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Autonomous pallet-movers ‘solve many automation issues’
The Danish firm MiR (Mobile Industrial Robots) has announced a pallet-moving AMR (autonomous mobile robot) which uses AI (artificial intelligence) to identify, pick up and deliver pallets “with unprecedented precision”. The company says that the MiR1200 Pallet Jack sets new standards for the handling of palletised goods and solves many of the challenges that enterprises face when trying to add automation to complex, dynamic factory and warehouse environments.
The AMR, trained on more than 1.2 million real and synthetic images, combines data from four cameras to allow fast, precise pallet handling. It uses Nvidia’s Jetson AGX Orin AI computing platform to combine feedback from the cameras, as well as 3D LiDAR, to detect obstacles in 3D space, allowing it to navigate spaces autonomously. The Jetson platform provides the computing power needed to handle the large amounts of data in real time.
The pallet jack can modify its route dynamically to avoid obstacles such as loose objects on the floor, raised forks in its path, or overhead obstacles. It can move loads of up to 1,200kg at speeds of up to 1.5m/s and can navigate tight spaces with minimal changes to the existing infrastructure. The AMR’s onboard batteries have a run time of up to eight hours.
“The MiR1200 Pallet Jack is our latest effort to push the boundaries in autonomous material-handling,” says Mads Paulin, MiR’s vice-president of R&D. “We believe that the built-in AI detection system is a significant improvement over older detection technologies. Our approach will reduce pick-and-place cycle times, deliver best-in-class pick accuracy, and allow us to continuously deliver advanced, AI-based functionality.”
The pallet-mover integrates with existing MiR AMR fleets and can inter-operate with its deck-load AMRs. All of the AMRs at a site can be managed and integrated via MiR’s fleet management tool, and monitored and optimised using its MiR Insights software.
“The MiR1200 Pallet Jack complies with the latest product safety standards, including ISO3691-4,” says MiR president, Jean Pierre Hathout. “The fusion of multiple sensor platforms and top-tier safety features provides a much safer alternative to traditional forklifts, pallet trucks and manual pallet jacks.”
As well as MiR’s own software capabilities, the pallet-mover draws on high-payload AMR technologies that have resulted from MiR’s merger in 2022 with AutoGuide, which also owned by Teradyne (as is Universal Robots). The vehicle’s tricycle drive system has been developed in partnership with Logitrans, which has more than 80 years of material-handling experience.
