ABB Robotics includes vSLAM navigation in F712 autonomous forklift

softbank — the new Flexley Stack F712 autonomous forklift can work in storage and retrieval. Source ABB Robotics.

ABB Robotics today launched the Flexley Stack F712, an autonomous forklift. The company said the latest addition to its mobile robot portfolio creates a more complete, interoperable ecosystem. ABB said it designed the Flexley Stack F712 for demanding material handling, end-of-line storage, and warehouse operations across industries, including automotive manufacturing. The company said its new autonomous mobile robot (AMR) can increase efficiency, flexibility, and scalability. “Across intralogistics operations, businesses are being asked to process greater volumes in less time, while working with increasingly limited resources,” stated Marc Segura, president of ABB Robotics. “They are under pressure to move goods faster and with greater flexibility, while labor availability is becoming a critical constraint.” “As part of our journey to more autonomous versatile robotics — AVR — we have combined advanced vision, mobility and intelligence in the Flexley Stack F712 forklift, completing our scalable, AI-powered AMR portfolio,” he said. “This is a turning point in industrial robotics. AVR enables robots to operate in a reactive way in unstructured environments, redefining what they can do.” Flexley Stack uses vSLAM rather than installed infrastructure The Flexley Stack F712 can handle multiple load types and sizes, thanks to adjustable forks, according to ABB Robotics. This includes open and closed pallets, containers, or racks, with loads up to 2,000 kg (4,409.2 lb.) and heights of up to 8.5 m (27.8 ft.). Unlike conventional automated forklifts on the market, the F712 uses visual simultaneous localization and mapping (vSLAM) to navigate its environment, said ABB. This eliminates the need for pre-installed infrastructure like markers or reflectors. “Traditional localization looks at the world with thin 2D lidar slices, but now we have a rich 3D view and can share maps across our fleet of stackers, movers, and tuggers,” said Renaud Dubé, head of research and development at Sevensense by ABB, during a press briefing. The AI-enabled system supports the autonomous decisions required to operate in complex, dynamic warehouse operations with a market-leading positional accuracy of ±10 mm (0.3 in.), asserted the company. The new AMR joins the Flexley Tug and Flexley Mover in ABB Robotics’ growing vSLAM fleet. The P604 is an omnidirectional platform that can carry two pallets, while the smaller P2603 AMR works with different top modules, explained Ricardo Martinez, R&D product technology manager at ABB Robotics.