Precision is a critical requirement for most industrial manipulation tasks. In fact, it could be said that precision and repeatability are the two driving forces that make the industrial automation process successful. 

Manipulator arms are a common part of the industrial landscape to automate heavy, repetitive or dangerous tasks. What is new here is the technological advancement of robot manipulators, both in terms of software and hardware.

Today, the applications of a robot manipulator include a multitude of precision tasks such as assembly, welding, material or parts manipulation, screwing, polishing and many more. Here you can see some real-life use cases of mobile manipulation in different areas. 

Robotnik is a pioneer in developing mobile manipulation for industry, available in the portfolio. This article gives an overview of the current developments and applications of mobile manipulator robots.

Each application requires specific characteristics. Typically, for a mobile manipulator intended to perform precision tasks, the following points should be considered:

Robotnik’s mobile manipulator robots have been developed to perform collaborative precision applications in various industries including automotive, aerospace, agriculture or general logistics environments. Some examples of tasks that mobile manipulators can perform:

One of the main advantages of mobile manipulation is the reduction of the risk for people to be exposed to toxic substances, radiation, adverse environmental conditions or tasks that present some level of risk.

The different types of manipulators in robotics play a key role in performing tasks in hazardous environments, where the safety and protection of workers is a priority. These environments can include potentially hazardous industries by the nature of their activity such as nuclear, chemical and oil, disaster and emergency situations or just tedious or heavy tasks within any manufacturing environment.

Thus, a mobile manipulator can effectively perform a variety of tasks in hazardous environments such as inspecting structures, handling toxic materials, repairing equipment or manipulating heavy loads.

Its ability to operate remotely or autonomously is another advantage as it allows operators to control mechanical manipulators from a safe location, minimizing the risk of exposure.

Artificial Intelligence’s contribution to manipulator arms is significant, but it is even greater when it comes to mobile manipulators.

Integrating AI into a manipulator arm means that it can improve the ability to perceive, identify and recognise objects, people or other elements in the environment more accurately. This is especially useful in applications such as the manipulation of unknown objects or safe interaction with humans. 

On the other hand, mobile manipulators have been conceived to work in various locations, moving in open or unstructured spaces. AI increases the robot’s autonomy, its ability to react to unforeseen events and the adaptive learning framework that ultimately makes the acquisition of more intelligent behaviors feasible. 

By combining the advanced processing power of AI with the mobility and manipulation skills of robots, complex tasks can be performed autonomously and efficiently.

AI facilitates mobile manipulators to make real-time decisions based on sensory data and predictive models, dynamically adapting to changing environments and unforeseen situations. This is essential for autonomous navigation, as robots must be able to avoid obstacles, plan optimal routes and make safe decisions even in dynamic environments.

Mobile manipulators are improving their precision thanks to the development of Artificial Intelligence. This results in an increase of tasks that mobile manipulator robots can perform more autonomously and intelligently, even in hazardous environments.  

Let Robotnik’s mobile manipulators make your work easier.