A young team for a mobile cobot Made in Italy
Having completed the testing phase, AutomationWare, thanks to the efforts made by a team of young engineers, is ready to launch new mobile collaborative robotics solutions entirely managed on ROS: customers will be able to choose between different AMRs and combine them with the
AW-Tube modular cobot to create a highly customised solution in a short time.
AutomationWare has established scalability as the main feature of its robotics solutions, both in terms of hardware and software, without overlooking safety, ease of integration and use, fundamental characteristics for current and future collaborative robotics. By combining its robotics and mechatronics solutions (robotic junctions, actuators, axes, mobile robots, drives and motors), the company is able to guarantee a totally customised project based on real production needs, from collaborative robots built by calibrating the work area and payload to the customer’s needs to more complex robotic systems. The EtherCAT bus connection ensures very low latency and easy integration with existing automation.
The entire robot cell can be managed by a single motion planner, ROS (Robot Operating System). This offers tools to virtualise the entire robot cell and pre-emptively simulate the behaviour of the cobot in the workspace, as well as advanced motion planners for motion planning, kinematic problem solving and collision avoidance. It is an open and flexible platform, constantly being updated, which enables the design and redesign of even complex robotic systems in a relatively simple and fast way, bypassing the criticalities of proprietary software and accelerating their integration into existing factory layouts.
An Italian mobile managed on ROS
AutomationWare offers a range of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) to meet the growing demands of intralogistics optimisation in various industrial contexts, from food and pharma to automotive. Combined with the cobots of the AW-Tube series, which are scalable and highly customisable in the payload to work area ratio, they offer a solution to optimise production and manage operations which are critical for humans.
Combining the AW-MPO700 AMRs with the AW-Tube 18, the team of young AutomationWare engineers (average age 27) designed a mobile cobot made in Italy, a seven-axis system entirely managed on ROS that can reach speeds of up to 0.9 m/s and a positioning accuracy of 3 mm. The arm with integrated safety PLC can reach a stroke of 1,800 mm and lift weights of around 20-25 kg at its maximum extension.
LIDAR sensors, vision systems and artificial intelligence allow the AMR to perceive its surroundings and move through them, choosing the best route and dynamically avoiding people and obstacles for fully autonomous operation and maximum safety for persons and objects. Vacuum grippers and 360° swivel wheels allow extremely precise movements and positioning. Connection is provided by industrial Wi-Fi, through three TÜV-certified channels.
The RoboVu™ software will enable real-time communication between the robot and its virtual version in ROS via the EtherCAT fieldbus systems present in each junction. By simply installing the RoboVu™ application on any PC, tablet or smartphone, it will be possible to monitor the robot’s activity, issue commands or solve problems, minimising delays and latencies, for immediate and intuitive management of the entire robot cell without the need for an on-board cabinet. The research and development activity will soon lead to new solutions able to optimise production and intralogistics for companies of all sizes and sectors in a fast, flexible and user-friendly way, guaranteeing a rapid return on investment.