Weighpack subsidiary, Karter, has introduced three new agile autonomous mobile robot (AMR) solutions with super fast charging capabilities, targeted at a wide range of applications – from intralogistics and manufacturing to agriculture and the transportation of heavy products and components.
Capable of operating for eight hours after just ten minutes of charging, the new Karter AMRs are highly agile and simple to integrate into a site’s existing operations and are the first result of the company’s close technical partnership with BlueBotics. The vehicles are driven by BlueBotics’ ANT natural feature navigation and, as a result, do not require any permanent changes to be made to a site’s infrastructure –
such as the laying of magnetic tape, or installing reflective targets – for them to operate effectively.
Patrick van Tiel, commercial manager for AMRs at Karter, comments: “These Karter AMRs are the future of material handling. They reduce a company’s reliance on human resources to carry out repetitive, labour-intensive tasks, and they can help lower costs and increase safety, ensuring tasks are carried out predictably and reliably every time.”
The three Karter AMRs include the Karter Kompakt robot, which is an automated pallet truck, capable of carrying payloads of up to 1,500kg; the Karter Lyft is an autonomous low-lift (500mm) forklift robot capable of transporting pallets weighing up to 1,000kg; and the Karter Mono is a highly efficient AMR workhorse capable of transporting a wide range of payloads, such as roller cages and boxes weighing up to 1,500kg.
All the systems are also fully interoperable and can either be used alone, or as a fully-connected AMR fleet, even with ANT-driven vehicles that use BlueBotics ANT server software. Indeed, the ANT server’s API can be used to connect a Karter installation to a site’s existing WMS/MES/ERP software and to seamlessly interface with equipment, such as automatic doors and elevators.
Dr Nicola Tomatis, CEO at BlueBotics, added: “These Karters bring a new level of flexibility and agility to the AMR market. They are highly compact, can recharge in no time, and thanks to the ANT navigation technology inside them they are accurate, reliable, quick to commission, and fleet-ready, immediately.”
Biog
Will joined Fastener + Fixing Magazine in 2007 and over the last 15 years has experienced every facet of the fastener sector - interviewing key figures within the industry and visiting leading companies and exhibitions around the globe.
Will manages the content strategy across all platforms and is the guardian for the high editorial standards that the Magazine is renowned.
