Feature: Robots
Battery
requirements for next- generation mobile robots
By Michele Windsor, Marketing Manager, Accutronics
M
obile robots in the form of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) have existed for nearly two decades, but a topical innovation in the sector is creating new power requirements the battery market must respond to. Once, mobile robots were limited to
warehousing and logistics roles. New advances in collaborative robots (cobots) have introduced production-ready mobile machines with payloads of over 1000lbs. T e trend has been a game changer for companies like Kuka, Omron and Clearpath, which have already introduced very advanced systems, in use across North America, Asia and Europe. Robots such as Kuka’s KMR iiwa and Clearpath’s OTTO are best thought
of as AGVs with autonomous navigation and a conventional six-axis robot mounted on top, allowing the machine to be easily repurposed around the plant. T ey are oſt en fi tted with crane-like stabiliser arms, allowing the robot to fi x in place and provide a stable platform.
Autonomous nature T e autonomous nature of modern mobile robots is another game changer. Conventional AGVs follow tracks around the plant, which can be old-style tram-like magnetic lines or advanced honeycomb-style high-speed systems. Autonomous robots respond to their environments by gathering data in
real time and then continuously making decisions about their tasks. Earlier models reliably follow a single route, whereas newer models actively change direction and purpose as required. Keeping AGVs entirely mobile requires portable power, usually batteries.
T ere are two diff erent options available for charging the batteries: opportunity charging or battery exchange. Opportunity charging requires AGVs to work in shiſt s, returning to a charging station several times a day. On the other hand, battery exchange is ideal for getting an AGV back into action quickly, as fully-charged batteries are substituted for depleted ones, manually or automatically. With so many options available, it is no wonder that autonomous mobile
robots were one of the key themes of 2019’s Automate trade show in Chicago, the US. T e trend is so signifi cant that the next Automate show, due in 2021 in Detroit, is expected to be dominated by a new-generation mobile robots.
Autonomous robots respond to their environments by gathering data in real time and then making decisions about their tasks – throughout their workday
Running on batteries Generally, the AGV base and the industrial robot mounted on it use the same battery. As a result, an AGV that might have a run-time of twelve hours can fi nd that cut in half because the robot is also using it. Fortunately, this is not a health or safety problem, since current robots
automatically freeze on the spot when interrupted, at what is then their next starting point, rather than attempting to return to a specifi cally-defi ned starting position. Nevertheless, this could become a problem as more robots are introduced, especially from less established players in the market, the danger being that future iterations will not share that safety backup. T e rapidly-changing world of robotics, where mounted mobile robots
were a fi ction just a few years ago, means that battery manufacturers have to develop power solutions just as rapidly. At Accutronics, we off er the Accupro custom design and manufacturing service, which allows us to work with mobile robot manufacturers to deliver exactly what suits their requirements – from footprint to volume power density.
42 September/October 2020
www.electronicsworld.co.uk
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