Partnership Aims to Improve the Performance of ‘Brainless’ AMRs

The partnership will initially focus on enhancing Naver Lab’s Rookie Robots by leveraging Adlink’s MVP series of fanless embedded computers to improve processing capabilities, efficiency, safety, and adaptability.

 

Naver Lab’s Rookie service AMRs use 5G for communication. Image used courtesy of Naver Labs

 

Service With a Smile

Naver’s Rookie robots have been designed for indoor services to handle mundane tasks and free up essential workers’ time. The robots can deliver packages, important documents, food, or drinks within a building. Rookie robots can navigate any environment while moving around with people in even confined spaces.

 

The Rookie AMR is a service robot that performs functions like package delivery. Image used courtesy of Naver Labs

 

Interestingly, the Rookie AMRs are described as being "brainless" robots. Instead of embedding the primary processing onboard, each robot is connected to Naver's ARC (AI, Robot, Cloud) system using 5G technology. The ARC system essentially acts as the robot’s brain and eyes. It enables the Rookie to navigate through complex indoor spaces using digital twin data to create high-precision spatial data that duplicates the real environment. This multi-robot intelligence system also allows the robots to be controlled through a smartphone app.

The Rookies can traverse multiple floors using a company's existing elevator system or Naver Lab's Roboport system, a robot-only elevator. They also support human-robot interaction (HRI) through a front-facing screen that displays the robot’s facial expressions.

 

Naver Lab's Rookie AMRs can use the Roboport to traverse floors. Image used courtesy of Naver Labs

 

Computing Questions Remain

With this partnership, at least some future Rookie robots will also contain variants of Adlink's MVP series of embedded computers. Adlink describes the MVPs as their value family of integrated, fanless embedded PCs. The MVP series spans a wide range of performance, with low-end options based on 6th-generation Intel Core i3 processors and higher-end options that use 14th-generation Intel Core i9 processors.

 

MVP-5200 series fanless embedded computer. Image used courtesy of Adlink

 

These industrial computers from Adlink are designed for the healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation sectors. Adding the MVP computing capabilities will give the Rookie robots greater efficiency, accuracy, and scalability in various industrial environments.

The partnership announcement does not indicate what level of computing performance will be added to the Rookies or if they will be able to operate without the 5G connection to the cloud.

 

Looking Forward

This partnership is a collaborative effort between the companies to further their shared vision for sophisticated service-driven robotics. The two companies have committed to future initiatives to continue the development of AMR technologies. They aim to streamline processes in commercial and industrial environments while seamlessly integrating robots into the daily lives of workers and customers.