In today’s era of mass customization, enterprises operating within the ‘high mix low volume’ (HMLV) production model must embrace adaptable manufacturing systems to thrive. As demand for customized offerings continues to rise, conventional industrial robots may prove inadequate due to their rigidity and the considerable expenses involved in reconfiguration for diverse tasks. An effective alternative lies in leveraging mobile manipulators, which integrate autonomous mobile robots (AMR) with agile collaborative robot arms (cobots). As per Inkwood Research, the global autonomous mobile manipulator robots (AMMR) market is set to garner a revenue of $3071.73 million by 2032 and register a CAGR of 23.42% during 2024-2032.
Furthermore, the demand for mobile manipulator robots is fueled by the necessity for manufacturing to swiftly adapt to evolving environmental and technological factors. This entails efficient reconfiguration and frequent modification of system components.
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This blog enlists the recent strategic launches and developments in the global autonomous mobile manipulator robots (AMMR) market.
Global Autonomous Mobile Manipulator Robots (AMMR) Market: Strategic Launches
- Collaborative Robotics Closes its Series B Funding at $100 Million
On 10th April 2024, Collaborative Robotics, also known as Cobot, announced the successful closure of its Series B funding round, securing $100 million for the commercialization of its autonomous mobile manipulator. This round was led by General Catalyst and included participation from Bison Ventures, Industry Ventures, and Lux Capital. Notably, existing investors such as Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures, Mayo Clinic, Neo, 1984 Ventures, MVP Ventures, and Calibrate Ventures also contributed, bringing the total funding raised to over $140 million in less than two years. Additionally, Cobot welcomed industry leader Teresa Carlson as an Advisor.
Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Cobot is focused on developing autonomous mobile manipulators that can efficiently and safely collaborate with human workers across various manufacturing, supply chain, and healthcare settings. This addresses the same tasks that humanoid robots are currently being positioned for.
Founded in 2022 by Brad Porter, a distinguished engineer and the former Amazon VP of Robotics, the Cobot team comprises experts in robotics and AI from leading companies such as Amazon, Apple, Meta, Google, Microsoft, NASA, and Waymo. The fresh capital injection will facilitate team expansion with top-tier talent and drive forward commercial deployment efforts. Notably, Paul Kwan, Managing Director at General Catalyst, will join Alfred Lin from Sequoia Capital on Collaborative Robotics’ Board of Directors.
Says Brad Porter, CEO and founder of Collaborative Robotics, “Getting our first robots in the field earlier this year, coupled with today’s investment, are major milestones as we bring cobots with human-level capability into the industries of today. We see a virtuous cycle where more robots in the field lead to improved AI and a more cost-effective supply chain. This funding will help us accelerate getting more robots into the real world.” (Source)
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- PAL Robotics’ Latest Launch is A Mobile Manipulator with Sophisticated Human-Robot Interaction Capabilities
From 29th May to 2nd June 2023, PAL Robotics unveiled the TIAGo Pro Edition robot at ICRA 2023, held at ExCeL London. This advanced robot boasts torque-controllable arms capable of reaching objects on various surfaces, including floors and high shelves, accredited to its enhanced mobile manipulation capabilities. Equipped with cutting-edge features such as a touchscreen face, facial recognition, multilingual speech capabilities, and a chatbot, the TIAGo Pro Edition also offers omnidirectional movement, including side-to-side motion.
Incorporating ROS 2 compatibility, PAL Robotics has enriched the robot’s expressiveness, enabling users to generate a spectrum of eye expressions—ranging from happiness to skepticism—and seamlessly direct the robot’s gaze and eye movements in a natural manner. Furthermore, the robot excels in facial and skeletal recognition, featuring state-of-the-art offline speech recognition in over 20 languages, along with an advanced chatbot engine.
Derived from the acclaimed TIAGo robot initially developed by PAL Robotics in 2015, the TIAGo Pro Edition represents the latest evolution in robotic technology. Positioned as the newest addition to the TIAGo robot family, which includes customizable variants with one or two arms and/or a touchscreen interface, the TIAGo Pro Edition builds upon its predecessor’s success as a preferred platform for robotics research in European universities and research institutions.
PAL Robotics actively participates in various research initiatives within the European Union, including AGIMUS (focused on robots supporting humans in agile manufacturing) and CANOPIES (aimed at robots collaborating with humans in vineyards). These projects will serve as early adopters, leveraging the advanced capabilities of the TIAGo Pro Edition to drive innovation and efficiency in their respective domains. (Source)
Autonomous Mobile Manipulator Robot Market (AMMR) Future: There is Scope for Improvement
Autonomous mobile manipulator robots represent a recent advancement in the robotics sector, combining the manipulation capabilities of a robotic arm with the mobility features of a mobile platform. This innovative system expands the reach and functionality of manipulators, opening doors to automate tasks previously carried out manually. Despite its potential benefits, integrating these systems entails complexity, substantial upfront costs, and unresolved safety and security concerns, which currently limit their adoption primarily to the manufacturing industry.
For example, at Grundfos in Sweden, the omniRob robot efficiently navigates the shop floor to retrieve parts and delivers them to the Little Helper robot for assembly. Utilizing a press and performing quality control checks through image capture, the Little Helper robot ensures precise assembly. Subsequently, the finished rotor is placed in a small load carrier and transported back to the warehouse by the omniRob. This specific use case, named TAPAS, demands the mobile manipulator to navigate autonomously without the need for markers while efficiently managing dynamic obstacles. Opportunities for enhancement exist in optimizing behavior for long-distance travel, maneuvering in confined spaces, and determining optimal approach trajectories for endpoints.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face particular challenges in adopting mobile manipulator technology due to limited resources. However, these systems offer significant potential to enhance competitiveness and profitability across various industries. Such aspects will direct the global autonomous mobile manipulator robots (AMMR) market.
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FAQs:
What are the main benefits of implementing Autonomous Mobile Manipulator Robots (AMMRs) in industrial settings?
A: Implementing AMMRs in industrial settings offers a range of benefits. Firstly, they enhance operational efficiency by performing tasks autonomously, reducing the need for manual labor and minimizing errors. Secondly, AMMRs can adapt to changing production demands quickly, allowing businesses to be more agile and responsive.
How do Autonomous Mobile Manipulator Robots (AMMRs) integrate into existing manufacturing systems?
A: Integrating AMMRs into existing manufacturing systems is a flexible and customizable process. Typically, AMMRs are equipped with sensors and AI algorithms that enable them to navigate and interact with their environment safely. They can be programmed to perform specific tasks autonomously or controlled remotely by operators.