ABB ROBOTICS launched its rebranded Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) series following the acquisition of ASTI Mobile Robotics in 2021, noting it is the only company with a comprehensive and integrated offering of robots, AMRs, and machine automation.
“This is a gamechanger for our customers,” according to Marc Segura, president for ABB’s Robotics Division. “They can work with one partner offering everything they need to adapt to the opportunities and challenges driven by individualization, labor shortages, and disrupted supply chains, and our rebranding underscores the simplicity and benefit of the integrated solutions we offer to our customers.”
ASTI Mobile Robotics’ solutions are now grouped under the Flexley™ name, indicating the flexibility of operations that the AMRs offer. The first models to be released, Flexley Tug and Flexley Mover, cover applications including towing, trolley transportation up-to 2,000 kg, as well as lifting and transporting racks, containers, and pallets of 1,500 kg.
Building on ASTI’s use of laser scanner-based 2D SLAM navigation, ABB autonomous mobile robots also will benefit from pioneering VSLAM technology of Seven Sense Robotics – a Swiss start-up in ABB’s portfolio of partner companies – that enables mobile robots to navigate complex and dynamic environments. This technology opens new possibilities for flexible manufacturing - AI that makes ABB’s AMRs as autonomous as its robotic arms, while making work more productive and safer for people.
“The market for autonomous mobile robots is set to grow significantly, with an annual growth rate of approximately 24% between 2021 and 2028*,” according to Verónica Pascual, global head of AMR business at ABB Robotics. “The integration of the ASTI AMR range and the creation of our global manufacturing and support network means we are well placed to address this growth, providing our customers with new ways to tackle their supply chain challenges and meet demands for greater flexibility and speed created by the continued rise in e-commerce.”
ABB has worked with strategic partner Expert Technology Group in the U.K. to deliver a complete assembly line based on AMRs for a technological start-up producing revolutionary products for EV vehicle drivetrains. Transporting products between robotic automation cells and manual assembly stations.
Learn more at amr.robotics.abb.com
