How was your robot platform created?
The robot itself is called Eduard, is approx. 40x40x15cm in size and weighs just under 8kg. It was the result of a request from a company to Prof. Stefan May. They wanted a platform for the training and further education of employees in mobile robotics. That is why EduArt Robotik offers, in addition to the robot platform, a teaching and service offer for testing and optimization.
We offer the platform with simple rubber tires, but also with Mecanum wheels. These enable the robot to turn on the spot, move sideways or diagonally. This enables precise positioning and navigation in very tight spaces. The rubber tires are mainly used for testing in outdoor areas or in rescue robotics - but only in predetermined scenarios. The use of high-quality Faulhaber motors is ideal for both applications.

What distinguishes your robot platform?
The platform has open interfaces, an integrated sensor concept with integrated distance and inertial measurement devices and an integrated battery management system (BMS). This basic configuration can be expanded at the customer's request, either by us or by the customer themselves. For example, the customer can choose the transmission ratio of the drive, whether 72:1 or 89:1, depending on the speed or torque required. This allows the customer to test their new concepts cost-efficiently. We also help to implement solutions for specific applications.

How relevant is the use of EduArt in industry?
AGVs and AMR are becoming increasingly important for automation and unfortunately there is little knowledge in companies. The robot platform makes it possible, for example, to test a new sensor system quickly and easily. And since the platform can be expanded almost at will, it can bring the relevant knowledge into production.

Trends for AGVs and AMRs are moving towards more autonomy. They 'become' part of production and operate with production modules instead of conveyor belts. AGVs and AMRs are therefore forced to work together. Do they understand each other?
AGVs and AMRs have the VDA5050 standard interface and can therefore also communicate with the control center. New software can be easily tested by the customer using a platform such as Eduard and the results can then be transferred 1:1 to large AGVs and AMRs. This means that applications can be evaluated without a great deal of simulation work, as the software essentially remains the same, whether in Eduard or in the large system. A digital twin helps with planning and expansion and can be added to the platform on request.

Eduard's drive systems must also meet the future requirements of AGV and AMR concepts. Which drive systems do you use for the platform and why?
We use DC micromotors with precious metal commutation from Faulhaber in our training and PoC platform. Despite their small size, these can generate a large torque and are particularly power-efficient. They are also easy to control and are suitable for high-precision control loops. For larger platforms, we used large DC motors from the same manufacturer to enable a quick proof of concept, for example easy control using our own electronics. If necessary, we then replaced these with BLDC motors for the application, as these are maintenance-free and durable.

Production has long been characterized by decreasing batch sizes and increasing numbers of variants. What impact does this have on logistics and the functionality of AGVs and AMRs?
You need robots for smaller loads, i.e. smaller robots with smaller but more powerful drives, such as the high-quality ones from Faulhaber. These autonomous industrial trucks have reduced electronics and smaller batteries, which means less weight and lower energy consumption. If higher loads are then required, scaling up and working together is no problem, as the robots work together collision-free thanks to high-precision drives.

More functionality requires more complexity in AGVs and AMRs: what is feasible and sensible?
With AGVs and AMRs, only the software is complex. Planning is important so that AGVs can work together with others without any problems. To ensure that they not only recognize pallets, but also see whether they are full or empty or perhaps tilted, the AGV must be as intelligent as possible. This is where AI (artificial intelligence) comes into play. Its use will increase complexity and our small robot is ideal for testing this efficiently.
Another trend is towards larger automated fleets and this requires fleet management. Robots will have to interact with each other, 'think' for themselves, exchange information via standard interfaces and cooperate if necessary. Whether the AGVs/AMRs are small or large, the software is essentially the same; the difference in the programs is only a few lines. The software only needs to know a little about the AMR, e.g. it has to calculate where the robot is located on the floor plan. The navigation, which is one of the few components that knows the dimensions of the robot, then searches for the appropriate path. However, testing is always important because mobile robotics is a young field, which is why there are not yet many standards.

To achieve the required speed, the motor controller calculates how many wheel revolutions are required. Adjusting this requires three lines of program code or a configuration file. Faulhaber supplies motors with high-precision gearboxes and encoders for precise positioning, which together provide optimum performance and safety.

Intralogistics 4.0/Industry 4.0 brings with it the need to network AGVs and AMRs: What about operating via the cloud or rather via the edge? And what about security/hackers?
Depending on the manufacturer, you can make the systems "unhackable" to a certain extent by separating the internet and hardware. Robots have safety scanners with distance sensors to prevent them from hitting the wall. This means that even a hacker attack cannot cause the robot to make any dangerous movements. And the process data in the network is as secure as the company network itself.

The goal for Industry 4.0 is self-organizing, heterogeneous, multimodal systems. These require data exchange between AGVs and AMRs and AI also needs data. What requirements are placed on Faulhaber components here, as they also have to collect and forward data?
This happens via 5G or the company's internal WLAN. The systems do not need the data in real time because the data from the planning is available, e.g. the routes and speeds are available in the system in the route planning and do not change constantly. If the robot drives from one point to the next, a sign of life every few seconds is sufficient. This results in less data traffic so as not to overload the networks. The data itself is collated on the AMR and evaluated there. Encoders record what happens and work with the controllers to ensure safe control.

How safe are AGVs and AMR?
Very safe. If one of the four motors fails, the motor controller recognizes this and stops. If a person enters the travel area, this is detected by the laser scanner and the system brakes. These two safety levels are sufficient.

Where is research still needed for the development of future AGVs and AMRs and how will your test platform change under these requirements? At the same time, the requirements for drives are also increasing. What about the drive of the future?
Robots need to be better networked with each other. For example, four robots working together on a transportation task, according to the motto: many smaller robots instead of one large one. This requires more smaller motors that have to work with absolute precision, otherwise the swarm of robots will stumble or fall out of sync. To improve reliability, encoders must be absolutely fail-safe so that robots are not affected by external interference. Faulhaber therefore sometimes uses two encoders per motor.
If you take the different gearbox variants from Faulhaber with their different lengths and diameters, together with gearboxes, encoders, controllers etc., you can generate 25 million combinations in purely mathematical terms, a considerable proportion of which have already been realized at Faulhaber. Every company will find the optimum drives, even for future applications.