In this Autonomous Mobile Robotics Week session designed for those new to autonomous mobile robotics systems, attendees will be provided with an introduction to AMRs and enabling technologies, as well as a review of mobile robotics system types and common applications for which they are used. Case studies will be provided to illustrate the many ways AMRs are being utilized to flexibly automate many manufacturing, logistics and other industrial operations.

• AMR Types and Demand Drivers
• AMR Features and Capabilities
• Representative Products
• Case Studies
• Safety and Standards
• New Enablers
• What’s Next

There are several issues to consider when deploying autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) into a facility. Obvious factors, such as payload capacity, speed, agility, and battery life are typically top of mind, but there are many other issues to consider as well. A successful implementation requires a tight customer engagement to clearly understand objectives, as well as productive design reviews so that customized solutions can be deployed that achieve ROI objectives. In this Autonomous Mobile Robots Week roundtable discussion, Jay Judkowitz, VP, Product at OTTO Motors, will discusses the key components – beyond the physical robot - that are often overlooked when selecting and implementing an AMR solution. He will share the critical lessons learned from customer deployments, along with helpful tips and important decision criteria that will ensure your AMR implementation is successful the first time out, and that will deliver valuable results for your organization.

Speaker:

• Jay Judkowitz, VP, Product, OTTO Motors

Logistics centers are aggressively adopting autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to support fulfillment operations. But other types of industry sectors, too, can benefit from the smart, flexible automation that AMRs provide. Case in point, manufacturing facilities where the movement of objects and material within warehouse environments.

For many manufacturing considering AMRs, questions remain… are they productive as advertised, are they cost effective, can they be integrated with other automation technology, can they be scaled? In this Autonomous Mobile Robotics Week roundtable session, a series of case studies of AMR installations in manufacturing environments will provide answers to these questions (and more).

Commercial class autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are widely available at this time for use in indoor environments, both as dedicated solutions for specific applications, and as “open”, customizable platforms designed to serve a variety of needs. These systems autonomously navigate operational environments while carrying some type of payload or sensor package suitable to their application.

At this time, there exists a rapidly growing number of companies who have adopted autonomous mobile robots in their warehouses and distribution centers, where they have delivered real business value as an efficient, robust and flexible solution for many applications. Many of these firms deployed AMRs on a trial or project basis, and are now considering more strategic, scaled rollouts. For non-adopters, too, the issue of scaling AMRs from pilot projects to autonomous fleets is a key concern. In this In this Autonomous Mobile Robotics Week roundtable discussion, attendees with learn from solutions providers and industry experts about critical AMR scaling challenges and solutions. Topics include:

• Integration with existing infrastructure
• Interoperation with existing automation processes
• Configuration and deployment
• Fleet management and pick optimization
• Safety, security and control
• Failover and intervention management
• Monitoring, auditing and analytics

While there has been much discussion about autonomous mobile robots for industrial work, the technology is still in the relatively early stages of adoption. The systems differ on their approaches for common applications, as well as the business and service models employed by the companies offering them. So too, AMR offerings utilize different enabling technologies and methods to perform their tasks. Issues related to deployment, integration and scalability also come into play. Taken together, these issues (and more) make evaluating mobile systems problematic, a situation that is exacerbated by rapid, ongoing technological innovation.

In this Autonomous Mobile Robotics Week session, attendees will come to understand the most critical differentiators among AMR offerings, as well as their suitability for different application classes. Topic areas covered will include:

• Mapping and Navigation
• Communication and Security
• Power and Power Management
• Fleet Management and Control
• Example Use Cases

To increase the efficiency of their operations while simultaneously reducing costs, forward thinking companies have adopted autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to automate the movement of materials and goods environments. Another key feature of AMRs is their ability to operate safely in peopled, in dynamic environments. To ensure high levels of safe operation, safety standards have been put in place. But the standards can be complex, and they vary from location to location. In addition, there are issues not addressed by formal standards. In this session, a panel of leading robotics safety experts will review most critical issues for the safe operation of autonomous mobile robots, including standards efforts, risk assessments, best practices and safety technologies.

Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) have proven themselves in the field, providing real business value for delivery, material transportation, remote sensing, and other applications on the factory floor, in warehouses and distribution centers, as well as in public places such as airports and retail stores. With this success, AMR deployments have increased rapidly, with early pilot projects giving way to deployments of multi-robot systems, and now onto AMR fleets. To ensure that collections of autonomous systems operate cooperatively, efficiently and safely, it is critical that fleet management technology be adopted and utilized. In this Autonomous Mobile Robotics Week session, attendees with learn how cloud-based fleet management solutions provide support for AMR monitoring, control, scheduling, simulation, and optimization, and by doing so reduce overall system costs, increase robustness and enhance safe operation.

For many manufacturing considering AMRs, questions remain… are they productive as advertised, are they cost effective, can they be integrated with other automation technology, can they be scaled? In this Autonomous Mobile Robotics Week roundtable session, a series of case studies of AMR installations in manufacturing environments will provide answers to these questions (and more).