Cyngn, Advantech, and Orbbec Enhance AMR Solutions for Outdoor Applications

Autonomous robotic solutions specialist Cyngn has adapted its autonomous mobile robot (AMR) technology to move between facility storage zones in both indoor and outdoor environments. Advantech, a developer of industrial edge computing and automated solutions, and Orbbec, a developer of AI-enabled 3D vision technology, have also made strides toward AMRs in indoor and outdoor conditions. The two companies have collaborated to combine enhanced machine vision and edge AI computing technologies to advance AMR mobility and perception. 

Cyngn has adapted its DriveMod Tugger to run autonomous transportation of materials/goods outdoors between manufacturing site storage facilities. Image used courtesy of Cyngn 

Cyngn’s Autonomous DriveMod Tugger

Cyngn’s DriveMod Tugger AMR incorporates a 360° LiDAR system that sends out laser pulses from emitters into the environment that interact with the surroundings. The laser pulses reflect off objects, which feed back to sensors on the AMR to provide spatial positioning of nearby objects. In this way, the AMR uses LiDAR to navigate its surroundings with an awareness of objects in its path so it can take the right path to avoid them and maintain operational efficiency and worker safety.

Alongside LiDAR technology, the DriveMod system incorporates a virtual bumper for added collision avoidance. Another benefit of the DriveMod system is that no additional infrastructure or navigational equipment (such as magnetic tape) is required for installation, speeding up deployment. 

The DriveMod Tugger incorporates time-of-flight (ToF) and red, green, and blue (RGB) depth perception cameras, emergency stopping brakes, and color-coded LEDs to communicate machine status and intent to operators. The AMR has a tugging capacity of 12,000 and 20,000 lbs, depending on the model.

Indoor/Outdoor Operation

Recently, Cyngn announced its intention to expand the capacity of its DriveMod system to allow outdoor and indoor operation. Customers can now use the DriveMod Tugger to transport materials and products within and between storage facilities on manufacturing and warehousing sites. Moving the autonomous movement of goods outside frees employees to undertake more high-value tasks and saves on production, order fulfillment, and supply times. This adaptive move aims to alleviate a key pain point for warehouse managers and manufacturers and bring Cyngn to the forefront of new market segments.

A schematic depicting an AMR combining Orbbec’s advanced machine vision and Advantech’s edge AI technology. Image used courtesy of Advantech 

Advantech and Orbbec Collaboration

The Advantech-Orbbec collaboration will see Advantech leverage Orbbec’s 3D vision technology along with the NVIDIA Isaac Perceptor library to provide customers with custom, vision-enhanced AMR solutions. Isaac Perceptor is built upon the open-source Robot Operating System 2 (ROS 2) software and enables fine-tuning of AI-based AMR solutions. With NVIDIA’s technology, robotic solution developers can benefit from 3D occupancy mapping in real-time, advanced stereo-visual odometry, and deep neural network-based depth perception.

Advantech’s MIC-733-AO is now compatible with Orbbec’s 3D vision cameras. Image used courtesy of Advantech

AMR 3D Vision

Advantech’s edge AI systems, the MIC-732-AO, MIC-733-AO, and MIC-713-OX, are all now compatible with Orbbec’s Femto Mega I 3D cameras and Gemini 335L for AMRs for indoor and outdoor use. The MIC-713-OX can support between four to eight Orbbec cameras, and the MIC-732-AO and MIC-733-AO can support as many as eight. 

Orbbec’s Femto Mega I camera features a depth range of 0.25 to 3.86 m, based on the depth mode employed, a six degrees of freedom inertial measurement unit (IMU), an IP65 rating to protect against dust and water, and a 120° field of view. Orbbec’s Gemini 335L provides passive and active stereo vision for use in outdoor and indoor environments. The Gemini’s depth range is 0.17 to 20 m and offers a wide field of view at 65° vertical and 90° horizontal. The camera can operate in a temperature window of -10 °C to 50 °C to withstand a range of outdoor conditions.