Boston Dynamics and OTTO Motors are demoing their vision of the future of logistics automation. In a video released today, which you can watch above, Boston Dynamics’ Handle robot can be seen picking boxes and building pallets on top of OTTO’s autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in a test environment that resembles a distribution center. Handle uses an on-board vision system to identify and locate boxes. The vision system, called “Pick,” was acquired by Boston Dynamics when it purchased startup Kinema Systems in April 2019. According to Boston Dynamics, Pick integrates high resolution 3D and 2D sensing to locate a wide variety of boxes and features a pick rate of up to 720 boxes per hour.
When Handle was introduced in 2017, it had two robotic arms. Now it only has one arm that has a reach of three meters, a suction gripper, and payload capacity of up to 15 kg. Boston Dynamics said Handle completed proof of concept trials with customers in warehouses last year. It is now working with OTTO Motors to further automate the logistics space. It’s unclear in the video how much of the work is being done autonomously, or if the robots are being controlled by humans off camera. In another sign of its commercialization efforts, Boston Dynamics Founder Marc Raibert stepped down as CEO in October 2019. Raibert spun off the company from the MIT in 1992. Raibert is now Chairman and Founder of the company. He reportedly will continue to help it develop research robots. Robert Playter, who has been with the company since 1994, is now CEO.
Credits:
https://www.therobotreport.com/otto-boston-dynamics-handle-future-warehouse-robotics/
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