Micromobility trials in Vancouver International Airport could lead to wider deployments. Source: A&K Robotics

Demand for mobility assistance in spaces such as airports is increasing as populations age and more people travel. Robots and autonomous vehicles can help meet that demand amid persistent labor shortages, according to A&K Robotics Inc.

Since 2016, the Vancouver, B.C.-based company has been developing electric micromobility platforms and self-driving robotic pods to help improve quality of life and environmental sustainability.

“We’re not replacing wheelchairs in airports and other facilities,” said Jessica Yip, co-founder of A&K Robotics. “Our pods are intended to help people with mobility limitations.”

A&K Robotics rolls out airport robots in phases

In July, A&K Robotics said it is bringing its Cruz self-driving robotic pods at the Vancouver International Airport (YVR). The company had already tested its systems at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in 2022. 

Jessica Yip, co-founder of A&K Robotics

“[Co-founder] Matt [Anderson] and I envisioned going to several airports when we started the company,” acknowledged Yip. “We then decided to focus on quality over quantity.”

“We had previously delivered one or two robots for relatively short durations,” she told The Robot Report. “It takes resources to bring a team and a 400-lb. mobile robot to each facility.”

“We knew we’d take a multi-stage approach to commercialization,” added Yip. “We researched the problem space and came to the conclusion that the automated mobility experience is really important to an airport’s customers — and to its business.”

“We’re prioritizing airports with high standards for operations and efficiency versus those that want robots as a novelty for marketing,” she said. “We’re focused on real-world operations and building our product to enable airports and airlines to have a high level of customization for branding.”

Finding value at the dawn of digitalization

In most airports, wheelchairs and shuttles must be manually fetched and brought to passengers and gates, noted Yip. Just knowing where they are in million-square-foot facilities or even parking lots can be a challenge requiring staffers to walk long distances and spend precious time.

“YVR has 10 million sq. ft., fire and ambulance service, IT, wildlife and aquariums, and plumbing — it’s actually a small city,” Yip said. “We have a great opportunity to test a mobility use case where there’s demand right now.”

“Our pods are connected IoT [Internet of Things] devices, and we’re building dashboards and tools for airports to know where their fleets are and their battery status,” she explained. “By digitizing control, they could even remotely deploy a pod to a gate.”

“We’re just on the cusp of learning what value we can bring with robots enabled by AI, sensors, and data,” she said.

Partnerships to boost Canadian robotics

Last month, A&K Robotics announced strategic partnerships to promote the adoption of robotics across Canada. It is working with telecommunications leader Bell Canada, battery and charging provider Delta-Q Technologies, and assistive charity the Rick Hansen Foundation to build an ecosystem of robots, cloud infrastructure, electric vehicle systems, and new manufacturing facilities.

“Some critical technologies are necessary for self-driving systems to scale,” explained Yip. “For quality of service, we need 5G connectivity, and we’re working with Amazon Web Services for cloud services to deploy fleets.”

“When robotic sensors pick up environmental changes, our systems will perform better at scale than in ones or twos,” she added. “They can detect if a gate is boarding and divert other robots to avoid congestion.”

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A&K Robotics expects micromobility to grow globally

The global micromobility market could expand from $79.1 billion (U.S.) to $243.2 billion by 2030 at a compound annual growth rate of 17.4%, predicted Maximize Market Research Pvt. Ltd. It cited advances in IoT and battery technology. A&K Robotics said it is poised to lead in that growth.

“We’re currently focused on a few strategic accounts in the Canada, the U.S., and Europe that each have five to 10 units,” said Yip. “We need boots on the ground and want to develop an initial model to implement mobility that we can then replicate.”

What are some of the differences between regions?

“In the EU, the responsibility for providing wheelchair assistance lies with the airport and its service provider, while in North America, that responsibility is with the airline, from budget to luxury,” replied Yip. “From a passenger standpoint, the EU model is better, especially if one gets bounced around among connecting flights.”

North American airports are beginning to realize that they need to invest in mobility assistance for older passengers, she said.

“Our long-term goal is to integrate mobility in a way that’s sustainable for us and the airport,” concluded Yip. “Airports are also launchpads for smart-city applications. It doesn’t make sense to deliver a pizza with a five-seater car; there have to be more sustainable options.”

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Efficiency and sustainability are becoming increasingly important to industrial automation users. ABB Robotics today launched an Energy Efficiency Service to provide manufacturers with a package of consultation, analysis, and tools to increase the energy efficiency of their robots.

The service offers up to 30% energy savings, claimed the company. It noted that high energy costs hinder the competitiveness of 58% of surveyed global manufacturers, according to a recent Energy Efficiency Movement report.

“Reducing energy consumption is a priority for manufacturers, with over 93% surveyed stating they will invest in energy efficiency improvements in the next three years to reduce costs and demonstrate progress towards more sustainable operations.” said Michael Hose, managing director of ABB Robotics’ customer service business line.

“Our new service will identify ways to achieve these objectives by optimizing robot energy efficiency, including fine-tuning performance and using the latest robot technologies,” he said.

Click here to enlarge. Source: ABB Robotics

Measuring energy waste has been challenging

Gauging the energy efficiency of industrial robots has traditionally been a complex task, involving measuring multiple electrical components, said ABB Robotics. It has also been difficult to gauge the impact of factors such as inefficient setup, component sizing, overloading, and application changes that can affect a robot’s performance.

ABB Robotics said its Energy Efficiency Service will address these challenges by combining its 50 years of industrial robotics experience with a suite of energy measurement tools. The company said its goal is to provide an easy way to assess and optimize robot power efficiency.

Click here to enlarge. Source: ABB Robotics

Energy Efficiency Service includes three tools

The suite features three main tools: Standby Energy Optimization, Program Optimization, and Energy Monitoring and Benchmarking.

Customers can use the external Standby Energy Optimization tool to assess the real energy consumption of their robots and controllers. ABB uses data gathered by the tool to generate a report with advice on ways to save energy and recommendations for further steps for fine-tuning performance.    

The Program Optimization tool analyzes a robot’s operating program to highlight areas where improvements can be made to save energy. Using backup data from the robot, the tool identifies measures such as adjusting the robot’s programmed speed or motion paths that can improve performance and reduce energy. 

The Energy Monitoring and Benchmarking tool enables continuous monitoring of robot energy consumption and comparison, said ABB. It provides data on energy consumption with recommendations for improving performance and comparisons with robots in similar applications.

Click here to enlarge. Source: ABB Robotics

ABB Robotics to analyze upgrades

The new Energy Efficiency Service can also provide an analysis on the effects of upgrading to new technologies offering energy-saving features.

For instance, ABB asserted that its next-generation OmniCore robot controller offers best-in-class motion control, as well as 20% energy savings through features including power re-generation technology and brake energy recovery.

“The Energy Efficiency Service is the latest development in ABB’s strategy to help businesses to transform their sustainability by using automation to optimize processes and minimize waste,” said the company.

Editor’s note: John Bubnikovich, president of ABB Robotics U.S., will participate in a keynote panel on “Driving the Future of Robotics Innovation” at RoboBusiness 2024, which will be on Oct. 16 and 17 in Santa Clara, Calif. Register now to attend.

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The PBC15 cable connector from binder comes with flange components to support industrial applications. Source: binder

Today’s demanding industrial applications require compact, robust connectors that can reliably transmit high currents and voltages, noted Binder USA LP. The provider of circular connectors today announced special flange components that act as plug-in partners for its PBC15 cable connector.

The PBC connector system is designed to transmit high currents and voltages in tight spaces, said Binder. It claimed that combining it with the new components enables tailored systems for a wide range of applications, such as in-drive technology.

“The system is particularly suitable for applications where power and signals need to be transmitted via a cable,” stated Philipp Zuber, product manager at Binder. “With the option for shielding, the connector is also optimal for applications with high demands on signal integrity or where electromagnetic transmission is required.”

PBC15 flanges provide secure connections

The PBC15 connector supplies power and signals to three-phase and asynchronous motors and frequency inverters, said Binder. Due to its properties, it can be used in drives, automation, intralogistics, and mechanical engineering—for example, in fans, pumps, and packaging machines.

The new flange components create seamless connections for secure power and signal transmission, the company explained. This further enhances the PBC15 system’s advantages, said Binder.

The flange components are available as flange plugs and sockets — with locking mechanism — each in unshielded plastic or shielded versions with metal components. They offer standard wire cross-sections of 1.5 mm² and 2.5 mm² with wire lengths of 250 mm, enabling current transmission of up to 16 A at 630 V.

The PBC15 flange components feature an M20x1.5 mounting thread, which can be directly mounted in the customer-specific housing, device, or motor housing using a locknut. A quick locking mechanism can be achieved with a ¼ turn.

The standardized flange components are cross-manufacturer compatible, according to DIN EN IEC 61076-2-116, offering maximum flexibility, Binder said.

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About binder

Camarillo, Calif.-based Binder USA is a subsidiary of Baden-Württemberg, Germany-based binder Group AG, a leading global manufacturer of circular connectors, custom cord sets, and LED lights. Its products are used in industrial environments for factory automation, process control, and medical technology applications.

The company said its quality management system is ISO 9001 and 14001-certified. Binder asserted that its focus on solving customer problems and commitment to service differentiate it from the competition.

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Shanghai-based Fourier today launched GR-2, the latest generation of its GRx humanoid robot series. The company has upgraded its hardware, design, and software.

“GR-2 is a big step into the future of humanoid robotics,” stated Alex Gu, CEO of Fourier. “We’re passionate about building the most intuitive embodied agent for AI, allowing it to engage with the physical world in ways like never before. Fourier is excited to have developers, researchers, and enterprises join us on this incredible journey.”

This announcement followed the company‘s rebranding from Fourier Intelligence to Fourier earlier this year, and the GR-2 release builds on the production release of the first-generation GR-1 in late 2023.

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Fourier improves hardware design

The GR-2 stands 175 cm (68.9 in.) tall and weighs 63 kg (139 lb.), whereas the GR-1 is 165 cm (65 in.) tall and weighs 55 kg (121 lb.). GR-2 offers 53 degrees of freedom and a single-arm load capacity of 3 kg (6.6 lb.).

A new feature of Fourier’s humanoid is a detachable battery with twice the capacity of its predecessor and a runtime of up to two hours. Since the battery is now swappable, users will be able to swap batteries quickly and return GR-2 to work.

GR-2 features an integrated cabling design for power and communication transmission, allowing concealed wires and more compact packaging. The efficient layout optimizes space for easier modularization and greater adaptiveness for application-oriented customization.

To simplify the control system and reduce maintenance, Fourier redesigned GR-2’s joint configuration, shifting from a parallel to a serial structure. It said this improves debugging, lowers manufacturing costs, and enhances the robot’s ability to rapidly learn and transition from AI simulation to real-world applications.

Dexterous hands have 12 degrees of freedom

The 12-DoF Dexterous Hand is equipped with six array-type tactile sensors. | Credit: Fourier

The robot includes hands with 12 degrees of freedom, doubling the dexterity of previous models. The hands are designed to mirror the flexibility of human physiology and offer greater precision in the tasks that the robot will be asked to complete, said Fourier.

The fingers on GR-2 also have six array-type tactile sensors that sense force and can identify object shapes and materials. This enables new algorithms to optimize parts handling, the company said.

Supporting multiple upper-limb teaching modes—virtual reality remote control, lead-through programming, and direct command—GR-2 can record a comprehensive set of operational data, from motion paths to tactile responses. Fourier said it expects robust data collection to bridge the gap between virtual models and real-world applications, pushing the boundaries of robot training and deployment further.

FSA 2.0 powers dynamic mobility

To optimize its movement, Fourier developed seven distinct Fourier Smart Actuators (FSA) for GR-2, each tailored to meet the specific torque demands of each joint.

With peak torques exceeding 380 N.m (280.3 ft.-lb.), the FSA 2.0 actuators boost GR-2’s agility and dynamic capabilities. The dual-encoder system doubles control accuracy, ensuring precise movements even in high-pressure environments.

Designed for both speed and precision, FSA 2.0 empowers GR-2 to navigate complex tasks with greater flexibility, said Fourier.

Fourier optimizes tools for open-source software development

Fourier GRx series outlines six key areas for humanoid development—locomotion, manipulation, cognition, bionic design, user experience, and commercial viability. | Credit: Fourier

Fourier optimized GR-2’s development platform by introducing a new software development kit (SDK) compatible with programming languages such as ROS. Developers can access a suite of pre-optimized modules for machine vision, path planning, and force feedback control through application programming interfaces (APIs), said the company. 

Supporting frameworks such as NVIDIA Isaac Lab and Mujoco, the new platform empowers developers to focus on innovation, streamlining their workflows, claimed Fourier.

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Designed for dynamic applications, Robotise Technologies says the igus E2.10 cable carriers enable JEEVES to perform its role reliably. | Source: igus

igus GmbH has supplied its E2.10 series of e-chain plastic cable carriers as part of JEEVES. This robot from Robotise Technologies can autonomously navigate its environment and replace up to 300 hotel minibars. 

Service robots like JEEVES are an increasingly in-demand type of automation. Fortune Business Insights estimated that the global service robotics market was valued at $16.35 billion in 2022 and projected that it will grow to $62.35 billion by 2030.

One of the main restraining factors for this market is the robot maintenance cost, which can range from $250,000 to $10,000 per year.

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Robotise designs JEEVES for robustness

When Robotise Technologies was designing JEEVES, it found that the cables inside the robot’s extendable compartments were at risk for excessive bending, breakage, and freezing to the refrigerator’s cooling plate. The company knew a damaged JEEVES would cause great dissatisfaction for its customers, so it set out to find a solution to this problem. 

Robotise was launched at the Technical University of Munich in 2015. It initially targeted potential users at airports, care homes, and hospitals before eventually settling on the hotel segment. The company said that with JEEVES, hotels can have one minibar that goes from room to room, however hundreds of rooms in all, instead of a minibar in each room. 

Hotel guests can request a beverage or snack by calling from the room telephone or sending a message via the app to activate JEEVES. Standing 49.2 in. (124.9 cm) tall and weighing 220.4 lb. (100 kg), the robot uses a laser system, a 3D camera, and distance sensors to autonomously navigate to a guest’s room, even using the elevator.

Upon arrival, JEEVES notifies the guest through a phone call or app alert. The guest can then open the door, select a product, and complete the payment using the large touch display. The chosen item, such as a cold beer, energy drink, or bag of chips, is dispensed from one of the four drawers that open automatically.

Robotise also offers JOOLES, a UV disinfection robot for hospitals. The company claimed that JOOLES can disinfect surfaces in a patient’s room in about 10 minutes, and in an operating room in about 20 minutes.

In addition, Robotise provides MUULES, a service robot for industrial settings that can deliver small loads up to 200 kg (440.9 lb.).

igus cable carriers are a critical component

“A faulty robot waiter would immediately lead to resentment of the guests,” noted Clemens Beckmann, head of engineering at Robotise Technologies. “That’s why we attached great importance to making JEEVES as reliable as possible.”

igus said its cable carriers, constructed from high-performance plastics, guide the system’s energy and data cables, making it a critical component for a robot’s performance. The Cologne, Germany-based company added that its cable carriers resist wear and abrasion and are suitable for a wide temperature range.

The E2.10 e-chain has an inner height of 0.39 in (9.9 mm), a max cable diameter of 0.31 in (7.8 mm), an inner width of 0.24 in (6 mm), and a bending radius of 0.71 in (18 mm). It is installed above the guide rails of the drawers to save space, said igus.

The company said its cable carriers can improve efficiency and durability, minimize maintenance needs, and save costs.

igus, whose U.S. headquarters are in Rumford, R.I., develops and produces self-lubricating motion plastics. Its portfolio includes flexible cables, plain and linear bearings, and lead screw technology made of tribo-polymers.

In recent years, the company has expanded by creating internal startups, for technologies including ball bearings, robot drives, 3D printing, the RBTX platform for Lean Robotics, and “smart plastics.” igus won a 2024 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award for its low-cost, human-like hand for the ReBeL collaborative robot.

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A&K Robotics’ autonomous mobility pods are all-electric and offer a new way for people to navigate venues. | Source: A&K Robotics

Delta-Q will be providing its battery chargers for A&K Robotics’ autonomous mobility pods. The companies say the partnership will help advance sustainable urban mobility initiatives across British Columbia. A&K says it will deploy its self-driving pods across airports, metropolitan areas, and populated transit areas over the next several years. The fully autonomous, compact robots feature 360º and 3D sensing systems. 

The company’s flagship robot, Cruz Mobility, can be managed with CruzFleet, A&K’s cloud-connected fleet management software. This software allows users to coordinate teams of pods and dispatch them as needed to any location within their facility. The Vancouver-based company purpose-built its Cruz pods for use at scale in airports. 

“We see great potential in the future of autonomous equipment and the micro-mobility market, and we know BC is a hub for innovation in this sector,” Matthew Anderson, CEO and co-founder of A&K Robotics, said. “Our work advances critical environmental initiatives and improves experiences for individuals with reduced mobility. Collaborating with Delta-Q, a BC company that shares our values and vision, is exciting and a testament to the region’s innovation. The autonomous space is growing, and together we’re poised to drive economic and sustainability improvements for the region and communities worldwide.”

A&K tested its robots at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in 2022. The robots went to work at the airport’s departure level Concourse C to help people who needed help traveling to their gates for flights or to get food at restaurants. 

Jai Farrell, deputy general manager and chief commercial officer of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, said the test deployment yielded “very impressive” results. A&K spent 2023 closing a funding round, adding more functionality to its platform, and collaborating with more airports. 

Delta-Q aims to make urban mobility more sustainable

Delta-Q designs, tests, and manufactures battery chargers to improve the performance of elective drive vehicles and industrial machines. It offers charging solutions for lead-acid and lithium batteries and partners with leading battery and BMS manufacturers to develop, test, and validate custom charging algorithms for enhanced performance and safer charging.

“We are proud to partner with A&K Robotics to continue making electrification and automation solutions more accessible to communities and markets around the world,” Sarah MacKinnon, CEO of Delta-Q Technologies, said. “By combining our expertise and leveraging the support of ZAPI GROUP, we aim to power the future of electrification, making urban mobility more sustainable and attainable. We are thrilled to be a part of shaping global, meaningful innovation with a fellow BC company.”

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The PRS Tool Changer provides contactless energy and signal transmission. Source: SMW Electronics

SMW Autoblok Group yesterday launched its new quick-change PRS Robotic Tool Changer line, which can be combined with a variety of pneumatic grippers and C40 Inductive Couplers for contactless, wear-free energy and signal transmission.

The Wheeling, Ill.-based company noted that these new products enable robotic grippers, tools, and other end effectors to be changed quickly. It added that this can increase cycle time and productivity and allows for easy movement, from small components to heavy loads.

PRS Tool Changer family designed for robots

SMW Autoblok said the PRS Tool Changer includes many features to enhance its performance and durability. It is available in several sizes, and the body’s internal mechanism is case-hardened to ensure higher rigidity and longer life.

The system includes pneumatic opening, a spring clamp + TURBO mechanism, and an optional electric signal interface module for enhanced functionality. With six pneumatic connectors for media transmission between the changing unit and the gripper mounting, the tool changer ensures seamless operation, asserted SMW.

The 55 PRS Pneumatic Tool Changer offers pneumatic operation, spring clamping + TURBO, and impressive liftable weight capacity. The company said it provides repeatability with the specified number of pneumatic connections, pull-down force, and pressure for efficient and reliable robotic operations. An optional electronic signal interface module is available.

PX pneumatic grippers include innovative sensors

PX pneumatic gripper with energy and signal transmission. Source: SMW Electronics

In addition, SMW said its range of pneumatic grippers, including the 2PXS, 2PXM, and 2PXL models, are Proofline-sealed for minimal maintenance and IP 64-rated.

With gripping force facilitated by an oval piston and two-finger, low weight design, PX grippers provide spring force mechanisms for both external and internal gripping.

The grippers also incorporate innovative sensor technology, including magnetic switches, inductive sensors, or analog position-measuring systems.

SMW touted an air-purge connection, adding that the grippers are drop in-compatible with standard universal grippers in the market.

C40 Inductive Coupler includes signal transmission

The C40 Inductive Coupling System is designed for contact-free transmission of power and data between moving/rotating and stationary components. SMW said it provides an alternative to standard mechanical pins, eliminating wear and maintenance concerns. It supports efficient operations for robotic tools and pallet changers, according to the company.

Suitable for end-of-arm tooling (EOAT) applications, C40 features standard mounting plates for various tool changers on the market. Key features include contact-free transmission of energy and signals, energy transmission of 15W (24V), signal transmission via IO-Link or 6xPNP, 2xAnalog 0-10Va cubical coupling system measuring 40x45x22 mm, and a transmission distance ranging from 0 to 3 mm (0.11 in.).

“The elimination of contact-based, wear-prone pin connections minimizes downtime and wear costs, ensuring maximum efficiency and productivity,” said SMW Autoblok Group.

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PRS combo to enhance EOAT abilities for machine tending

“Together, this combination of the PRS Tool Changer, PX pneumatic grippers, and C40 inductive Coupler not only ensure maximum efficiency and productivity but also minimizes downtime and wear costs, making the complete system a cost-effective investment for any manufacturing facility,” said SMW.

Established in 1981, SMW Autoblok USA engineers and manufactures work-holding, clamping, gripping systems, and tooling solutions. It offers a comprehensive line of chucks, cylinders, mandrels, steady rests, and live tools along with service and support.

The company has production facilities in Germany, the U.S., Italy, China, and India. The global SMW Autoblok Group also has a corporate presence in Russia, Spain, Mexico, Taiwan, and Czech Republic and acquired Mario Pinto and OML.

Created in 2015, SMW Electronics provides robotics and automation to digitize and automate manufacturing processes and help companies maximize productivity, reliability, and profitability. The company said it uses technologies including inductive power and data transmission, mechatronic and pneumatic grippers, sensors, and software to meet and exceed requirements in many industries. They include factory automation, material handling, packaging, robotics, and electronics manufacturing.

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Seatrec’s infiniTE float is a subsurface ocean profiling platform that uses new power-generation technology. | Source: Seatrec

Around 80% of the ocean floor remains uncharted today, and for good reason. The deep sea is an unforgiving environment. Between intense pressure, zero visibility, and extremely cold temperatures, individuals and organizations looking to shed some light on the area have massive challenges to overcome. 

Robots will likely be a key driver of this exploration, but they have their own limitations. One of the most pressing among these is power. Batteries in subsurface sensors often rely on solar energy or any other kind of renewable energy. This means when the batteries die, they’re either left dead in the water or recharged by a ship that can cost up to $50,000 a day to operate. 

Seatrec Inc. hopes to provide a new kind of power source using technology created at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California and licensed from the California Institute of Technology. The Vista, Calif.-based company said its technology can allow robots to work in the open ocean indefinitely and without any intervention. 

Yi Chao, the company’s founder and CEO, spent 15 years at JPL studying the ocean from space after earning his doctorate in ocean sciences. At NASA, he could see firsthand how difficult it is to access many of the world’s open oceans. 

“I really had an opportunity to know the challenges of underwater robotics, and especially energy, and settled on this particular bottleneck that I want to address,” Chao said.

NASA’s Aquarius instrument aboard the joint U.S. and Argentinian Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas mapped the surface salinity of Earth’s oceans. To calibrate the instrument, a JPL team distributed robotic floats. The experience helped inspire Yi Chao’s invention of an inexhaustible power source. Credit: NASA

Robots to be powered by their environment

With the help of two JPL colleagues, funding from JPL, and then a JPL contract with the U.S. Navy, Chao set out to find a different kind of power source for subsea robots. The team is using phase-change material to generate power. 

Phase-change materials are substances that can transition between phases, usually between solid and liquid, at certain desirable temperatures. Chao’s team is taking advantage of the volume change that comes with a change in state to generate power. 

“We use the kinetic energy from that volume expansion to spin the motor and then turn the mechanical energy into electricity, and now you can recharge your battery,” said Chao.

This concept is similar to the way a steam engine works by using water’s expansion into steam to turn a motor. The solid-to-liquid transition, however, only creates about a 10% expansion. This means the team has to make the most of the small amount of energy the transition generates. This is why the method has been unused for so long. 

When used in a robot, the material’s temperature changes when the robot rises and falls through the ocean, something it will typically do anyway. When exploring the deepest parts of the ocean, robots still need to occasionally surface to determine their position via GPS and transmit the data they’ve collected to satellites. 

The team chose a common industry-grade, paraffin-family material with a melting point of around 50ºF, right between the typical ocean temperature of about 40ºF and the surface of around 70ºF. While this material is ideal for the average ocean temperatures, it can be swapped out to better fit different environments. 

Chao and his colleagues tested a prototype float at JPL in 2011 and then tested an underwater glider that operated under the same principle but could also move horizontally. Later, Chao exclusively licensed the invention from the California Institute of Technology, which manages JPL. He founded Seatrec in 2016. 

Seatrec sees a growing market for its technology

Seatrec is currently selling its first power module for diving floats to research labs, universities, government researchers, and the military. Chao said he expects a lot of growth in the market. Possible customers include:

• Communications companies that are interested in laying transoceanic internet cables
• Companies drilling for oil and gas, or building wind farms offshore
• Environmental conservation groups that want to learn more about the locations of marine habitats
• Companies managing offshore operations, including oil wells, wind turbines, and fish farms, that need underwater sensors to monitor conditions and equipment
• Any company laying cables or mining for rare-earth elements on the seafloor. These companies need to asses the local environments and wildlife before these operations.

Moving forward, Seatrec plans to commercialize a system to power underwater gliders using its solid-to-liquid phase-change technology.

The company also plans to develop a power station that would cycle a liquid-to-gas phase-change material through ocean depths. This could create an order of magnitude more energy, allowing users to recharge more robots at sea, it said.

Seatrec has a grant from the Navy to develop a power station on the Arctic ice, where it can take advantage of the difference between water temperatures and the colder air above the ice. 

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WiBotic 1kW System (battery not included). | Credit: WiBotic

WiBotic today unveiled a new 1kW wireless charging product for larger-capacity battery systems. The Seattle-based company has made a name for itself in the mobile robotics market by providing contactless charging as an aftermarket alternative to OEM contact-based changing systems. The prior product link included 150-watt, 250-watt, and 300-watt wireless charging options.

The new higher-power 1kW system can operate from any 110V 15A circuit or greater, said WiBotic. A 15A circuit provides about 1.5kW, so its transmitter can deliver enough power through the wireless system to the battery, it explained, but a 20A or 30A breaker would be needed to plug multiple units into the same outlet.

The WiBotic Commander software will manage the charging current based on source power circuit characteristics, so as not to trip a facility power circuit.

WiBotic says contactless charging promises benefits

The advantage of moving from contact charging to wireless charging is twofold, according to WiBotic. 

First, with contact charging, systems need to be manually connected and disconnected to the charger, it said. Some automated guided vehicle (AGV) and self-driving vehicle manufacturers provide autonomous contact chargers, but these systems use proprietary connectors.

End users that deploy mobile robots with contact chargers from more than one OEM will ultimately end up with a wall of dedicated charging stations that can only be used by specific robots. This is inefficient and takes up critical facility floor space, the company noted.

Cypher Robotics mobile robot in a warehouse – with integrated drone pad for aerial inventory – docked to WiBotic’s Edge transmitter. | Credit: WiBotic

“WiBotic’s new wireless 1kW charging platform enhances operations,” stated Peter King, vice president of Cypher Robotics Inc., an Ottowa-based provider of warehouse AMRs and drones. 

“We’ve successfully deployed WiBotic chargers for customers in a range of applications and in some difficult environmental conditions — but historically only in applications where overnight charging was possible,” he said. “With the new 1kW system, robots will charge at three times the previous speed, opening up a whole new set of applications where fast and ultra-reliable charging is needed.”

The second advantage of wireless charging is in the uniformity of the charging infrastructure, said WiBotic. Any available wireless charger station in a facility can be used by any robot in the fleet in need of a recharge.

Depending on the number of mobile robots in an end user’s fleet, this concept can vastly simplify the charging process, claimed the company. Facility operators can place wireless charging stations at various sites so they can used by any autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).

Wireless communication for operational data

When retrofitting a mobile robot with the WiBotic charging system, a smart charger controller unit needs to be installed onto the AMR. This smart charger autonomously manages the power transfer from the wireless charging pad to the mobile robot unit.

WiBotic has an open API [application programming interface] that enables an AMR to easily communicate with the onboard smart charger.

The smart charger then wirelessly communicates with the powered pad to control the flow of energy wirelessly between the source pad and the onboard power receiver. With the new 1 kW power system, it can transfer more energy, more quickly, to larger mobile robots, said WiBotic.

Using a proprietary wireless communication channel, the onboard charger can also relay statistical information and other data, not only about the onboard battery, but also from the robot controller. This data dump is separate from any Wi-Fi or 5G communication connection to the robot and provides OEMs with another option for data transfer and communications.

Ben Waters, co-founder and CEO of WiBotic, described the smart communication feature:

“This higher-power product allows us to get into markets that aren’t robotic, machines like carton handlers, pallet jacks, and floor-cleaning vehicles. There are a lot of battery-powered vehicles out there today that are not yet robotic or autonomous. They’re just dumb devices in the sense that they are not connected devices, and OEMs don’t have a way to remotely talk to them. By adding wireless charging to their devices, they also now can communicate data from the devices. It can be a simple diagnostic, like: ‘How many hours does my floor scrubber have on it?’”

The company has also developed its own management software, WiBotic Commander. Customers can easily monitor the charging status and battery health of entire fleets of robots in real time. Charging procedures can then be implemented proactively to vary charge current and voltage to dramatically increase battery lifespan.

While end users can purchase and deploy the wireless chargers, WiBotic has focused on building relationships with OEMs and helping to integrate their mobile robot controllers to the WiBotic power controller. The WiBotic controller can also work with contact chargers, providing charge management options for any mobile robot power need.

“We [primarily] work with two types of customers,” said Matt Carlson, vice president of business development at WiBotic. “We work with the OEMs offering the robots as a service, but they’re the company who builds the robot, and then they provide it to the end customer. So with those customers, we work with their engineering teams very closely.”

“In some cases, we work with the end customer, where they might operate multiple robots or different types of carts,” he added. “And for one reason or another, charging is a huge problem for them. It’s a big cost because at the end of every day, some employee has to charge all the batteries on all of the robots, to prepare for the next day.”

The Wibotic Commander software is a ‘single pane of glass’ for managing the charging of a robotic fleet. | Credit: WiBotic

Higher-frequency charging helps prevent inductive heating

Another key feature of WiBotic’s system, according to Waters, is that it uses higher radio frequencies for energy transfer than some of its competitors.

“Some of these inductive systems operate at a lower frequency, typically between 50 and 200 kilohertz,” he told The Robot Report. “WiBotic uses 6.78 megahertz, which is still way below all your Wi-Fi [communication].”

WiBotic said its platform reduces safety risks from electrical shorts and fire risk from sparking across contacts, making it suitable for environments where dirt, dust, water or corrosion can lead to failed charging cycles.

“But there are some important technical advantages, especially at the higher power levels,” said Waters. “One is that we don’t heat foreign objects. Inductive heating systems are also in this range, so if there is some loose metal around, it can heat up [as a side effect]. A lot of [our competitors] have very robust foreign object detection, which is great. This will prevent metal objects from heating up, but it’s going to stop charging.”

“So operating at the higher frequency and adding in some of the things that we do around our adaptive tuning [means] we don’t have this phenomenon of heating metal objects,” he said.

WiBotic plans to demonstrate its new 1kW system at Booth 4087 near the ARM Demo Area at Automate in Chicago next week.

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The post WiBotic unveils new high power wireless charging solution appeared first on The Robot Report.

Goodbye to the hydraulic version of Atlas and hello to the electric model designed for commercialization. That’s the message from Boston Dynamics Inc., which yesterday retired the older version of its humanoid robot after 15 years of development and today showed a preview of its successor.

“The next generation of the Atlas program builds on decades of research and furthers our commitment to delivering the most capable, useful mobile robots solving the toughest challenges in the industry today: with Spot, with Stretch, and now with Atlas,” said the company in a blog post. Spot is a quadruped used in facilities inspection and other tasks, and Stretch is designed to unload trucks.

Boston Dynamics began with humanoids by sawing one of its pneumatically powered quadrupeds in half back in 2009. By 2016, the Waltham, Mass.-based company showed that its robot could walk, open a door, and maintain its balance while being shoved by a person holding a hockey stick, all without a tether.

Roboticists continued to improve Atlas, giving it a smaller form factor and more sensors, training its artificial intelligence, and enabling it to do increasingly impressive feats. They ranged from parkour and dancing to taking tools through a mock construction site.

In fact, it was that demonstration of Atlas manipulating a plank, picking up a bag of tools, and taking it to a worker that earned Boston Dynamics an RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award. The company will be exhibiting at the RBR50 Showcase at the Robotics Summit & Expo on May 1 and 2.

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Boston Dynamics evolves with the times

As capable as the YouTube darling was, the older version of Atlas still had limitations, both in range of motion and in terms of size and power usage. Boston Dynamics noted that it designed its legged robots to operate in unstructured environments, and it acknowledged that Atlas was initially a research and development project rather than a commercial product.

In the meantime, the company itself changed owners, from Google in 2013 to SoftBank in 2017 and most recently to Hyundai in 2020. Along with those changes came an increasing focus on robots such as Spot and Stretch serving industrial needs. To continue pure research, Hyundai founded the Boston Dynamics AI Institute in 2022.

“The AI Institute recently launched a new version of Spot with an API [application programming interface] designed for researchers,” said Robert Playter, CEO of Boston Dynamics. “We’re talking about how to jointly solve some big challenges — the diversity of manipulation tasks we need to do with this robot [Atlas] is huge, and AI is essential to enabling that generality.”

Playter told The Robot Report that Boston Dynamics needs results within two to three years, while the AI Institute has more of a five-year timeframe.

Robot lessons apply to fleets, new Atlas

“It takes a solid year from a clean sheet to a new robot,” said Playter. “We wanted to know that we could solve essential dexterous manipulation problems before releasing the product.”

Boston Dynamics learned numerous lessons from commercializing Spot and Stretch, he said. It has improved control policies, upgraded actuation, and minimized joint complexity. The new Atlas has three-fingered grippers.

The Orbit fleet management software, which initially applies to indoor deployments of Spot, could also help supervise Stretch and Atlas.

Atlas gets ready for mobile manipulation in industrial settings. Source: Boston Dynamics

“Everything we understood, from the time of launching Spot as a prototype to it being a reliable product deployed in fleets, is going into the new Atlas,” Playter said. “We’re confident AI and Orbit will help enhance behaviors. For instance, by minimizing slipping on surfaces at Anheuser-Busch, we proved that we can develop algorithms and make it reliable.”

“Now, 1,500 robots in our fleet have them running,” he added. “It’s essential for customers like Purina to monitor and manage fleets as a vehicle for collecting data. As we develop and download new capabilities, Orbit becomes a hub for an ecosystem of different robots.”

Safety and autonomy are basic building blocks

Boston Dynamics has considered safe collaboration in its development of the new Atlas. ASTM International is developing safety standards for legged robots.

“We recognized early on that Atlas is going to work in spaces that have people in them,” said Playter. “This sets the bar much higher than lidar with AMRs [autonomous mobile robots].”

“We started thinking about functionally safe 3D vision,” he recalled. “We started with Stretch inside a container, but ultimately, we want it going everywhere in a warehouse. Advanced, functionally safe, remote vision and onboard systems are essential to solving safety.”

While Spot and Atlas are often teleoperated, Playter said this is a necessary step toward greater levels of autonomy.

“Making the robots knowledgeable about different types of objects and how to grasp them, teleoperation is just a tool for providing examples and data to the robot,” he explained. “It’s not a useful way of building intuition, but it’s easier if you can operate robots at a higher and higher level. Like you don’t need to tell Spot where to plant its feet, you don’t want to tell Atlas where to grasp.”

In the new video below, the previous version of Atlas handles automotive parts and real products weighing up to 25 lb. (11.3 kg).

Atlas ready for rivals in the humanoid race

Over the past two years, the number of humanoid robots in development has rapidly grown. It now includes Agility Robotics‘ Digit, Tesla’s Optimus, and Figure AI‘s Figure 01. In the two past weeks alone, Rainbow Robotics, Sanctuary AI, and Mentee Robotics have all made announcements.

Investment has also been flowing to humanoid companies, with 1X Technologies raising $100 million in January, Figure AI raising $675 million in February, and Accenture investing in Sanctuary AI in March.

Humanoid robots have advanced in parallel with generative AI, and Playter said he welcomes the competition.

“There were three seminal events: Boston Dynamics got acquired for $1 billion, interest in Tesla’s robot validated what we’ve done for a long time, and the emergence of new AI holds the promise of generalization of tasks,” he said. “They’ve inspired lots of new players, but having new tech isn’t all you need to have a commercial product. You need to focus on a use case, build a reliable machine, and manufacture it in a way to build a business. We want to avoid a ‘humanoid winter,’ so rollouts have to be real.”

Playter added that practical design and proper implementation of AI will help differentiate robots rather than focusing on making them more human-like. The new version of Atlas demonstrated that point in how it stood up in the video at the top of this article.

“It’s not talking to a robot that moves the needle, but whether you can build a robot that eventually does 500 tasks,” he said. “Anthropomorphism blows things out of perspective. We did not want a human-shaped head for Atlas. We want people to remember it’s a machine and that it can move in ways humans can’t.”

The financial stability of the businesses involved will also be relevant for commercial success, said Playter. 

“It takes sustained investment; these are expensive products to launch,” he noted. “Having products already out helps build momentum.”

Atlas is humanoid — to a point. Source: Boston Dynamics

When will we see the new robot in the wild?

Boston Dynamics will begin testing the all-electric version of Atlas with parent company Hyundai and select partners next year, said Playter.

“We’re beginning in their factory,” he told The Robot Report. “In addition to the target application of a lot of parts movement — a special kind of logistics in automotive production — I think that will evolve as the dexterity of the robots improves over time.”

“We see robots in the workplace as an evolution, a continuum from Spot to Atlas,” asserted Playter. “Each product in the series informs the launch of the next.”

“Industries will have to figure out how to adapt and incorporate humanoids into their facilities,” he said. “We’ll actually see robots in the wild in factories beginning next year. We want a diversity of tasks.”

The post Boston Dynamics debuts electric version of Atlas humanoid robot appeared first on The Robot Report.

Contactless wireless charging can power robots and electric vehicles. Source: Meredot

In the ever-evolving world of technology, the distinction between contact-based and contactless wireless charging has become pivotal, with an added layer of confusion thrown into the mix. Wired charging stations are now marketing themselves as “wireless,” blurring the lines between true contactless solutions and those requiring physical contact.

Let’s examine differences between contact-based wireless charging stations and contactless wireless charging. Wireless charging technology enables robots to operate longer, charge faster, and be safer and more reliable. It can also reduce the overheating chances. However, there are also drawbacks — what are they?

Contact-based charging limitations

Amidst the myriad options in wireless charging, the let’s address the pitfalls of contact-based wireless charging:

• Precise docking required: While these contact-based stations may be wireless, they demand accurate device docking and adapter connections, causing frustration and connectivity issues—a stark departure from the seamless experience promised by contactless solutions.
• Space invasion: Contact-based adapters and stations often take up more space, impacting both aesthetics and spatial efficiency. This contrasts sharply with the sleek and unobtrusive nature of authentic contactless charging.
• Wear and tear: Frequent use of connectors in contact-based charging can lead to wear and tear, compromising charging performance over time. Authentic contactless options eliminate this concern by eschewing physical connectors.
• Compatibility conundrum: Different devices may demand specific adapters with contact-based charging, leading to compatibility issues and the necessity for additional accessories. In contrast, true contactless solutions offer a universal and hassle-free experience.
• Maintenance mischief: The mechanical components in contact-based charging may require more maintenance, resulting in higher operational costs. Opting for genuine contactless technology minimizes the need for constant upkeep, providing a more sustainable and cost-effective solution.

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Contactless wireless charging benefits

Contactless wireless charging offers a host of advantages:

• Cord-free convenience: Bid farewell to cords, the hassle of tripping hazards, and the inconvenience of forgetting to charge. Contactless charging liberates you from the entanglements of traditional charging methods.
• Charging without precision parking: With contactless charging, simply place your device on the station, and charging begins seamlessly, eliminating the need for meticulous alignment.
• Reduced vulnerability to damage: With fewer exposed parts, contactless charging minimizes the risk of damage, ensuring a more robust and resilient charging solution.
• All-weather reliability: Contactless charging systems are impervious to snow, ice, and dirt.
• Compact design: Such stations can provide a smaller footprint and improved aesthetics. Their sleek and unobtrusive design can integrate more smoothly into an environment.

Contactless charging versus contact-based charging

How does contactless charging compare with contact-based charging? Most contactless stations boast an impressive array of features:

• Versatile operation: Contactless stations can operate indoors and outdoors, adapting to various environments with ease.
• Safety for all: These stations are designed to be safe for both humans and pets.
• Optimized fleet and battery performance: Contactless technology goes beyond mere charging, enhancing fleet and battery operations.
• Streamlined daily operations: Say goodbye to unnecessary complexities, contributing to extended battery charge and lifespan.
• Universal device compatibility: Compatible with a wide range of devices, these stations offer a universal charging experience.
• Durability: Built from durable materials, contactless stations promise longevity and reliability.
• Flexible installation options: Whether securely attached or elegantly inserted into the ground or wall, these stations promise flexible and secure installation choices.

Contactless wireless charging promises to be more robust than contact-based charging. Source: Meredot

Robots, drones already use wireless charging

Several companies are already successfully using or working on implementing wireless charging for robots. First, Amazon has worked on delivering packages with aerial drones. The e-commerce giant is planning to implement wireless charging stations.

Amazon‘s drones are designed to operate within a delivery radius of up to 20 miles from their base. The operational range is based on the drone’s battery capacity, taking into account the weight of the package. This effectively means that the drones can only fly in one direction before requiring a recharge.

To address this limitation and ensure seamless delivery operations within the designated working zone, Amazon plans to strategically place wireless charging stations. These stations will enable drones to recharge mid-operation, thereby doubling their effective delivery range without the need for manual intervention.

Also, companies like Starship Technologies have developed delivery robots with wireless charging. Food-delivery robots are equipped with sophisticated electronics enabling them to sense and navigate through complex urban environments. This level of autonomy consumes a significant amount of power, necessitating recharging approximately twice a day.

Businesses employing these delivery robots seek to streamline the recharging process to ensure minimal downtime and continuous operation. Wireless charging stands out as a promising method. This technology allows robots to recharge without manual intervention, can enhance operational efficiency, and reduces the need for physical contacts that can wear out over time or require precise alignment.

The choice for continuous operations

In addition, several pipe-cleaning brands are considering wireless charging for their robots because it’s challenging to constantly retrieve the systems. They need robots that do not need to be removed from pipes for charging, and wireless systems enable robots to be charged directly through the pipes.

This approach aims to streamline maintenance without the labor-intensive process of manually retrieving, charging, and re-deploying the robots. Wireless charging technology could allow charging stations to be installed within the pipe system itself, thereby providing power to the robots as needed and reducing downtime.

Airports are now planning to implement automatic means of moving people around, such as electric carts, which will require automatic wireless charging. This initiative addresses several logistical challenges, including the need to minimize wait times for passengers requiring assistance, reducing congestion in terminal areas, and optimizing the flow of people.

The adoption of automatic electric carts equipped with wireless charging technology could provide continuous operation, ensuring a smoother, more reliable service. In addition, this technology could support an airport’s sustainability goals by reducing reliance on traditional fuel-powered vehicles, contributing to a cleaner, more eco-friendly environment within the airport.

In short, wireless charging stations are needed in places where automation is taking place.

Addressing safety concerns with contactless charging

“But isn’t contactless charging dangerous?” you might wonder. Contactless technology is equipped with advanced intelligence. It can discern when a foreign object is present over the station’s pad transmitter, promptly shutting down to prevent any potential issues.

As we navigate the labyrinth of wireless charging options, it’s crucial to discern between marketing ploys and true innovation. When engaging with a wireless charging provider, inquire specifically about the nature of their product—whether it requires contact or is genuinely contactless.

Embrace the future of technology with true contactless wireless charging, where the promise of a seamless, efficient, and aesthetically pleasing charging experience is fulfilled.

About the author

Roman Bysko is co-founder and CEO of Meredot, a wireless charging technology company based in Lake Oswego, Ore., and Riga, Latvia. Meredot was founded in 2017 by a group of engineers and scientists who wanted to prove that wireless charging can be at least as efficient, faster and more convenient than the cable-based charging process.

Today, Meredot provides not only wireless charging technology but also already green solutions to wirelessly charge mobility, micro-mobility transport, robots and drones. The company claimed that its proprietary wireless chargers combine hardware and software for ultra-scalable, reliable, and manageable charging of electric vehicle and low-emision vehicles (LEVs).

The post What’s the difference between contactless and wireless charging for robots? appeared first on The Robot Report.

OmniOn supports multiple technologies, including robotics. Click here to enlarge. Source: OmniOn Power

As delivery robots and autonomous vehicles spread, much of the design and development attention has focused on safe navigation and obstacle detection, according to OmniOn Power Inc. However, they will also require reliable charging and communications infrastructure, it said.

“We’ve mainly seen mobile robots indoors in factories, warehouses, or even restaurants,” said Gopal Mitra, global segment leader for industrials at OmniOn. “2023 was a big year for cost optimization for robotics companies. They tried to address space challenges and labor shortages in e-commerce, and power supply for delivery robots outdoors is another real challenge.”

“We look at three basic technologies: cloud and edge computing, which need to be supported by 5G, and power,” he told The Robot Report. “OmniOn Power addresses high-voltage DC, outdoor installations, and products for onboard robotics, including mounted power that should be able to work with fluctuating voltages as batteries deplete.”

OmniOn spun out of ABB

Formerly known as ABB Power Conversion, AcBel Polytech Inc. acquired the division in July 2023 and renamed it OmniOn Power Inc. in October.

The Plano, Texas-based company gained telecommunications experience as a part of Bell Labs and was part of General Electric Co. and ABB Ltd. OmniOn claimed that its “reliable products, industry expertise, and partnerships are helping customers realize the full potential of 5G, supporting expansive data center demands, [and] powering Industry 4.0.”

“Our business has grown in the robotics space, partly because of the lack of innovation as a lot of folks focused on scaling up rather than introducing new designs,” Mitra said. “Channels are trying to adopt the right robots for ‘order online, pick up at store,’ direct fulfillment, and warehouses. The increasing amount of returns is also a big concern, and we’re addressing a $500 million portion of the total addressable market by optimizing for the cost of development and implementation.”

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Power innovations to enable autonomy

Batteries add weight to robots and drones, and they can be affected by extreme cold. OmniOn said that more innovation is needed.

“There are two schools of thought for batteries — they could be long-lasting, or you can go with capacitors,” said Mitra. “As for the environment, there’s the harmonics on the grid and temperature, which can be up to 120 to 130 degrees [Fahrenheit; 48.8 to 54.4 Celsius] in places like Dallas.”

“Cold is more of an issue on the battery side than the internals, where the 2% heat generated is usually enough to keep power electronics warm,” he added. “We’re looking at the optimal time to charge, as well as discharge and weight.”

“There have been a number of innovations in batteries,” Mitra noted. “Lithium-ion is very popular in robotics and electric vehicles, and sodium-ion and other polymers are being explored. How U.S. investment in the semiconductor industry responds to China’s prevalence will also affect innovation in the next 10 years. Some are now looking at vertical stacking for denser chips.”

“OmniOn already has engineers working on providing power supplies to telecom and 5G networks,” he said. “We’re enablers of autonomy.”

OmniOn is working on providing power and connectivity to delivery and warehouse robots. Source: Adobe Stock

Other considerations for robotics

Ways to increase robot uptime include hot-swappable batteries, software that directs opportunistic recharging, and persistent wired or wireless charging on embedded grids, mostly indoors.

“Cost is a big deal — wireless charging is usually near-field using inductive charging, which is very attractive for many robots but can be expensive,” said Mitra. “With contact-based charging, you don’t need a converter circuit onboard the robot.”

By contrast, farming equipment or robotic lawnmowers can have wireless docking, eliminating the risk of clippings getting into contacts, he said. Wireless charging pads throughout a warehouse or factory have a high installation cost but can reduce the weight of batteries and operational costs. All of these options require industry consensus to become more widespread, Mitra observed.

How much can fleet management software help with power?

“It depends on the type of fleet,” replied Mitra. “We’re maturing simple routing within the constraints of restaurants, but delivery robots and vehicles have variable package loads. On the software side, we’ll see the impact of artificial intelligence on warehouse management, from machine vision to order processing.” 

Mitra also said that distributed power generation from photovoltaic cells could change the cost of energy.

“There are lots of opportunities to improve overall efficiency, but it’s a chicken-and-egg problem — first, the application has to come,” he said. “In hardware, non-isolated board-mounted products are emerging.”

5G to play a role as edge/cloud computing shifts

“For delivery robots, most of the compute is onboard, with nearby 5G hubs enabling mesh networks,” Mitra explained. “Edge computing needs to be supported by a 5G backbone, and peer-to-peer networks can manage the load.”

While robots and autonomous vehicles (AVs) need onboard processing for a spatial understanding of their environments and to navigate complex surroundings, the delivery function and reporting would benefit from 5G, he said.

“Look at certain regions in San Francisco — AVs are limited to certain areas, where the routes are largely pre-programmed,” said Mitra. “Once we see a prevalence of 5G and edge computing, machine learning for transport will be more scalable.”

“We have an engagement with a robotics company working with a major retailer on managing inventory and goods-to-person materials handling in the warehouse. Multi-tenant warehouses are coming,” Mitra said. “In addition to automated storage and retrieval systems [ASRS], we’re looking at multi-robot scenarios in the parking lot for groceries.”

The BPS 48V stackable power system is designed for 5G systems. Source: OmniOn

AI, humanoids could create new demands

Growing interest in applying generative AI to robotics will also affect networking and power demands.

“They’re not talked about yet in the context of on-premise or edge computing, but it will be interesting to see if delivery robots get these capabilities,” Mitra said. “AI has helped industry understand the need for high-performance computing, which has put a lot of pressure on power-supply manufacturers for smaller, more efficient systems.”

Similarly, interest in mobile manipulation and the humanoid form factor will also intensify pressure on compute and power management.

“Even if you just put an articulated robot arm on a mobile base, stepper motors require eight times the current to start, just to change from static to movement,” said Mitra.

“We still don’t have a good solution for batteries that can support humanoids for the long term,” he asserted. “They’ll also need a power train that can handle a wide range of discharge, from walking to the necessary strength for lifting boxes.”

OmniOn said it expects the demand for delivery robots, automated warehouses, and connected infrastructure to grow at 12% to 14%. Power management may not be standardized, depending on the size of a robot and its number of sensors, and edge/cloud computing and different charging approaches will continue to evolve, said Mitra. 

“We’re excited see how wireless charging affects the robotics space,” he said. “While the cost has led to different adoption than initially expected, in the long term, the cost of infrastructure could be lower, and it could be more easily managed.”

The post OmniOn looks to power, network next-gen delivery robots appeared first on The Robot Report.

Colo.-based Scythe Robotics is adopting the North American Charging Standard (NACS) charge port for its M.52 robot lawnmower. The company said this move will integrate NACS capabilities into their all-electric, fully autonomous commercial mower as early as Q4 2024.

NACS, also known as the “Tesla Charger” or SAE J3400, is becoming the standard in electric vehicle (EV) charging, according to Scythe. Leading automotive companies, including Ford, General Motors and BMW, have committed to transitioning to NACS by 2025. Scythe said this move toward standardized charging infrastructure is crucial in facilitating mass EV adoption, streamlining user experiences with reliable and simple charging solutions.

By eliminating proprietary connectors and technologies, Scythe said this transition ensures lower charging costs, greater ease of use, and expanded access to charging facilities for landscape companies mowing with M.52.

“We are committed to providing our landscape customers with meaningful solutions that sit at the forefront of technological innovation,” said Davis Foster, co-founder and chief engineer of Scythe. “With the U.S. moving towards the adoption of NACS across the board, it’s clear that this standardized charging solution will be the optimal and most convenient method for charging any EV or machine – including M.52 – for the foreseeable future. We are excited to extend these benefits to our customers.

The next generation of M.52, slated for production in late 2024, will integrate NACS components as they are made available for non-Tesla manufacturers. Existing generations of M.52 can be compatible with the new standards through a common NACS-to-J1772 connector. Looking forward, NACS holds the potential for future improvements and features like DC fast charging and automated billing with existing charger networks.

“By incorporating NACS into the next generation of our machine, M.52 will potentially be the first non-Tesla vehicle to implement this new standard,” explained Roger Dodrill, staff systems engineer at Scythe. “As pioneers in autonomous and electric outdoor power equipment, adopting this standardized solution is a critical step in our mission to electrify the industry. By providing the gold standard in charging capabilities, we aim to eliminate barriers to the adoption of electric equipment and enhance the overall user experience for our valued customers.”

Scythe Robotics is adopting the North American Charging Standard for its robot lawnmower. | Credit: Scythe Robotics

Scythe Robotics at Robotics Summit & Expo

Scythe will be speaking at the Robotics Summit & Expo, the world’s leading event for commercial robotics developers, that takes place May 1-2 in Boston. Nathaniel Czarnecki, Scythe’s lead test engineer, will be talking about how the company is “Building a Scalable Testing Program to Drive Robot Reliability.”

Czarnecki will share the company’s philosophy behind and framework for building highly effective robotics testing programs that can grow in scope and impact without becoming burdensome to the business. This involves prioritizing which facets of the product need the most in-depth testing, identifying meaningful metrics to measure them by, and using the findings to rapidly iterate on and improve the product – all with typically limited resources and an eye toward seriously expanded testing operations.

Scythe’s testing program has driven step-change product and performance improvements with each iteration of M.52, as well as significant updates between them. Through stories from the test fields at Scythe (along with plenty of destructive testing videos), Nathaniel will also share best practices for testing hardware and software in tandem, creating progressive testing programs, and building the rapport needed to collaborate with teams across an organization, offering insight relevant to any robotics company.

Produced by The Robot Report and parent company WTWH Media, the Robotics Summit & Expo focuses on the design, development, and scaling of commercial robots. There will be 60-plus speakers in 40-plus sessions sharing their commercial robotics development expertise. There will also be more than 130 exhibitors showing enabling technologies on the expo show floor.

Keynotes will feature the following industry luminaries:

• Jonathan Hurst, co-founder and chief robot officer at Agility Robotics
• Tye Brady, chief technologist at Amazon Robotics
• Ujjwal Kumar, group president at Teradyne Robotics
• Morgan Pope, research scientist, and Moritz Baecher, associate lab director for robotics, at Disney Research
• Medtronic will demonstrate its remote robotic-assisted surgical system.

The Robotics Summit will also include conference tracks on warehouse automation and AI in addition to development, enabling technologies, and healthcare. An Engineering Theater on the show floor will feature additional presentations on innovative systems and use cases.

On Wednesday, May 1, the Robotics Summit & Expo will host the inaugural RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards Gala to celebrate this year’s winners of the prestigious recognition. Tickets will be available for this gala.

Registration is now open for the 2024 Robotics Summit & Expo. An Academic Outreach Program offers discounts for attendees coming from colleges, universities, and research institutions.

The post Scythe robot lawnmowers adopting ‘Tesla charging standard’ appeared first on The Robot Report.

How do you protect a robot’s sensitive electronics against water, dirt, and dust? How do you navigate unfamiliar landscapes? Perhaps the most pressing problem of all is how to charge those robots.

The challenge of contact-based charging

Indoor charging environments often use metal contacts on a dock to charge the robot, but that’s problematic in rugged environments where things are less predictable. Dust or mud can dirty the contact and reduce the current or stop it flowing altogether. Water can get in between the contacts and short them out.

Industrial robots cost thousands of dollars, and every minute that the electrons don’t flow turns the device from an asset to a liability. A dead robot can also create secondary costs in the kinds of remote environments that companies are now exploring. It could require a costly truck roll to repair or recharge the device when no one is on site to handle it.

Companies at the sharp end of the rugged outdoor robotics community are increasingly embracing wireless charging as an alternative to contact-based mechanisms. One of them is Clearpath Robotics, a manufacturer that designs custom robotics platforms for applications ranging from mining to oil and gas for research and, increasingly, real-world industrial usage.

Alongside safety, weather, and maintenance issues, positioning accuracy is also critical for rugged outdoor robotics applications, explained Clearpath’s technology director Robbie Edwards. The contact-based charging mechanisms the company uses for indoor systems have a three-centimeter tolerance.

“Even with 3 cm [1.1 in.] of tolerance, the stackup in localization accuracy and control for a larger robot system can be difficult to design for,” he said.

Clearpath’s Husky Observer robot, including WiBotic receiver coil shown mounted on the front. Source: WiBotic

Precise positioning can be a problem outdoors

That tolerance requirement becomes even more problematic in unforgiving outdoor situations. Edwards described one outdoor robot that Clearpath had developed with especially demanding requirements.

“While it was charging, it had to be safe for use around people,” he recalled. “And it needed 10 cm [3.9 in.] of docking tolerance.”

The contact-based charging solution was prohibitively difficult to implement.

“It was a multi-axis mechanism that was larger than the robot itself,” added Edwards. “It was expensive and complicated.”

Switching to a wireless charging system with a laser-guided docking system made challenges like these more tractable. Clearpath now uses autonomous software to dock its vehicle with WiBotic wireless chargers housed in fully weatherproof enclosures.

WiBotic’s mechanism uses resonant charging which, unlike older inductive wireless charging technologies, provides consistent power and efficiency even when coils are substantially misaligned. It enables Clearpath’s robots to recharge within a consistent amount of time to maintain duty cycles.

“We can definitely navigate to well within wireless tolerances, ensuring reliable charging even in difficult environmental conditions,” Edwards added.

When charging challenges heat up

Environments don’t get much more rugged than in the desert, where OnSight Technology sends robots to monitor vast solar arrays. The company helps energy clients solve some big challenges, including labor shortages. It’s difficult to find skilled people to inspect solar panels in remote, inhospitable areas.

OnSight’s uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs) weigh than a quarter-ton,. They trundle along rows of panels conducting close examinations at ground level with a radiometric thermal imaging camera and an optical zoom camera. The AI-enabled devices use visual learning to verify installation crews’ work and then monitor the panels for damage after they leave.

Telltale hot spots on the back of a panel indicate that after long periods generating solar power in the harsh desert environment, something has gone awry. The key is to identify the issues that would require an expensive immediate engineer site visit.

“Every time they roll the truck, they’re going to just focus on the most critical issues,” said Graham Ryland, chief operating officer at OnSight. “Some issues look critical from the air but are really just a little dirt.”

On the other hand, a faulty connector could lead to thermal runaway and set panels alight. That could shut down the panels, creating costly production outages. The robots help to avoid that while balancing the cost of truck rolls.

OnSight’s UGV has a thermal camera and an optical zoom camera to detect and report anomalies on solar farms. Source: WiBotic

Safety is key for UGVs

Safety and reliability when charging are key for OnSight’s desert robots, explained Ryland.

“Our robot cannot be a cause for concern, but using electrical contacts in the desert is dangerous,” he said. Companies using them must build expensive, cumbersome shacks with closing doors to avoid sparks from the contacts causing fires.

Because wireless charging is contactless, there is no danger of arcing, eliminating the need for enclosed docking stations. Instead, the robot simply pulls up to an outdoor charging panel and accesses wireless power automatically.

“Onboard CANBus communication with the wireless charging system allows OnSight to remotely confirm charging success and monitor the health and performance of batteries over time,” said Ryland.

“One of the greatest features we found with WiBotic is the thermal backoff,” he noted. Charging a battery when it’s too hot or cold can damage it. This could be a problem in extreme day and night desert conditions.

However, charge voltage and current can be manually or programmatically adjusted based on those environmental conditions using WiBotic software that monitors and manages all charging stations and onboard chargers in real time.

“That level of intelligent charging greatly improves battery longevity,” Ryland said. “It has been critical for us.”

OnSight’s UGV, fitted with an onboard charger, approaches a wireless transmitter. Source: WiBotic

Easy charger deployment another benefit

Wireless charging in remote environments carries another benefit: charging ubiquity.

“The fact that we’re able to put wireless chargers just about anywhere and pull up to it and wirelessly connect without any electrical contacts has enabled us to deploy quickly,” Ryland says. Robots can increase their 25-sq.-mi. (64.7-sq.-km) range by traveling between chargers rather than returning home to an original charger at the day’s end.

“We primarily charge at night, but if we’re close to a charger, we’ll charge in the afternoon for a couple of hours when the sun tracking modules are flat and hard to inspect,” he explained.

Use cases like these are just the beginning for an outdoor robotics market that was worth over $150 million in 2022, according to Global Market Insights. That market could expand at a 16% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to reach more than $600 million in 2032, it said.

At WiBotic, we also see big opportunities in construction, where robots will clean sites, capture high-quality photo and video, and mark foundations for walls.

Other applications range from the familiar to the enormously challenging. One of our customers uses wireless chargers to juice up shopping carts that have fully digital displays. Those carts might operate indoors, but they still receive some punishing treatment from shoppers who crash them into other carts in the return corral, leave them outside, etc.

At the other end of the scale, WiBotic has worked with Astrobotic to build wireless chargers for lunar rovers to support NASA’s Artemis program to put humans on the moon for the first time in over half a century. That’s surely one of the most remote, unforgiving environments of all.

Astrobotic’s CubeRover is a modular vehicle designed to provide affordable mobility for scientific instruments and other payloads to operate on the surface of the moon. Source: WiBotic

What challenges or applications for rugged robotics can you suggest that might benefit from wireless charging? Let us know at info@wibotic.com.

About the author

Matt Carlson is vice president of business development at WiBotic. This article is posted with permission.

The post Charging challenges can be solved for rugged robotics appeared first on The Robot Report.

WiBotic, a Seattle-based company developing wireless charging and power optimization solutions for robots, is partnering with Nabtesco Corporation. Nabtesco, a leading Japanese engineering company that specializes in gearboxes, rotors, motors and robotics, is now selling WiBotic’s wireless charging solutions in Japan.

WiBotic systems provide mobile robots with greater range, flexibility and reliability than contact-based charging systems. They also require less human intervention and maintenance. Power delivery is flexible to within several centimeters of WiBotic’s wireless transmitter to help robots recharge and improve overall uptime.

WiBotic said there has been “rapid growth” in the Japanese wireless charging sector. The company said it expects unit sales to more than triple in the next four years. Japan, which is responsible for 40% of robot sales worldwide, just held its iREX event in Tokyo. The show had 654 exhibitors demoing different robotics technologies. Here are our 6 robotics trends from iREX.

“Japan is home to many of the world’s leading robotics companies and manufacturers, and Nabtesco is a true pioneer within the industry,” said Ben Waters, co-founder and CEO, WiBotic. “The Japanese market for wireless power solutions is positioned for rapid growth, and to meet demand, Nabtesco has been looking for a strategic partner to deliver innovative solutions. We’re thrilled they’ve selected us, and we look forward to working with them closely in the future.”

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Earlier in 2023, WiBotic introduced PowerPad Pro, a stand-alone platform that automatically charges drones without physical connection points, while wirelessly transferring flight data, images and video.

WiBotic also won a 2023 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award for its wireless charging technology. It made the wireless charging and controls communication available for Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS). Because of their slow charging speed, batteries might not be practical for storing power in an ASRS, and the usual solution, super-capacitors, requires direct contact with electrical plates to charge. Instead, WiBotic uses a wireless power system that can also allow data to be sent between the charging station and shuttle over the wireless power system’s existing control radios.

The post WiBotic’s wireless charging tech for robots heads to Japan appeared first on The Robot Report.