Highlights from AMR and Logistics Week 2022
The latest innovations in autonomous mobile robot vehicle technology were displayed at the AMR and Logistics Week 2022 show and included presentations from Boston Dynamics and Amazon Robotics, certification program expansions from InOrbit, and faster handling from OTTO Motors.
On October 10-13, 2022, leading suppliers and global users of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) joined together for the AMR & Logistics Week (AMRL) in Boston, Massachusetts. Attendees could immerse themselves in the latest technologies and trends concerning AMRs. More specifically, attendees were provided with live demos, conference sessions, and keynote talks from key industry leaders, including Boston Dynamics and Amazon Robotics.
Control Automation got hands-on with the latest robotics technology from FANUC at the AMRL show.
Highlights of AMRL
The AMR & Logistics Week event was co-located with The Vision Show, a comprehensive show encompassing the latest innovations in automated machine vision and imaging technologies. Highlights of the AMR & Logistics week included:
- Amazon Robotics: “Building collaborative robotic systems at scale”: an opening session delivered by the Principal Technical Program Manager at Amazon Robotics, Mikell Taylor.
- Boston Dynamics: “Mobility, perception, and manipulation of mobile robots”: a keynote delivered by the creator of the robot dog, Spot, Boston Dynamics, Kevin Blankespoor
Other roundtable sessions and conferences covered topics including trends in mobile robotics and automation, charging AMR fleets, the safe use of AMRs in commercial spaces, planning before AMR deployment, AMR fleet management, and more.
OTTO Motors Increases AMR Material Handling Speeds
OTTO Motors (OTTO) is a division of Clearpath Robotics Inc. and specializes in the development, provision, and operation of industrial AMRs. On October 10, OTTO announced a newly available software upgrade that helps increase the speed of materials handling AMRs. According to the company, the upgrade helped to increase the speed of its AMR workhorse, the OTTO 1500 v1.2, by 10 %.
The OTTO 1500 AMR for heavy payloads. Imaged used courtesy of OTTO Motors
One notable highlight of OTTO’s new upgrade includes an enhanced robot path planning system, Graph-based Planner. This feature is designed to help AMRs navigate paths with greater speed and efficiency. This can provide customers with faster takt times and an increased return on investment (ROI).
The software release also enhances the ability of AMRs to spot objects at a distance to allow time to maneuver and avoid obstruction. Auto-localization allows robots to localize independently with the tap of a button. A bag collection tool can also help floor managers and operators to troubleshoot three-dimensional (3D) cameras attached to OTTO AMRs.
InOrbit Expands Certification Program
Inorbit—a specialist in the development and supply of cloud-based analytics and robot management software solutions—unveiled the expansion of its InOrbit Connect program to accommodate more robots. InOrbit Connect is the first industry-wide certification program that allows users to certify and integrate their smart robots into customer operations.
The InOrbit Connect certification program. Video used courtesy of InOrbit
InOrbit also offers its customers the choice of paid and free editions of its cloud-based robot operations (RobOps) platform so that young startups or large enterprises can mobilize their robot fleets.
The company also released a Developer Edition as part of its software platform. The Developer Edition adds to InOrbit’s existing offerings: the Free Edition, Developer Portal, and InOrbit Connect. The Developer Edition has been created specifically to cater to the needs of verified service providers, systems integrators, robot developers, or those wishing to deploy their bots.
Rapid Growth in the AMR Market
According to Inkwood Research, the global AMR market is projected to reach $14.47 billion by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.31%. Some key enablers behind the market’s growth include the greater level of machine and human operative connectivity brought about by the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0), workplace safety with optimized efficiency, and the increasing number of AMR applications.
With the recent boom in e-commerce, warehouses and distribution centers have been turning to AMR technology to keep up with consumer demand. AMR and Logistics Week 2022 highlighted many of the advancements that are fueling this rapid growth.
