The 6 major advantages of Cobots Mobiles Meanwhile

I. Their autonomous navigation

Meanwhile mobile cobots are able to navigate in complex environments, in the presence of personnel, handling equipment, the general public, while ensuring optimal efficiency in their transport.

This navigation is possible thanks to their Artificial Intelligence specialized in indoor navigation, called SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping) allowing them both to locate themselves at any time and to dynamically avoid any obstacle that would not have been mapped.

Users can then refocus on their tasks with the highest added value while the mobile Cobots take care of delivering the products from one station to another.

II. Their safety

The safety of Meanwhile robots is ensured by:

– Their design, designed to have no sharp corners, pinch points or protruding edges, thus ensuring maximum intrinsic safety.

– Optimal agility and maneuverability, they are able to turn on their own, also in very narrow environments.

– Their safety sensors, allowing efficient and safe navigation in all conditions:

  • A safety laser scanner, located 200mm from the ground
  • A “foot detection” laser scanner located 60mm from the ground. This sensor allows the mobile cobot to detect and circumvent any obstacle located at ground level.
  • A row of sonars located on the back of the mobile cobot. These sensors allow a safe backward movement of the mobile cobot.
  • Vertical laser scanners, making it possible to create two vertical planes on either side of the mobile cobot. It can then reliably detect any overhanging object located in a different plane from the horizontal scanners (extinguishers, electrical cabinet, operator tables, etc.) as well as any slope in the ground. This data is used during navigation and allows the mobile cobot to move optimally between obstacles in complex environments.

Thus, all the products offered by Meanwhile are CE certified in their entirety. Beyond the legal CE marking of the mobile cobot, Meanwhile also undertakes to conduct a complete risk analysis of the solution provided, taking into account the environment in which mobile cobots operate. Meanwhile provides this Risk Analysis as a deliverable of the application, thus ensuring complete transparency on safety and environmental aspects.

III. Their ergonomics

Meanwhile equips its cobots with an on-board Human-Machine Interface allowing easy and intuitive interaction with operators.

It allows in particular to:

  • Know the status of the mobile cobot
  • Interact with the mobile cobot, modify the mission(s) in progress, the configuration of the communication channels, etc.
  • Manipulate the mobile cobot in maintenance mode (subject to different levels of access)

IV. Their autonomy

Thanks to an algorithm developed with the aim of maintaining a constant load level of the fleet, Meanwhile offers its customers the opportunity to adopt the opportunistic loading strategy. In other words, as soon as the robot encounters a sufficiently long period of inactivity, it will take advantage of this period of time to charge punctually, to the nearest charging station. In this way, it is possible to have 24/7 availability of Meanwhile mobile cobots.

V. Their communication

Meanwhile facilitates the exchange of information between the client’s autonomous mobile robotic solution and their existing hardware.

VI. Their fleet manager

The implementation of several mobile robots requires the integration of a Fleet Manager. This element allows the management and coordination of mobile cobots in their environment.

Optimized efficiency: Intelligent assignment of missions, coordinated movements of mobile cobots, traffic control…

Maximized availability: Automatic updating of configurations and maps, management of fleet load levels, etc.

Improved flexibility: easier integration with existing production management systems, administration of the capacities of each mobile cobot, etc.