October 13, 2023 Autonomous Mobile Robots

Volume 26 | Issue 2

OTTO Motors, manufacturer of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) that make smart factories even smarter, announces OTTO 600 and OTTO 1200 models

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OTTO AMRs automate common material handling tasks to help manufacturers implement smart factories that address labor shortages, scale their business, and achieve competitive advantage by reducing material handling costs as much as 90%. The combination of OTTO Motors AMRs and fleet management and navigation software is seamlessly integrated into facto­ry-wide workflows to deliver materials to and from other automated equipment, workers, storage racks, and the factory floor, and then deliver materials to a truck, warehouse, or other logistics operation.

Canadian-based OTTO Motors grew out of a final-year university engineering project to develop autonomy software for performing dull and dangerous factory jobs. In 2015, compa­ny founders expanded into the hardware side with OTTO Motors. Today, OTTO Motors is a multi-million dollar company with over 350 employees, providing solutions capable of automating any material handling workflow up to 4,200 lb. And with the recent announce­ment of the acquisition of its parent company, Clearpath Robotics, by Rockwell Automation, OTTO Motors AMRs adds to a complete port­folio of advanced material handling solutions and industrial automation tools.

According to a Rockwell Automation press release, “Rockwell and Clearpath together will simplify the difficult and labor-intensive task of moving materials and product through an orchestrated and safe system to optimize oper­ations throughout the entire manufacturing facility. The combination of autonomous robots and PLC-based line control has long been a dream of plant managers in industries as diverse as automotive and consumer packaged goods. With Clearpath, Rockwell is uniquely positioned to make that dream a reality across virtually all discrete and hybrid verticals, opti­mizing planning, operations, and the work­force.”

An important step to realize Rockwell’s com­plete smart factory vision is the recent unveiling of the OTTO 600 and OTTO 1200 models that further extend its unmatched material han­dling portfolio.

OTTO 600

The all-metal mid-sized OTTO 600 AMR moves pallets, carts and other payloads up to 600 kilograms (kg), hence its numerical descrip­tor, which translates to 1,322 pounds, at top speed of 2 meters/second (m/s), i.e., 4 miles per hour (mph), to deliver more material in tight spaces. IP54-rated construction offers superior ability to withstand dust and fluids. Steerable fields and efficient path planning enable OTTO 600 to maximize throughput without compro­mising on safety. Designed for quick setup, OTTO 600 can start delivering materials in a matter of minutes. Seamlessly scaled from a single AMR to a multi-robot deployment and integrated with industrial workflows using what OTTO Motors terms “the industry’s most powerful fleet management software.” OTTO 600 offers all the productivity benefits of a heavy-class AMR without compromising on agility to move more material in high-traffic areas and tight spaces.

In a press release to announce OTTO 600, company CEO and co-founder Matt Rendall comments, “In 2015, OTTO 1500 defined the heavy-class AMR category. In 2017, OTTO 100 quickly became responsible for the indus­try’s largest AMR installations. In 2022, we launched OTTO Lifter, the world’s first truly autonomous forklift. Today, we’re proud to announce OTTO 600, a mid-range AMR offer­ing the perfect balance of strength and agility. Powered by our industry-leading autonomous software, OTTO now offers an unmatched material handling portfolio.”

OTTO 1200

As its name indicates, Otto 1200 can move pay­loads of to 1200 kg (2,640 pound), yet has a nar­row footprint that along with patented adaptive fieldset technology enables it to move quickly and safely in the most space-constrained envi­ronments. The all-metal construction is IP54 rated, ensuring the ability to withstand dust and water in harsh factory environments.

Leveraging a decade of field service experi­ence, OTTO 1200 is designed with a service-first approach to reduce downtime. Equipped with rapid-access drawers that eliminate the need to remove payloads, OTTO 1200 enables quick maintenance that can be easily tackled by a single person.

Equipped with patented technology that improves visibility in the direction of travel, OTTO 1200 quickly maneuvers around peo­ple and turns, delivering best-in-class average speed with zero compromise to safety. OTTO 1200 seamlessly collaborates with other OTTO AMRs, enabling manufacturers to unlock facil­ity-scale material handling automation.

Other OTTOS

Filling out the comprehensive OTTO AMR portfolio to fit any smart factory need are:

• OTTO 100: smallest AMR for loads up to 330 lb;
• OTTO 750: midsize AMR for loads up to 2,530 lb;
• OTTO 1500: heavy-duty AMR to move loads up to 4,200 lb;
• OTTO Lifter: forklift AMR that handles pallet transport workflows up to 2,640 lb.

OTTO AMRs are enabled by the company’s autonomy software packages:

• OTTO Autonomy Software: Navigation software to provide quick and efficient trans­port workflows while ensuring utmost safety standards.
• OTTO Fleet Manager: capable of scaling up to 100 robots in one facility in a heterogeneous fleet—better than any other AMR provider in the industry.

Smart Automation

The company is confident that AMRs are just the beginning of the smart factory of the future. AMRs boost the efficiency of material handling with the ability to move through a warehouse infrastructure and adapt to path changes in real-time.

As noted by Bryce Vondervoort, Director OEM Partnerships, “OTTO Motors AMRs are built on modern robotics disciplines enabling higher performance in path planning, localiza­tion, traffic management, object detection, and user experience. This results in OTTO AMRs being able to handle a greater variety of auton­omous material movement workflows deployed at a much faster pace.”

According to Jay Judkowitz, VP of Product, “Our goal isn’t just to sell an AMR to automate a workflow. We believe that successful material handling automation requires multiple factors to align seamlessly, and we specialize in bring­ing those elements together to create winning solutions. These elements include hardware, software, support and services and we differen­tiate ourselves at each layer of the AMR stack to support the largest, most deeply integrated, business-critical material handling operations.”

Jukowtiz also points out that, “At the hardware level, we have the most robust robots designed for industrial use. They have been known to get rammed by forklifts and go back into service the same day. They are fast and safe, eliminating the tradeoff between these two critical values, working well in dynamic environments. They don’t get lost as the environment changes; they do local obstacle avoidance, and global replan­ning, and can handle misplaced carts and pal­lets.”

Where does OTTO Motors go from here?  “With over 4 million hours of production driving experience, our navigation software has earned its reputation as one of the most trusted AMR software in the market. On top of that, we have added a lot of value-added technolo­gy. For example, we have simulation services, troubleshooting tools, and data and analytics that can be used to continuously optimize the deployment, Jukowtiz says, “OTTO Motors envisions a future where material handling is just the beginning, as our system empowers customers with comprehensive data for opti­mal factory planning and optimization. This enhanced flexibility will transform factories into dynamic and highly efficient environments.”

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