Looking like a cross between R2D2 from “Star Wars” and Number 5 from “Short Circuit”, ADAM, the newest robot from RMT Robotics was rolled out, literally, during this year’s PROMAT trade show in Chicago.
ADAM, an anagram for “Autonomous Delivery and Manipulation”, is a highly dynamic autonomous mobile robot (AMR) that is designed to improve productivity by robotically transporting work-in-processes and finished materials between manual work cells or islands of automation, according to its manufacturer.
What Makes ADAM Different
In plain English, that means it can carry materials through your warehouse, manufacturing facility or other workplace without being tethered to cables or being constantly controlled by an operator. What’s more, ADAM can “talk” to the other machines in your facility, including the computers that operate production lines and assembly systems, so that it can know exactly when it is needed, what it needs to do, and where it should go next.
Although earlier versions of ADAM have been available since 2005, this year’s model includes features that make it more adaptable and dependable than ever before. It’s unique shape also gives ADAM the ability to fit into spaces where traditional Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), cannot go.
US Slower to Embrace Robots
AGV technology like ADAM has already taken over many traditional manufacturing jobs overseas, reducing labor costs and increasing productivity, but in the US companies have been slower to catch on to their benefits, according to Bill Torrens, RMT’s director of sales and marketing.
“Go into these manufacturers in the third world and its like stepping into Oz,” Torrens told Materials Handling & Logistics, an online newsletter. “You see German, American and Japanese manufacturing technology making parts and a zillion people pushing these parts around.”
Part of the problem, Torrens said, is that US companies are reluctant to invest in automation unless it can show a return on investment through savings. But technology should be viewed as a money-making proposition, not a money saving plan, he said.
“Generally speaking, labor displacement with AGVs often represents only 60% of their return on investment,” Torrens said. “The remainder has to come from efficiency improvements. Why do a lot of manufacturers not apply AGV technologies? Typically, they might have tried AGVs for fixed path and old style traffic management and that technology didn’t work for them.”
Next Generation Robot Workers
But robots like ADAM represent a quantum leap in AGV technology for four reasons:
1. Feature-based localization allows each robot to know where it is in relation to other objects in the workplace
2. Dynamic path timing lets ADAM decide for itself how to get where it’s going and how to navigate around obstacles
3. Autonomous traffic management allows ADAM to “talk” to other machines and orchestrate its movement around the building according to the most efficient routes
4. Power management tells ADAM when it needs to recharge.
ADAM and AGVs like it will likely play an important role in the future of manufacturing and warehouse operations during the coming decades.