More and more robots such as Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) will be equipped with Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM), a technology that helps robots map their surroundings and position themselves in them, in the coming years. Some 15 million commercial and industrial robots are expected to be equipped with SLAM by 2030.
This predicts research firm ABI Research. AGVs have been used for years in factories, warehouses and fulfilment centres, among others. The robotic vehicles drive autonomously around such facilities, for which they sometimes require special infrastructure depending on the model. However, AGVs are getting smarter and are increasingly evolving into Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR), according to ABI Research.
New generation of industrial robots
AMRs are described by the research firm as a new generation of industrial robots capable of autonomously determining their route and automating processes on the factory floor. Among other things, the robots can react to unexpected situations, detect obstacles and find a route around them.
Ensuring that activities on the factory floor are properly coordinated and collisions between AMRs, AGVs and humans are avoided requires a system that can determine each robot's position in real-time. "In these early years of Industry 4.0, few factories will have set up a Real-Time Location System (RTLS), making it essential for AMSs to dynamically map their own immediate surroundings using SLAM," explains Andrew Zignani, a location technology analyst at ABI Research.
Companies that have already invested in an RTLS can also benefit from SLAM. "Factories that have already deployed an RTLS can combine RTLS and SLAM to deliver valuable Internet of Things (IoT) data to a digital platform to optimise processes and make factories more efficient, leading to faster ROI."
Substantial cost savings
The research firm points to the gains that the deployment of robots can bring. These include substantial cost savings in labour and insurance, as well as improved productivity. To realise these gains, however, intelligent and easily reprogrammable robots are a prerequisite.
As AMRs meet this need, ABI Research expects a sharp increase in the number of AMRs shipped. This form of robots is expected to account for 80% of all commercial robots shipped by 2027. The research firm then expects most industrial robots to be equipped with SLAM in the coming decades.
Sensors and algorithms
SLAM is a technology that uses a variety of sensors to map the environment. The data collected by these sensors is analysed using algorithms. Since the data is huge, it needs to be processed efficiently and with low latency. ABI Research points out that several companies such as Kudan and Accuware are working on SLAM algorithms and have formed partnerships with AMR integrators to develop software solutions. As an example, the research firm cites Pick-It from Intermodalics, a 3D vision-based localisation solution for robots that allows them to identify and pick objects from a shelf.
"The 1920s are taking off with drastic changes in industrial environments. AI, IoT, RTLS and connectivity technologies like 5G interact and complement each other in complex ways, and not all levels of the robotics value chain are ready for this. There are tremendous opportunities in software development yet to be explored, of which SLAM is a big part," Zignani concludes.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source: ABI Research
