By Nicolas Lehment, senior principal system architect, NXP Semiconductors
Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and wheeled mobile robots currently dominate factories and warehouses, following magnetic stripes or optical markers permanently embedded in warehouse flooring to navigate routes.
As requirements evolve, however, wheels are simply not enough. Demand is growing for machines capable of navigating more challenging, human-centric environments, such as hospitals, restaurants, homes, and even rugged outdoor terrain.
In such environments, perfectly flat floors, free from steps and stairs, along with conspicuous, clutter-free aisles, are luxuries. [Read more…] about When wheels won’t do: Humanoid robots for human-centric spaces