piece exchange applications within CNC machining centers; features Blank, ISO-9409-50 and DirectConnect mounting plates.

MultiMount Tool Extension: Extends the reach of the cobot arm; a variety of tool plates and multiple extension lengths are available.

MicroTool Palletizing: Off-the-shelf kits to handle boxes from 160 to 750mm widths and 260 to 900mm lengths weighing less than 10 kg.

TC1 Manual Tool Changer: Allows the user to change cobot tools quickly and repeatedly and offers electric and air pass-through capabilities.

Tool Storage Tree: Securely stores and organizes up to six cobot tools safely and securely; fully adjustable with three different tree heights.

“Small payload robots are commonly found in larger industrial manufacturing facilities, but the low-cost entry into robotic automation has recently resulted in significant growth in their use across small, light industrial and commercial shops,” said Gary Labadie, global product director, Destaco. “Small payload robots are now a focus and a solution for both large and small facilities coping with the economic climate.”

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Collaborative robots (cobots) are one of the fastest-growing types of industrial robotics. The cobot market is moving so fast it is often difficult for current and potential end-users to keep up with the latest developments.

Collaborative Robotics Training Days is here to help. The educational series will provide a snapshot of the current state of the sector, including new capabilities, powerful enabling technologies, and real-world case studies about emerging and established cobot applications. Hearing from some of the best minds in the market, attendees will learn how to select, program, deploy, and manage collaborative robots.

A detailed agenda can be found below. Again, interested attendees can register here for free.

Collaborative Robots and Intelligent Motion Control
Speaker: Prabh Gowrisankaran, VP of Engineering & Strategy, Performance Motion Devices
March 29 at 2 PM Eastern

This session will focus on servo actuators that function as end effectors. Understanding their capabilities and properties will help ensure that your next application delivers the goods without dropping the ball.

10 Point Checklist to Benchmark Your Cobot Supplier
Speaker: Joe Campbell, Head of Strategic Marketing, Universal Robots
April 5 at 2 PM Eastern

Collaborative robots make up the fastest-growing segment of the robotics industry, thanks to their affordability and fast deployment compared to traditional robots. But not all manufacturing processes have the same outlook for cobot automation, and not all cobot suppliers are created equal.

6-Axis, SCARA or Collaborative: How to Pick the Right Robot
Speaker: Patrick Varley, Product Marketing Manager (Mechatronics), Mitsubishi Electric Automation
April 12 at 2 PM Eastern

There is a great deal of “noise” in the robotics community, as well as in the business and investment press. This results in increased risk, missed opportunities, and confusion among all members of the collaborative robotics value chain. The problem is especially acute during the selection process for collaborative robotics systems.

Palletizing and Depalletizing Using Collaborative Robots
April 25 at 2 PM Eastern

Palletizing and depalletizing are two of the most common processes in material handling. Collaborative robotics systems have proven to be very adept for palletizing and depalletizing work, protecting workers from repetitive motion injuries and reducing costs in the process.

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Celera Motion, a business unit of Novanta Inc., launched its Summit Designer tool that delivers standard market-ready printed circuit board (PCB) designs for robotic applications.

Celera Motion, headquartered in Bedford, Mass., is a provider of motion-control components and subsystems for OEMs serving a variety of medical and advanced industrial markets. Celera Motion said it offers precision encoders, motors and customized mechatronic solutions. Celera Motion will be exhibiting in booth 335 of the Robotics Summit & Expo, the world’s premier commercial robotics development event that takes place May 10-11 in Boston.

Summit Designer is an open-source PCB design library featuring a diverse and vast offering of market-ready application-specific PCBs that are designed, supported and updated by experts. It is a new way to develop compact robot joints, multi-axis mobile robotics systems, industrial end-effectors and surgical robots, among many others.

“Summit Designer allows developers to create an ideal application using tested and proven PCB Designs,” said Marc Vila, director of strategy and business development, Celera Motion. “This ingenious new platform cuts development time, decreases the chances of error and reduces prototype iterations. That’s more important than ever as markets evolve faster and grow more competitive. Unexpected delays can be catastrophic to projects.”

According to Celera Motion, every design is open-source and consists of a fully customizable and fully documented Altium project. Users only have to choose and add their desired modules to create a fully functional servo drive design for a market-ready robot. The options are designed to satisfy the most common requirements, such as
type of connectors, communication protocols, safety functions and motor and encoder specifications. Users then receive a fully scalable and modular download file, ready to edit at their convenience. Experts are available to answer questions and guide users.

Celera Motion said the entire process takes five steps:

• 1. Bring an idea for a new motion control application to the Summit Designer website
• 2. Check the PCB designs there to find the one that fits your needs
• 3. Customize it with our in-depth application guide
• 4. Talk to our experts and get support whenever needed
• 5. Plug into a Summit Drive and go to market

“Summit Designer was developed by top experts in motion control applications and robotics,” Vila said. “Our goal was to make the process as simple, flexible and seamless as possible. Each project allows for high customization and provides all the necessary tools in a single download.”

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Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation (Sarcos), a company working to design, develop and manufacture advanced robotic systems that redefine human possibilities, is collaborating with Jabil Inc., a manufacturing solutions provider, to expand Sarcos’ production capacity for its robotic systems and sub-systems.

Under the terms of the agreement, Sarcos will utilize Jabil’s broad manufacturing services to produce a variety of leading-edge robotic systems and sub-systems. The company also will be able to leverage Jabil’s global footprint, strategic supplier relationships, and state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities to accelerate volume production while benefiting from advanced supply chain, procurement, and component-sourcing solutions.

“We expect that our relationship with Jabil will advance Sarcos’ manufacturing capabilities tremendously, helping to augment our overall production capacity and enabling us to scale much faster than we could without their support,” Kiva Allgood, president and CEO of the company, said. “We are excited to work with a proven manufacturing services leader that has a long-standing record of success and an established global network of vendors and partners as we begin delivering our robotic systems to our customers.”

Sarcos expects to increase the production of its commercial robotics technologies throughout 2023, with manufacturing and assembly occurring at a combination of the company’s facilities in Salt Lake City and Pittsburgh, as well as Jabil’s San Jose, California-based production site. Sarcos anticipates that Jabil will primarily produce sub-systems for its commercial products this year, particularly the Guardian XT dexterous robotic system and may also include the Guardian XM intelligent robotic system and Guardian Sea Class Robotic System. Final system assembly is expected to take place at Sarcos facilities.

“Jabil is pleased to provide our value-added manufacturing services, which we are confident will expand Sarcos’ overall production capacity in a highly cost-effective and efficient manner,” Craig Trotter, vice president of the capital equipment business unit at Jabil, said. “Our deep expertise in materials science, mechanical assembly, and human-machine interfaces, along with final assembly and test, will prove pivotal in accelerating world-class production of Sarcos’ industry-leading robotic systems and sub-systems.”

Earlier this month, Sarcos announced that it successfully completed the final validation of its Outdoor Autonomous Manipulation of Photovoltaic Panels (O-AMPP) project. 

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Data science-driven platform seamlessly orchestrates large fleets of multiple robot form factors in very large warehouses to deliver predictable, efficient, and scalable productivity results. | Credit: Locus Robotics

Locus Robotics announces LocusONE, a seamless warehouse management solution that enables the operation and management of large quantities of multiple AMR form factors as a single, coordinated fleet in all sizes of warehouses. LocusONE uses proprietary data science to support the full breadth of material movement needs in today’s fulfillment and distribution warehouses.

“LocusONE makes it easy to deploy and manage large numbers of AMRs — and multiple form factors — within very large warehouses to work together as a single, orchestrated fleet,” said Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics. “Based on Locus’s proprietary data science engine, LocusONE enables operators to gain the flexibility and critical business intelligence needed to efficiently handle material payloads from 3 ounces to 3,000 pounds.”

The LocusONE platform supports a thousand or more robots, operating in sites as large as one million square feet or more, executing multiple use cases simultaneously in a single, intelligent, and orchestrated solution. With LocusONE, LocusBots engage in various tasks — including each picking and putaway, case picking and putaway, replenishment, pallet building, routine routes, point-to-point transport, counting, and more — within a single warehouse. The data science behind the scenes optimizes the mix of tasks throughout the day to achieve optimal warehouse productivity.

LocusONE integrates with any WMS system to provide flexible and dynamic fleet management and enables easy deployment of a mix of Locus Origin, Vector, and Max AMRs tailored to meet each warehouse’s specific needs. Regular enhancements are released as over-the-air updates to Locus’s installed base of more than 250 customer sites.

“Locus lets DHL Supply Chain deploy the right bot for our customers’ varied needs, all centrally coordinated and managed on one platform. With Locus’s powerful data science strategy, delivered through the LocusView dashboards, LocusONE plays an important role in providing the key business intelligence insight we need to optimize operational efficiency and improve service quality for our customers,” said Sally Miller, CIO North America & DSC Digital Transformation Officer of DHL Supply Chain North America. “Partnering with Locus has helped us deliver on our commitment to continuous innovation and digital transformation across the entire supply chain”.

Locus’s powerful data science foundation makes it possible to smoothly navigate hundreds – or even a thousand or more – bots in a single footprint as well as deliver predictive and actionable management guidance – in real time – to dramatically improve throughput across a multitude of use cases. LocusONE includes Locus’s award-winning LocusView package, which delivers data-driven, actionable insights across more than two dozen insightful reports and real-time dashboards, including labor guidance, predictive insights for work completion, operational comparisons against targets or time periods, order pool tracking and guidance, mission analysis and optimization, key performance visualization, and more.

LocusONE further extends Locus’s position as the industry’s AMR leader for automation and digitalization of warehouses, distribution, and fulfillment centers to efficiently meet increasing order volumes, labor shortages, and rising consumer expectations.

“As warehouses become increasingly complex, the ability to rely on a dependable data analytics strategy is essential to their smooth operation. Having the ability to deploy a flexible, seamless and proven AMR management platform to meet a broad range of use cases has become a must-have in the warehouse fulfillment industry,” said Ash Sharma, Senior Research Director at Interact Analysis. “This innovative platform demonstrates how critical multi-form factor interoperability is in today’s fulfillment warehouse and reflects Locus Robotics’ commitment to innovation, ease of use, and broad industry vision over the past few years.”

“LocusONE’s ability to integrate rapidly and efficiently with other automation technology – such as sortation or packaging systems – ensures that a nimble, scalable robotics solution can be easily deployed into both brownfield and greenfield environments,” noted Faulk.

“The LocusONE platform enables Kenco to create a seamless fulfillment experience that delivers enhanced productivity while improving employee morale and visibility. We rely on the LocusView dashboards to monitor progress and inform our labor management throughout the day,” said Kristi Montgomery, Vice President, Innovation, Research & Development Kenco Logistics. “LocusONE’s real-time insights allow us to delight our customers, and that’s what matters most to Kenco.”

LocusONE is available through the company’s all-inclusive, Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) business model. Locus Origin, Vector, and Max can be easily added to existing and new workflows, enabling operations to dynamically scale and adapt to changing market demands. In a study done by Peerless Research Group, nearly half of the respondents said they would prefer to buy their robotics solution as an entire integrated system that includes hardware, software, support, and maintenance.

Locus’s Recycle, Refurbish, and Repurpose initiative is designed to drive sustainability actively across all aspects of the business — from manufacturing and deployment to support and maintenance — at sites around the world. Locus is continually working to identify and implement best-practice strategies and tactics designed to reduce overall waste across all areas of our organization.

Locus will be showcasing LocusONE at Promat, Booth #S2303, the material handling industry’s premier event, running March 20-23 in Chicago, IL, where the Locus theme will be Vision, Intelligence, Results – emphasizing Locus’s commitment to delivering actionable intelligence in an innovative solution to drive results for customers. Locus will also host guests at the Locus Theater, featuring a lineup of informative industry speakers and presentations, discussions with Locus’s customers and partners, as well as showcasing live picking and putaway demos.

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Clearpath Robotics, a manufacturer of mobile robotics platforms for research and development, announced Husky Observer, a fully integrated system designed to accelerate inspection solutions. This new configuration of the Husky aims to enable robotics developers and technology groups to build their inspection solutions and fast-track their system development.

Built on Top of the Versatile Husky Base Platform

Husky UGV is a tried and tested base platform that is trusted by hundreds of robotics researchers and engineers worldwide. With its simple and rugged design, Husky UGV is built to endure all real-world terrain making it ideal for observation missions. Fully supported in ROS, the robot can program complex autonomous systems.

As a result of past successful integration projects, the Husky Observer has been designed to showcase the flexibility of the Husky UGV. Pre-installed with Clearpath’s OutdoorNav Autonomy Software, the Husky Observer is built for all types of outdoor autonomous missions including but not limited to equipment monitoring, remote virtual inspection and detailed unmanned data collection.

“For more than a decade we have helped our customers succeed in their robotics projects. We’re excited to showcase the Husky’s versatility as well as bring our experience and capabilities to remote inspection where our products can accelerate the industry,” Bryan Webb, President of Clearpath Robotics, said.

Husky Observer: Inspection Ready

The Husky Observer comes with a variety of sensors, allowing users to program points of interest and capture data for offline review. Below are data capture stills from our Robotic Observation Systems:

Outdoor Thermal Sensor Data

Indoor LiDAR Data on RViz

Layered Thermal Sensor Data for Leak Detection

The Husky Observer is pre-installed with Clearpath’s OutdoorNav Autonomy Software enabling developers to plan and execute missions with an easy-to-use web interface for autonomous navigation in outdoor environments. The web-based user interface also supports teleoperation mode, allowing users to control their vehicle remotely. OutdoorNav supports several inspection actions out of the box, such as audio, image and video capture, and optional thermal capture. It provides an interface for users to integrate their own custom actions. The integrated system comes with a full-featured ROS Application Programming Interface (API) allowing advanced users to extend the capabilities of the system with their own add-ons. 

The Husky Observer is best deployed by tech-savvy personnel for:

• Remote virtual inspection, data sampling and image capture of infrastructure, high-value assets and safety critical equipment on oil & gas rigs, electrical substations, nuclear facilities, and solar and wind farms
• Unmanned data collection, scanning and quality inspection of job sites
• Remote construction site and progress monitoring
• Autonomous patrolling and monitoring of outdoor private and secured facilities
• Environment observation, real-time image transmission and data capture
• Remote crop and soil monitoring in orchards, vineyards, and other light agricultural environments.

With Husky Observer, robotics developers can get their applications up and running quickly, without needing to worry about the low-level intricacies of autonomous navigation and sensor integration. Clearpath Robotics’ services team can also add and integrate sensors based on customer requests. 

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Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) today at ProMat introduced MiR Insights, a cloud-based software tool that enables fleet owners to track and analyze the operations of its autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). MiR said key features include data dashboards to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and heatmaps that track robot activity over both time and physical locations and to visualize areas with poor WiFi coverage and potential robot traffic bottlenecks.

MiR Insights is hosted on Microsoft Azure and is used in connection with MiR Fleet, MiR’s fleet management software. MiR Insights reads data from MiR Fleet but does not interfere with fleet operations or individual robot control, or adjust fleet settings. The data interface has options for data visualization as well as an API to port raw data for use in external systems.

MiR Insights will be available to customers in Q2 2023.

“MiR Insights provides robot fleet users a much better understanding of the robots’ performance and how they interact with their physical environment,” said Walter Vahey, president, MiR. “This knowledge will enable our users to continue to improve and expand their installations more rapidly and further increase their ROI.”

In late 2022, Teradyne merged its AMR subsidiaries AutoGuide Mobile Robots and MiR. This single supplier of AMRs is called Mobile Industrial Robots and is headquartered in Odense, Denmark, where MiR has managed its global operations since its launch in 2013. Prior to the merger, MiR offered a range of AMRs capable of carrying payloads and pallets up to 3,000 lb. (1350 kg). By combining with AutoGuide, the portfolio will expand to include high-payload AMR tuggers and forklifts that will operate on the MiRFleet software.

Then in early 2023, Søren E. Nielsen stepped down as president of MiR. Nielsen stepped into the role in August 2020, taking over the role from Thomas Visti Jensen. Nielsen was previously MiR’s chief technology officer since January 2018.

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MIT engineers developed a method to tailor any wireless network to handle a high load of time-sensitive data coming from multiple sources. | Credit: Christine Daniloff, MIT

How fresh are your data? For drones searching a disaster zone or robots inspecting a building, working with the freshest data is key to locating a survivor or reporting a potential hazard. But when multiple robots simultaneously relay time-sensitive information over a wireless network, a traffic jam of data can ensue. Any information that gets through is too stale to consider as a useful, real-time report.

Now, MIT engineers may have a solution. They’ve developed a method to tailor any wireless network to handle a high load of time-sensitive data coming from multiple sources. Their new approach, called WiSwarm, configures a wireless network to control the flow of information from multiple sources while ensuring the network is relaying the freshest data.

The team used their method to tweak a conventional Wi-Fi router, and showed that the tailored network could act like an efficient traffic cop, able to prioritize and relay the freshest data to keep multiple vehicle-tracking drones on task.

The team’s method, which they will present in May at IEEE’s International Conference on Computer Communications (INFOCOM), offers a practical way for multiple robots to communicate over available Wi-Fi networks so they don’t have to carry bulky and expensive communications and processing hardware onboard.

Last in line

The team’s approach departs from the typical way in which robots are designed to communicate data.

“What happens in most standard networking protocols is an approach of first come, first served,” said MIT author Vishrant Tripathi. “A video frame comes in, you process it. Another comes in, you process it. But if your task is time-sensitive, such as trying to detect where a moving object is, then all the old video frames are useless. What you want is the newest video frame.”

In theory, an alternative approach of “last in, first out” could help keep data fresh. The concept is similar to a chef putting out entreés one by one as they are hot off the line. If you want the freshest plate, you’d want the last one that joined the queue. The same goes for data, if what you care about is the “age of information,” or the most up-to-date data.

“Age-of-information is a new metric for information freshness that considers latency from the perspective of the application,” said Eytan Modiano of the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS). “For example, the freshness of information is important for an autonomous vehicle that relies on various sensor inputs. A sensor that measures the proximity to obstacles in order to avoid collision requires fresher information than a sensor measuring fuel levels.”

The team looked to prioritize age-of information, by incorporating a “last in, first out” protocol for multiple robots working together on time-sensitive tasks. They aimed to do so over conventional wireless networks, as Wi-Fi is pervasive and doesn’t require bulky onboard communication hardware to access.

However, wireless networks come with a big drawback: They are distributed in nature and do not prioritize receiving data from any one source. A wireless channel can then quickly clog up when multiple sources simultaneously send data. Even with a “last in, first out” protocol, data collisions would occur. In a time-sensitive exercise, the system would break down.

Data priority

As a solution, the team developed WiSwarm — a scheduling algorithm that can be run on a centralized computer and paired with any wireless network to manage multiple data streams and prioritize the freshest data.

Rather than attempting to take in every data packet from every source at every moment in time, the algorithm determines which source in a network should send data next. That source (a drone or robot) would then observe a “last in, first out” protocol to send their freshest piece of data through the wireless network to a central processor.

The algorithm determines which source should relay data next by assessing three parameters: a drone’s general weight, or priority (for instance, a drone that is tracking a fast vehicle might have to update more frequently, and therefore would have higher priority over a drone tracking a slower vehicle); a drone’s age of information, or how long it’s been since a drone has sent an update; and a drone’s channel reliability, or likelihood of successfully transmitting data.

By multiplying these three parameters for each drone at any given time, the algorithm can schedule drones to report updates through a wireless network one at a time, without clogging the system, and in a way that provides the freshest data for successfully carrying out a time-sensitive task.

The team tested out their algorithm with multiple mobility-tracking drones. They outfitted flying drones with a small camera and a basic Wi-Fi-enabled computer chip, which it used to continuously relay images to a central computer rather than using a bulky, onboard computing system. They programmed the drones to fly over and follow small vehicles moving randomly on the ground.

When the team paired the network with its algorithm, the computer was able to receive the freshest images from the most relevant drones, which it used to then send commands back to the drones to keep them on the vehicle’s track.

When the researchers ran experiments with two drones, the method was able to relay data that was two times fresher, which resulted in six times better tracking, compared to when the two drones carried out the same experiment with Wi-Fi alone. When they expanded the system to five drones and five ground vehicles, Wi-Fi alone could not accommodate the heavier data traffic, and the drones quickly lost track of the ground vehicles. With WiSwarm, the network was better equipped and enabled all drones to keep tracking their respective vehicles.

“Ours is the first work to show that age-of-information can work for real robotics applications,” said MIT author Ezra Tal.

In the near future, cheap and nimble drones could work together and communicate over wireless networks to accomplish tasks such as inspecting buildings, agricultural fields, and wind and solar farms. Farther in the future, he sees the approach being essential for managing data streaming throughout smart cities.

“Imagine self-driving cars come to an intersection that has a sensor that sees something around the corner,” said MIT’s Sertac Karaman. “Which car should get that data first? It’s a problem where timing and freshness of data matters.”

Editor’s Note: This article was republished from MIT News.

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Business-to-business publisher WTWH Media, the parent company of The Robot Report, announced MassRobotics will serve as the exclusive Strategic Partner for the Robotics Summit & Expo to be held on May 10-11 in Boston. In that role, MassRobotics will provide strategic guidance and act as a liaison to MassRobotics’ global community, including partners, sponsors, startup residents, and the robotics community at large.

As a resource to the event and its participants, MassRobotics will deliver insights into emerging areas of robotics, the needs of robotics startups – especially around components and technical requirements, topical subject matter for Robotics Summit presenters to address, industry connections, and more.

MassRobotics Activities 

At the Robotics Summit & Expo, MassRobotics will once again showcase dozens of startups in its Resident Startup Alley, which gives attendees an opportunity to explore innovative, emerging ideas and technology in the robotics industry. 

Reinforcing its commitment to robotics for healthcare, MassRobotics will feature startups participating in its most recent Healthcare Robotics Catalyst Program and will host a session highlighting MassRobotics Healthcare Robotics Catalyst program participants with enabling technology pitches.  

The expo floor will include an area for the MassRobotics Form & Function Robotics Challenge where university teams will showcase their projects, highlighting technologies from many MassRobotics partner companies. A first prize of $25K for the challenge will be announced on day two of the conference, along with $5K for second- and third-place challenge finishers. Attendees will also have the opportunity to participate by voting for an “Audience Choice Award” that will provide $5K to the selected team. 

At the conclusion of the Summit, MassRobotics will host a Technical Career Fair with more than 20 hiring companies. Job seekers who register to attend the career fair are offered complimentary expo passes for the second day of the conference.

“MassRobotics represents robotics startups from around the globe and we’re excited to once again support the Robotics Summit & Expo as the exclusive Strategic Partner,” said Tom Ryden, Executive Director, MassRobotics. “Boston is a leading international robotics innovation cluster, and as such the Robotics Summit presents the perfect opportunity for technical and business professionals from around the world to share knowledge, experience and insights with the goal of driving robotics technology development and innovation forward.”

MassRobotics is helping to create and scale the next generation of successful robotics and connected devices companies by providing entrepreneurs and innovative robotics startups with the workspace and resources they need to develop, prototype, test, and commercialize their products and solutions. MassRobotics is currently leading a cluster of the highest concentration of robotics companies in the world with approximately 400 companies, 70+ resident startups, and 40 strategic partners. The organization’s unique model allows startups to get established, grow, scale, and provide meaningful employment for the future workforce and to provide ongoing value for MassRobotics’s partner organizations. 

The Robotics Summit & Expo is focused on the technical issues involved with the design, development and scalability of commercial robots. The Summit brings together the brightest minds in robotics throughout the world to share their expertise on a variety of topics, including enabling technologies, design and development tools and techniques, manufacturability and more.

“The success of the Robotics Summit & Expo clearly demonstrates the need for a world-class, technical conference specifically designed for those developing commercial-class robotics systems,” said Steve Crowe, Executive Editor, Robotics, WTWH Media and Chair of the Robotics Summit & Expo. “Working in partnership with MassRobotics, we are bringing together in one place and at one time the leading companies and brightest minds developing the next generation of robotics systems and services.”

The Robotics Summit & Expo is a brand extension of The Robot Report, an online resource focused on gathering industry news and exploring the business and applications of robotics. The expo portion of the Robotics Summit will offer attendees hands-on access to the latest design and development solutions from 100+ companies, while the Robotics Summit conference program will provide technical professionals with the information they need to successfully develop and deploy the next generation of commercial class robotics systems and services.

Co-Located Events

The Robotics Summit & Expo will be co-located with the Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum, a conference focused on easing and speeding the development of commercial healthcare robots. Also co-located with the Robotics Summit is DeviceTalks Boston, the premier industry event for medical technology professionals, currently in its ninth year. Both events attract engineering and business professionals from a broad range of healthcare and medical technology backgrounds.

For information about Robotics Summit & Expo 2023 sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, download the prospectus and/or contact Colleen Sepich at csepich@wtwhmedia.com

About MassRobotics

MassRobotics is a nonprofit robotics innovation hub, accelerator and incubator. The result of collaborative work among engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs with a shared vision to create a strong, vibrant robotics ecosystem, MassRobotics is headquartered in Boston and reaching and supporting robotics innovation globally. MassRobotics’ mission is to help create and scale the next generation of successful robotics technology and connected devices companies by providing innovative entrepreneurs and startups with the workspace and resources they need to develop, prototype, test and commercialize their products and solutions. See massrobotics.org for details.

About WTWH Media

WTWH Media is an integrated media company serving engineering, business and investment professionals through 50+ websites, 5 print publications, along with many other technical and business events. WTWH’s Robotics Group produces The Robot Report, Robotics Business Review, Collaborative Robotics Trends and Mobile Robot Guide, online technical, business and investment news and information portals focused on robotics and intelligent systems. WTWH Media also produces leading in-person robotics conferences including the Robotics Summit & Expo, RoboBusiness and the Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum. See www.wtwhmedia.com for more information.

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CaPow, a perpetual power solution provider, announced it raised a $7.5 million Seed round to scale up the commercialization of its battery-free, wireless, energy delivery eco-system for autonomous robotics. This solution provides continuous power for automated robotic environments while eliminating robot downtime due to charging. The round was led by IL Ventures, a VC fund focused on disruptive technologies for legacy industries, with co-investment from Mobilion VC, Payton Planar Magnetics, Doral Energy-Tech Ventures, Mobilitech Capital, and Mr. Ray Nissan, a prominent angel investor.

Today, many automated solutions rely on batteries for power supply. This dependency leads to several inherent inefficiencies such as charging downtime and rampant costs due to the need for additional robots to replace the ones that are being charged. Moreover, traditional batteries have a negative environmental impact, as they create safety hazards and are an operational “headache” since they require a dedicated procurement strategy, special shipping, handling, storage and recycling.

CaPow addresses the primary bottleneck for automation: the challenge of providing reliable, cost-effective, and non-pollutive energy. By offering consistent power flow for mobile robots, CaPow’s energy delivery eco-system allows automated robotic solutions to continuously operate with no energy depletion downtime while ending the concept of reliance on legacy batteries. CaPow’s “battery-free”, paradigm-shifting solution is being well received along the logistics value chain, as it is validated to cut down the size of the required robot fleet, enhance throughput and improve the ROI of automation.

Robotics Summit (May 10-11) returns to Boston

Register Today

CaPow’s proprietary solution facilitates optimal power transfer with wide and dynamic capabilities. It accommodates multiple users, as well as the presence of metal and debris in and around the energy transfer field. In addition, it supports large distances between the transmitting and receiving ends, as well as wide spatial coverage. This provides substantial power levels with optimal end-to-end efficiency. The value of CaPow’s technology further expands to the wider mobility market with a wide range of applications. 

Mr. Amir Fishelov joins CaPow’s Board of Directors as Chairman of the Board, leveraging his two decades of experience as Co-Founder of SolarEdge (Nasdaq: SEDG), a pioneer and global leader in smart energy technology. At SolarEdge, a $17B company, Mr. Fishelov served as Chief Architect as well as VP of Strategy and Corporate Development, leading large-scale and complex energy management projects.

“With the backing of our investors and strategic partners, CaPow is challenging robot manufacturers, automation solution providers, and facility operators to change their definition of operational efficiency”, says Prof. Mor Peretz, Co-Founder & CEO at CaPow. “We look forward to accelerating our product development to meet strong market demand for our innovative and proven technology. The company will use the proceeds from the investment round to expedite business growth in markets around the world.”

“At IL Ventures, we align closely with CaPow’s mission of creating a sustainable, battery-free power supply for the industry,” says Yoni Heilbronn, Managing Partner at IL Ventures. “We are excited to invest in an exceptional and proven technology, which is a game changer for the entire robotic power landscape.”

“I am very proud BGN Technologies took part in bringing CaPow’s revolutionary technology to the market,” says Zafrir Levi, VP Exact Sciences at BGN, the commercialization arm of the Ben-Gurion University. “We wholeheartedly believe in CaPow’s Perpetual Power solution, and this investment is proof of the company’s superior technology and for the massive potential for disrupting the industry in which it operates”.

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