Mobile robots from igus reduce costs for SMEs

By OEM Update Editorial May 9, 2024 7:03 pm IST

‘ReBeLs on Wheels’ makes driverless transport systems affordable thanks to modern plastic technology.

Mobile robotic systems are being used in more and more work areas, from e-commerce warehouses to modern restaurants. Conventional models start at around €25,000, while solutions with an integrated robot arm cost approximately €70,000 (prices may vary in your country).

However, widespread use is often unaffordable for small and medium-sized companies because of the high prices. The igus wants to change this with new low-cost robotics offerings and presents a series of low-cost mobile plastic robots at the Hannover Messe.

The market for automated guided vehicles (AGV) and autonomous mobile robots (AMR) is booming: the global market for mobile robotics, including service robotics, currently totals around $20.3 billion, and experts expect this figure to almost double by 2028. Mobile robots are widespread in material handling and industrial applications. And these ‘smart’ helpers are increasingly making their rounds in catering and hospitals. The plastics experts at motion plastics specialist igus have also been successfully testing AGVs in-house for four years – driverless shelves that deliver mail and shipments to offices and mobile robots in production that move transports and rotary stacking containers. The experience gained flows directly into developing a new Low-Cost Automation product line, the “ReBeL on Wheels”. The goal is to pave the way for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to cost-effective mobile robotics.

Mobile ReBeL solutions for education, logistics, and service 

The foundation of any mobile robotic system is the ReBeL. Using plastic makes the robot affordable at €4,970 and, with a net weight of 8.2kg, the lightest service robot with cobot function in its class (prices may vary in your country). Without exception, igus develops and manufactures all mechanical components that make up the ReBeL.

Its payload amounts to 2kg. It has a reach of 664mm. Various moving systems are planned so that the ReBeL is centrally integrated. igus is launching an affordable version for the education sector for €14,699 – including the robot arm (prices may vary in your country). Based on open-source software and equipped with a gripper, the ReBeL EduMove serves as an autonomous learning platform for educational institutions. It has a modular design so that other functions can be added, such as lidar, camera technology, or a slam algorithm. Another version is an automated guided vehicle for SMEs, which can transport up to 30kg. Simple A to B positioning tasks is carried out with the optional ReBeL. It dispenses with expensive sensor technology and instead relies on 3D sensor technology developed in-house. Its price is €17,999 (prices may vary in your country). In addition, igus will be presenting the study of a low-cost service robot in Hanover. The ReBeL Butler is suitable for simple but time-consuming pick-up and delivery services, for instance, in the hotel and catering industry.

A lighthouse project on wheels

The goal of all these developments is the lighthouse project, a mobile robot with integrated HMI and vision that enables it to tidy up an office on its own. Alexander Mühlens, Vice President and Head of the Low-Cost Automation Business Unit at igus explains, “With this project, we are pursuing a bottom-to-top strategy in which certain components such as safety laser scanners are not included in the basic package to keep the price low. Nevertheless, the solution can be retrofit for industrial requirements.” This year, igus will present an affordable gripper with a large stroke and travel that offers a high degree of flexibility when gripping different geometries, among other things. Mühlens says, “The area of application for this planned low-cost AMR are extremely diverse and go far beyond simple transport tasks. They cover many use cases in different areas of life, such as cleaning tasks or serving coffee directly at the workplace.”