Mobile robots to use insect-inspired neuromorphic AI
UK startup Opteran Technologies has signed a partnership with global order picking and transportation robot manufacturer Safelog for its neuromorphic AI technology.
Safelog will integrate the Opteran Mind general purpose autonomy product into mobile robots which operate in a range of warehouse and factory settings such as the M4 shown above. This multi-year agreement will enable Safelog to boost productivity from autonomous robots operating in hazardous, dusty environments with dynamic lighting, ever changing obstacles and without GPS by using the event driven AI sensing.
A key objective is to reduce the failure rate of mobile robots due localization errors in existing 2D and 3D LIDAR, and vSLAM solutions which affects productivity. This is exacerbated when hundreds of robots operate together in a warehouse setting because each installation requires an infrastructure consisting of magnetic tracks and QR codes or reflectors, increasing commissioning time and operating costs. Opteran’s localization software enables new projects to be activated quickly and efficiently without additional infrastructure.
“There are a lot of challenges for existing autonomy solutions to overcome in the complex conditions of a warehouse, so we have been amazed by what Opteran Mind can achieve,” said Michael Reicheicher, Managing Director of Safelog which is based in Munich. Germany and supplies mobile robots to Mercedes-Benz.
“Opteran’s technology performs significantly better in our mobile robots, which will be hugely beneficial for our customers. Natural Intelligence, their approach to AI, offers a robust technology that we are confident will differentiate our AMRs in the global market.”
Opteran Mind is based on 10 years of research into insect brains, where the team reverse engineered natural brain algorithms for navigation. The Natural Intelligence model could cost less than $160 USD running on Sony IMX219 cameras and Rockchip RK4566 ARM-based chips. This contrasts to current state-of-the-art solutions which can range in cost from $8,400 USD for a 2D LiDAR setup to $27,000 USD for a 3D LiDAR set-up.
“We are delighted to announce our partnership with Safelog, as this is another significant milestone on our path to commercializing Opteran Mind,” said David Rajan, CEO and co-founder, Opteran Technologies. “We are seeing a rapid take up of our technology across the US, Japan and Europe so today’s agreement with Safelog underlines why our technology is best in class for localization and mapping for mobile robots. It also shows that while Natural Intelligence is unique in the market our inputs and outputs are standard making Opteran Mind a simple and attractive solution to integrate with existing mobile robots.
Opteran Mind will be shown with a Safelog mobile robot to illustrate how it can deliver increased adaptability and minimize downtime. It can be embedded in ground-based and aerial robots in a wide variety of applications from logistics and warehouse distribution, oil and gas inspection drones, mining UAVs and autonomous vehicles.
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